The Secret Portal Podcast

This is a preview of my new book in which I step back into the Secret Portal and follow my Pop Pop, Kenneth Thomas, fight his way through the Vietnam War. We give excerpts from Arriving in Vietnam, an Ambush at Landing Zone Albany and an Ambush that ended the War for Pop Pop. A Special Thanks to Mike Harrison for doing an amazing and heartfelt Foreword and Dr Christina Requa for being my editor. You can buy my book on amazon and can visit my website, WWW.Jamespapalia.com.

In Episode 7, James tells the story of his friend Ray Firmani, on what would have been his 105th birthday. Ray was a B 17 Pilot in the 8th Air Force who flew 25 Bombing Missions over Germany during World War 2. James got to know Ray through the years and included him in one of his books.

In this special episode, James interviews several World War 2 Veterans and tells their stories including Rosie the Riveter Dorothy Trate, Albert Fishman, Whitey Rahn, Harry Bean, Harry Miller, Ed Conrad and Frank the Tank Stellar.

This event took place on August 15, 2026 at Alvernia College in Reading Pa.

Follow James as he meets his Friend Norris Jernigan on Tinian Island as American Forces prepare to drop a second atomic bomb on Japan and hope to end the War that has caused so many deaths.

Join James as he travels back to May 1940, as the British and French are at their lowest point. With their backs to the English Channel and with the Nazi War Machine bearing down, can Bill Cheall and his friends escape through Operation Dynamo?

Follow James as he travels to the end of World War 2, as the Armies fight it out to finish off the Nazis in Europe, a special team of "Monuments Men" are carrying out General Dwight D Eisenhowers orders to save and protect the art and culture of Europe by locating where it is hidden and returning it to the rightful owners.

Follow James as he goes back in time to witness Dorothy Trate, Rosie the Riveter along with 1000s of women serve our country building the Arsenal of Democracy. James has befriended Dorothy through the years and is excited to give a brief story of her tremendous efforts to help win the war! Those planes, tanks, ships and guns all were built by Rosie's across the country!

In the very first episode of The Secret Portal Podcast, 11-year-old author James Papalia travels back to June 6, 1944, the longest day of World War II.

Standing beside his great-grandfather, Francis P. Thomas, a soldier with the legendary Big Red One's Blue Spaders, James experiences the terror of the landing craft, the chaos of Omaha Beach, and the incredible courage it took to fight across the sand and climb the deadly cliffs of Normandy.

This isn't just a history lesson—it's a front-row seat to one of the most important days in world history.

After the adventure, James breaks down the real story behind D-Day, sharing amazing facts and explaining why the bravery of the Greatest Generation changed the world forever.