Tales from the Corps

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Every Veteran Has a Story. Sharing Them One At A Time.

On the United States Marine Corps' 251st birthday, Tales From The Corps welcomes W. Henry Sledge, son of legendary WWII Marine Eugene B. Sledge, author of With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa and one of the Marines portrayed in HBO's The Pacific.

But who was Eugene Sledge beyond the battlefield? Beyond the Marine known as "Sledgehammer"?

Mike Francis and co-host Neal "Slider" sit down with Henry for an extraordinary conversation about his father's life, his wartime experiences, and the legacy he left behind.

Henry offers an exclusive look inside his new book, The Things That Remain: The Artifacts of Eugene B. Sledge, sharing rare military records, personal belongings, photographs, and previously unpublished handwritten material.

Inside this episode:

• Never-before-seen material: Original handwritten manuscript pages, military identification records, and Sledge's fingerprints.
• Personal artifacts: His KA-BAR, Marine Corps uniforms, and the M1 carbine he used to teach Henry marksmanship.
• Returning to Peleliu: Henry visits the battlefield where his father fought and discovers remnants of the Marines' wartime positions.
• The invisible wounds of war: A heartbreaking account of Eugene Sledge's traumatic reaction to a WWII movie and the psychological scars he carried home.
• The making of With the Old Breed: The handwritten legal pads, family memories, and typewriter behind one of the most influential Marine Corps memoirs.
• A Marine's final farewell: Henry remembers his father's funeral and returning to his grave 25 years later to find tributes from generations of Veterans.

Throughout this deeply personal conversation, Mike, Neal, and Henry reflect on combat, brotherhood, and why Veterans should never compare their experiences or diminish their own sacrifices.

The episode concludes with Henry's moving realization that his father's legacy belongs not only to his family, but to every Veteran who has experienced the darkness of war and struggled to find the way home.

This is more than a conversation about a famous Marine. It's a son's tribute to his father and a reminder that behind every war story is a human being.

📖 THE THINGS THAT REMAIN: THE ARTIFACTS OF EUGENE B. SLEDGE

By W. Henry Sledge

Available November 24, 2026.

Order a signed copy from Alabama Booksmith:

https://www.alabamabooksmith.com/signed-copies/things-remain-artifacts-eugene-b-sledge

Happy 251st Birthday, Marines!

Semper Fidelis.

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
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Who was the real Captain Andrew “Ack Ack” Haldane?

Immortalized in Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed and HBO's The Pacific, Captain Andrew Haldane became one of the most beloved and respected Marine officers of World War II. But behind the legendary combat leader was a remarkable man whose full story has never been told.

In Season 2, Episode 7 of Tales from the Corps, host Mike Francis and co-host Neal “Slider” sit down with Marine Captain Garrett Shetrawski, author of an upcoming biography of Haldane, and actor Scott Gibson, who portrayed the legendary Marine in HBO's The Pacific.

After nearly nine years of research, Garrett has uncovered previously unseen personal letters, family correspondence, military records, and firsthand accounts that reveal an extraordinary story of courage, humility, hardship, and leadership.

From struggling academically and financially at Bowdoin College to leading Marines through some of the most brutal fighting in the Pacific, Haldane's journey challenges everything we think we know about legendary military leaders.

In this episode, we explore:

• The terrifying combat at Cape Gloucester, including five Japanese banzai attacks and devastating Marine casualties.
• How Haldane's personal struggles shaped his extraordinary leadership.
• The previously unseen letters revealing his fears, relationships, and longing to return home.
• Scott Gibson's experience portraying Haldane in HBO's The Pacific.
• Why Haldane's example is still taught at Marine Corps Officer Candidates School.
• His service as a young lieutenant during the Guadalcanal campaign.
• Newly uncovered historical evidence that could change our understanding of Marine Corps operations in the Pacific.
• Garrett's upcoming biography, tentatively scheduled for November 2027.

This isn't simply the story of a decorated Marine officer. It's the story of a man who gave his own food to hungry Marines, carried the weapon of a wounded subordinate, and earned the respect of those he led through compassion as much as courage.

The Marine Corps remembers Captain Haldane as a warrior. This episode introduces you to the man.

Join us as we uncover the real story of Captain Andrew “Ack Ack” Haldane.

Every Veteran Has a Story. Sharing Them One At A Time.

Semper Fi!

Tales from the Corps — Season 2, Episode 7

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
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What happens to the stories behind a Veteran's challenge coins when they're gone?

Every challenge coin has a story. Some represent extraordinary acts of courage. Others commemorate friendships, deployments, achievements, or moments that changed someone's life forever. But while the metal may last for generations, the stories behind those coins can disappear.

In this episode of Tales from the Corps, host Mike "Dirty Mike" Francis sits down with Anna, the CEO behind Allcoin, a groundbreaking digital challenge coin platform designed to preserve military history, connect Veterans, and ensure the stories behind these treasured traditions aren't forgotten.

Anna isn't a Veteran herself. Her journey began in finance and entrepreneurship before an unexpected career in private security introduced her to the military and first responder communities. What she discovered was a culture of service, sacrifice, and connection that would ultimately inspire her to build something entirely new.

What if you could preserve not just a challenge coin, but the story of how you earned it, who gave it to you, and why it mattered?

That's exactly what Allcoin is working to accomplish.

In this conversation, Mike and Anna explore:

• The future of military challenge coins: How Allcoin is combining physical challenge coins with blockchain-backed digital versions.
• Preserving military history: Why the stories behind challenge coins are often more valuable than the coins themselves.
• A general's incredible discovery: How a retired two-star general unexpectedly found one of her own challenge coins in Allcoin's digital library.
• The power of recognition: Anna shares the unforgettable experience of receiving a challenge coin from former Navy SEALs.
• Physical meets digital: How digital challenge coins can preserve photographs, videos, personal histories, and connections between recipients.
• The origins of challenge coins: Exploring the legendary World War I story behind one of the military's most recognizable traditions.
• The challenge coin challenge: Could the classic military coin challenge eventually go digital?
• A new way to connect Veterans: How shared coins, units, and experiences can help rekindle relationships across generations.
• The future of Tales from the Corps: Mike and Anna discuss creating digital challenge coins for the community, including possibilities surrounding the 85th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

Mike also shares the deeply personal stories behind some of his own challenge coins, including a limited-edition coin from Iwo Jima flamethrower Veteran Don Graves and an unforgettable encounter with a retired Navy chief.

This isn't simply a conversation about technology. It's about legacy.

Because someday, the people who earned these coins won't be here to tell their stories.

And those stories deserve to survive.

Explore Allcoin

Discover the digital challenge coin library, preserve your own collection, and share the stories behind your coins.

🌐 https://www.allcoin.braav.co/

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
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Adolf Hitler remains one of the most studied figures in modern history. Yet more than 80 years after the fall of Nazi Germany, much of what people believe they know about him is still influenced by the propaganda his regime created.

How did an Austrian-born young man become the dictator who led Germany into World War II and whose Nazi regime perpetrated the Holocaust? Did his experiences during World War I transform him into the man history remembers? Or have generations of historians and filmmakers unknowingly reinforced the myths Hitler constructed about himself?

In this episode of Tales From the Corps, Mike Francis sits down with Professor Thomas Weber, historian at the University of Aberdeen and author of *Hitler's First War* and *Becoming Hitler*, to examine the real history behind Adolf Hitler's life, ideology, military service, and rise to power.

Professor Weber challenges the familiar image of Hitler as a man who spent his life screaming and shouting, explaining how carefully staged Nazi propaganda shaped the public's understanding of his personality. They examine Hitler's childhood along the Austrian-German border, his early political beliefs, and the remarkable transformation of his personal history into a powerful political narrative.

The conversation turns to World War I, where Weber's research challenges longstanding assumptions about Hitler's military service. Was Hitler really the heroic frontline messenger celebrated in Nazi propaganda? What did the soldiers who served alongside him actually think? And was National Socialism truly born in the trenches of the First World War?

Mike and Professor Weber also explore one of history's most fascinating counterfactual questions: If Germany had won World War I, would Adolf Hitler ever have risen to power?

Their discussion examines Hitler's appeal to ordinary Germans, the racial ideology that fueled Nazi persecution and the Holocaust, and the political circumstances that allowed Hitler to consolidate power. They also explore the dangers of reducing Hitler to a caricature rather than understanding the historical decisions and institutions that enabled his dictatorship.

Beyond Hitler himself, Weber reflects on growing up in Germany after World War II, the responsibility of confronting a nation's history, and why understanding how seemingly stable societies can descend into dictatorship remains important today.

This conversation isn't about excusing Adolf Hitler or diminishing the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany.

It's about separating historical evidence from propaganda — and understanding how one of history's most destructive dictators actually came to power.

**About Professor Thomas Weber**

Thomas Weber is a historian and professor at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, specializing in modern European history, Adolf Hitler, Nazi Germany, and the First World War.

He is the author of *Hitler's First War: Adolf Hitler, the Men of the List Regiment, and the First World War* and *Becoming Hitler: The Making of a Nazi*.

His research challenges established narratives about Hitler's formative years, military experiences, political radicalization, and the ways Nazi propaganda shaped the historical record. Through his scholarship, Weber seeks to distinguish documented history from the mythology surrounding Hitler and the rise of National Socialism.

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
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In September 1944, U.S. Marines landed on the tiny Pacific island of Peleliu for what planners believed could be a relatively short battle. Instead, they entered one of the most brutal, unforgiving fights of the Pacific War.

In this episode of Tales From the Corps, Mike sits down with award-winning WWII documentary filmmaker Tim Gray, Founder and President of the World War II Foundation, to talk about the Hells of Peleliu — a battlefield Tim describes as one of the most haunting places he has ever visited.

They discuss why veterans who experienced multiple battles in the Pacific sometimes remembered Peleliu as even worse than places such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa; the horrific conditions inside Peleliu's caves, ridges and coral terrain; and the continuing debate over whether the battle ultimately needed to be fought at all.

Tim also talks about the feeling of physically standing on Peleliu today and why certain historic places carry a weight that is difficult to explain unless you've been there. Drawing from his years documenting World War II sites around the world — including Auschwitz — Tim discusses the responsibility that comes with walking ground where so much suffering and death occurred.

Mike and Tim also look back on their trip to Peleliu for the 80th anniversary of the battle, the people of Peleliu who continue to live among the remnants of the war, and what makes the island unlike almost anywhere else on Earth.

More than 80 years later, caves, bunkers, artillery pieces, wreckage and countless artifacts remain where the war left them. Peleliu is considered one of the world's best-preserved World War II battlefields — effectively an open-air historical record of one of the Pacific War's most savage campaigns.

This conversation isn't only about how the Battle of Peleliu was fought.

It's about why places like Peleliu need to survive — and what we lose when the physical evidence of history disappears.

About Tim Gray

Tim Gray is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and the Founder and President of the World War II Foundation. He has written, produced and directed 47 World War II documentaries, filming on historic battlefields and WWII sites across the Pacific, Europe and the United States, including Peleliu, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Bataan, Normandy and Auschwitz.

Gray has won seven Regional Emmy Awards for documentary writing and filmmaking, along with numerous international film honors, and his work has received American Public Television's National Programming Excellence Award. His documentaries regularly air on PBS and public television stations across the United States.

His work is dedicated to preserving the personal stories, battlefields and history of the World War II generation before they disappe

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
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Does World War II end the same way without Tinian?

Battles like Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa dominate the history books, but the Battle of Tinian in 1944 was arguably one of the most consequential campaigns of the Pacific War.

Home to North Field—which rapidly became one of the largest and busiest airfields in the world—Tinian served as a launch point for the B-29 Superfortress bombing campaign against Japan and, ultimately, the Enola Gay.

Military historian Steve McCloud joins Marine Corps combat Veteran Mike “Dirty Mike” Francis to break down the invasion of Saipan, the largest Banzai charge of World War II, the Battle of Tinian, the first use of napalm in the Pacific, and the remarkable tactical deception that helped make the amphibious assault successful.

We also examine the larger strategic question: Could there have been an Iwo Jima without Tinian—and could World War II have ended the same way without it?

This is a deep dive into the Mariana Islands campaign, the Marines who fought there, and why Tinian deserves a much larger place in the story of the Pacific War.

📖 Steve McCloud is the author of Black Dragon: The Experience of a Marine Rifle Company in the Central Pacific, chronicling Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines.

In this episode:

00:00 Why Doesn't Anyone Know About Tinian?
07:27 How the Marines Reached Saipan
11:40 The Largest Banzai Charge of World War II
14:30 Napalm Is First Used During the Battle of Tinian
18:03 What the Marines Endured
19:50 The Horrors Marines Witnessed
23:52 Leaving Saipan & Landing on Tinian
28:46 The First Night Counterattack
48:52 “BAZOOKAS UP!” — Fighting on Saipan
51:16 How Tinian Became the Busiest Airfield in the World
58:41 Is There No Iwo Jima Without Tinian?
1:00:00 Why America Invaded Iwo Jima
1:02:58 Does World War II End Without Tinian?
1:19:45 Iwo Jima Visit Recap

Tales From the Corps preserves military history and Veteran stories through conversations with the people who lived it and the historians dedicated to keeping those stories alive.

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
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Three months ago, Santos Matos — better known around Tales from the Corps as “Funnel Cake” — sat down with us as a poolee preparing to leave for Marine Corps Recruit Training at Parris Island.

Now he’s back as Private Santos Matos, United States Marine.

So… how much of what he expected was actually true?

In this follow-up conversation, Santos takes us inside his experience at Marine Corps boot camp: what he wasn't prepared for, what breaks recruits, whether you can actually quit, the moments he wanted to quit himself, and how letters from home helped him keep going.

We talk about what a normal day at Parris Island was really like, what surprised him most, what he wishes he'd known before shipping out, and what he'd tell someone leaving for boot camp tomorrow.

Then we get personal.

What did his mom think when he came home? How did his dad react? What did Santos tell the poolees waiting to follow in his footsteps?

And after everything that happened over those three months, we ask the question this entire journey has been building toward:

Who are you now?

Marine Corps boot camp is behind him. Infantry School is next.

And Santos's story isn't over.

💬 QUESTIONS, STORIES & FAN MAIL

Are you heading to Marine Corps boot camp? Have a son or daughter preparing to ship? Already earned the title and have a story of your own?

Send us fan mail through Buzzsprout, hit us up on social media, join us in the Virtual Barracks, or email [email protected].

We read what you send — and your question might make it into a future episode when Santos returns after Infantry School.

DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences discussed in this episode are the personal views and experiences of Santos Matos throughout his journey from poolee to recruit to United States Marine. They are his own and do not represent the official views, policies, or positions of the United States Marine Corps, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government. Tales from the Corps is not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Marine Corps or Department of Defense.

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
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Did the United States have to drop the atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II?

Renowned WWII historian Jon Parshall, co-host of The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast and author of the upcoming 1942: The Crux of War, joins Tales From The Corps for an in-depth conversation about one of the most debated questions of the Pacific War.

Jon examines the decision to use the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan's willingness and ability to continue fighting, alternatives to dropping the bombs, the role of Emperor Hirohito, and what an invasion or prolonged blockade of Japan could have meant.

But the human cost wasn't limited to Americans and Japanese. The war was still killing enormous numbers of people throughout China, Vietnam, Java, and the rest of Asia. Jon explains why every additional month of war mattered—and why understanding the decision requires looking far beyond the two atomic bombings themselves.

We also discuss Japan's leadership, surrender, the fate of the Emperor, Soviet entry into the war, the morality of wartime decision-making, and the consequences American servicemen could have faced had the Pacific War continued.

This isn't about reducing history to “the bombs were right” or “the bombs were wrong.” It's about understanding the choices available in 1945, their consequences, and the people who would have paid the price.

🎙️ Featuring Jon Parshall — The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar

 📖 1942: The Crux of War — Order at 1942book.com

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
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💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
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Marine veteran Justin Cramer joins Tales From The Corps to talk about coordinating airstrikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a JTAC evaluator, and the experiences that eventually led him to create the Former Action Guys Podcast.

Justin takes us inside the world of Marine fire support and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, sharing lessons from his deployments, the responsibility of coordinating close air support in combat, and what he learned serving alongside Marines at war.

We also explore the transition home, entrepreneurship, podcasting, and Justin's work preserving the stories and experiences of veterans through Former Action Guys.

Contact Justin Kramer:
YouTube: @formeractionguys
Website: https://www.jcramergraphics.com
IG: formeractionguys

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TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
🪖 Virtual Barracks: VirtualBarracks.com
💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
📧 Business Inquiries: [email protected]

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Actor Scott Gibson, who appeared in HBO's The Pacific, joins Tales From The Corps to honor and preserve the stories of World War II veterans Don Graves and Allan Chatwin.

Gibson joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver following a special gathering in Fredericksburg, Texas, where Graves and Chatwin shared firsthand memories of their service during World War II.

In this conversation, we reflect on their experiences, the responsibility of preserving veterans' stories before they're lost, and the unique connection between the veterans who lived this history and the actors and storytellers who have helped bring the WWII generation's experiences to the screen.

We also explore the intersection of Hollywood and military history, what it means to spend time with the men whose generation inspired productions like The Pacific, and why recording these firsthand accounts matters for future generations.

Featuring:
🎬 Scott Gibson — Actor, HBO's The Pacific

Support WWII veteran trips and documentary preservation through Beyond the Call:  www.WWIIBeyondTheCall.com

Support the show

TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
🪖 Virtual Barracks: VirtualBarracks.com
💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
📧 Business Inquiries: [email protected]