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Six Minutes That Changed the World
Our latest Heroes' Path webinar with Colonel Gerry Tertychny is 90 minutes that will stay with you. Here's a taste.
On the morning of June 4, 1942, the course of the Pacific war turned in about six minutes. Japan was at high tide on June 3rd. By the end of the next day, the United States was on the offensive and never gave that initiative back.
How it happened is one of the great stories in our nation's 250-year history, and Colonel Gerry Tertychny (USA, Ret.) tells it better than anyone I know. Gerry served 28 years in Infantry, Special Forces, and Civil Affairs, and retired as Director of Special Operations Forces at the U.S. Army War College. He's an Army officer who can take you inside a naval battle and make you feel the weight of every decision.
It's 90 minutes, and it's worth every one of them. It's also full of leadership lessons that apply directly to how we decide, trust, and lead today.
I won't spoil it. But here are some of the questions Gerry answers.
- An admiral bet the entire Pacific on a hunch from a man who worked in a basement in a bathrobe and slippers. Why did he trust him, and what does it teach us about trusting our own people?
- One sentence of written guidance from Admiral Nimitz may be the finest example of commander's intent ever put on paper. What did it say, and why does Gerry teach it at the War College?
- An entire squadron flew straight at the enemy fleet and was wiped out almost to the last man, without landing a single hit. How could a unit be annihilated and still be the reason the battle was won?
- A 30-minute accident and a pilot's split-second decision to "fly five more minutes" set up the most decisive six minutes of the war. Luck, or something more?
- Was Midway really the turning point of the Pacific war, or does another battle deserve that title?
And a few things you'll learn along the way that you won't forget: why the Navy turned to musicians to help break a Japanese code, the clever ruse that confirmed the target, the future president who flew at Midway, and the pilot whose extraordinary record the movies still overlook.
There's also a personal moment near the end that caught me off guard, tied to a date that falls the day after this webinar aired.
This is exactly the kind of story Heroes' Path exists to keep alive: ordinary men, extraordinary decisions, and lessons that still hold 84 years later. Pour a coffee, give it 90 minutes, and let Gerry take you into those six minutes.
▶ Watch the full webinar here
And if it moves you the way it moved me, consider supporting Heroes' Path at heroespathfoundation.org. We're just getting started, and there's much more to come.
Take care of one another, and stay curious.
Support the show
Learn • Serve • Lead • Remember
🎧 Never miss an episode—subscribe on YouTube or grab the RSS.
Follow & join the conversation ➔ @HeroesPath on X, Instagram, LinkedIn • #HeroesPathPodcast
View all episodes
By JohnOur latest Heroes' Path webinar with Colonel Gerry Tertychny is 90 minutes that will stay with you. Here's a taste.
On the morning of June 4, 1942, the course of the Pacific war turned in about six minutes. Japan was at high tide on June 3rd. By the end of the next day, the United States was on the offensive and never gave that initiative back.
How it happened is one of the great stories in our nation's 250-year history, and Colonel Gerry Tertychny (USA, Ret.) tells it better than anyone I know. Gerry served 28 years in Infantry, Special Forces, and Civil Affairs, and retired as Director of Special Operations Forces at the U.S. Army War College. He's an Army officer who can take you inside a naval battle and make you feel the weight of every decision.
It's 90 minutes, and it's worth every one of them. It's also full of leadership lessons that apply directly to how we decide, trust, and lead today.
I won't spoil it. But here are some of the questions Gerry answers.
- An admiral bet the entire Pacific on a hunch from a man who worked in a basement in a bathrobe and slippers. Why did he trust him, and what does it teach us about trusting our own people?
- One sentence of written guidance from Admiral Nimitz may be the finest example of commander's intent ever put on paper. What did it say, and why does Gerry teach it at the War College?
- An entire squadron flew straight at the enemy fleet and was wiped out almost to the last man, without landing a single hit. How could a unit be annihilated and still be the reason the battle was won?
- A 30-minute accident and a pilot's split-second decision to "fly five more minutes" set up the most decisive six minutes of the war. Luck, or something more?
- Was Midway really the turning point of the Pacific war, or does another battle deserve that title?
And a few things you'll learn along the way that you won't forget: why the Navy turned to musicians to help break a Japanese code, the clever ruse that confirmed the target, the future president who flew at Midway, and the pilot whose extraordinary record the movies still overlook.
There's also a personal moment near the end that caught me off guard, tied to a date that falls the day after this webinar aired.
This is exactly the kind of story Heroes' Path exists to keep alive: ordinary men, extraordinary decisions, and lessons that still hold 84 years later. Pour a coffee, give it 90 minutes, and let Gerry take you into those six minutes.
▶ Watch the full webinar here
And if it moves you the way it moved me, consider supporting Heroes' Path at heroespathfoundation.org. We're just getting started, and there's much more to come.
Take care of one another, and stay curious.
Support the show
Learn • Serve • Lead • Remember
🎧 Never miss an episode—subscribe on YouTube or grab the RSS.
Follow & join the conversation ➔ @HeroesPath on X, Instagram, LinkedIn • #HeroesPathPodcast