Episode 10: After the surrender of Germany and Japan, people around the world struggled to make sense of the chaos and devastation they had just lived through. Man's inhumanity to Man was on full display as shocked allied forces liberated concentration camps and viewed the unparalleled destruction visited on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

As U. S. Troops struggled to come to grips with the horrors of war they had witnessed, they dealt with a complex mix of emotions that included relief for not having to invade the Japanese mainland and guilt for having survived. Many would suppress these feelings as they developed symptoms of what, in later years, would be labeled Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. 

Today we are joined for the discussion by Dr. Kevin Greene, the Director of the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage, and a Fellow of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society.

To his insights, we will add the stories of Mississippians and others who helped bring order to the chaos of a postwar world as they fought for equality and a better life back home, including: Mona Astin of Gulfport, Bill Barnes of Jackson, Bidwell Barnes of Gulfport, James Bass of Laurel, Doris Barwick of Jackson, C. R. Cadenhead of Greenville, MS, Taylor Howard of Gulfport, Robert Leslie of New Castle, PA, Charlie Odom of Gulfport, Alton Patterson of Biloxi, and Jim Swager of Brookhaven.

Finally, Dale Center scholars, Dr. Kenneth Swope and Dr. Douglas Bristol will join Dr. Greene in sharing their final thoughts on the lasting impact of the most destructive war of all time.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

Episode 9: With Allied Forces pushing from the west, and the Red Army making huge gains in the east, the Germans grew increasingly desperate to reach a negotiated settlement and keep the front lines out of Germany. As Hitler's hold on power became increasingly tenuous, he looked for new weapons and new tactics to change the trajectory of the war and avoid the total destruction of his country.

In today's episode, Dr. Andrew Wiest of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society, joins us to discuss the final push to break the Nazis strangle-hold on Europe. He will guide us through the major battles that would ultimately end with Germany's surrender.

Dr. Wiest will also delve into what it was like to be a Prisoner of War in the hands of the Germans or the Japanese.

To his in-depth analysis, we will add the stories of Mississippians and others who fought and survived during those desperate days, including: Mary Allen of Gulfport, Patrick Carr of Paulding, MS, Thurman Clark of Laurel, Frank Forsyth of Foxworth, James Jones of Laurel, Lt. Gen. Troy Middleton of Georgetown, MS, James Mulligan of Detroit, MI, Jim Swager of Brookhaven, and Lt. Gen. Mickey Walker of Abbott, MS.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

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Episode 8:  As Allied Forces began planning for an invasion of Europe in 1943, it faced entrenched and highly-fortified German defenses along the French coastline. There would be only one opportunity to gain the element of surprise and somehow skirt the massive army that awaited them onshore. Operation Overload would be a logistical undertaking of a scale never before contemplated, and success would be anything but a certainty.

To talk us through the planning and execution of the juggernaut that would simply be known as D-Day, we are joined once again by Dr. Andrew Wiest of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society.

His historical prospective will be added to the stories of ordinary Americans who, together with millions of others, changed the course of history that fateful Summer of 1944, including: Rip Bounds of Hattiesburg, Joseph Clements of Owensboro, KY, Robert Leslie of New Castle, PA, and Jim Swager of Brookhaven.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

Subscribe to Voices of Our People: WWII so you don't miss a single episode!

Episode 7: As Allied Forces worked to retake strategically important islands from the Empire of Japan, Japanese military leaders grew increasingly desperate. With the U. S. Navy steadily inching closer to the Japanese mainland, the Imperial Japanese Navy would begin recruiting pilots for suicide missions to crash their planes into U. S. ships, in a nightmarish program known as Kamikaze, or Divine Wind.

Joining us for the discussion today is Dr. Kenneth Swope of the Dale Center. He will take us on a deep dive into the strategy behind the Island Hopping campaign, consider the success of the Kamikaze program, and discuss the Japanese Navy's misguided focus on cruisers and battleships.

To his insights, we add the stories of those Mississippians who lived through it all and returned home with memories that would haunt them for the rest of their lives, including: James Bass of Laurel, Jerry Clower of East Fork community, A. J. Jones of Hattiesburg, Alvy Ray Pittman of Columbia, and James Smith of Gulfport.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

Subscribe to Voices of Our People: WWII so you don't miss a single episode!

Episode 6:  As the war progressed, manpower shortages forced Americans to reexamine the role of women in the workplace. But even as increased demand for workers created new opportunities women, in both the civilian job market and the military, many viewed such changes as an affront to the American way of life.

Dr. Heather Stur of the Dale Center joins host, Bill Ellison, for a discussion of the new opportunities for women that arose during the war, the challenges they faced, and their impact on traditional gender roles in America.

To Dr. Stur's insights, we will add the stories of several women whose lives were forever changed by their service to the nation including: Mary Allen of Leland, MS, Mona Astin of  Blevins, AR, Ruth Colter of Natchez, Edith Reece of Woodville, Irene Smith of Gulfport, Esther Stanton of Sullivan, IN, and Bonnie Stedman of McComb, MS.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

Subscribe to Voices of Our People: WWII so you don't miss a single episode!

Episode 5: Perhaps no event changes a society more completely than war. Long-established cultural norms and accepted public policies can buckle under the stress of extended conflict. Indeed, WWII would change several long-held beliefs of the American public.

In the next two episodes, we will examine how the war changed our perceptions of what minorities and women were capable of: both on the battlefield and the home front. Through their stories of challenge and triumph, we will see how the marginalized defied expectations, and in doing so, charted a new path forward for the generations that followed.

Today host Bill Ellison will be joined by two scholars: Dr. Douglas Bristol and Dr. Kenneth Swope of the Dale Center. Dr. Bristol will discuss the rapidly evolving role of African-American Soldiers during WWII and the challenges they faced. While Dr. Swope will recount the unparalleled bravery of Japanese Americans fighting in the European Theater.

To their comments, we will add the memories of Mississippians, and others, who trained here before going on to serve their nation with distinction and honor, including: Bidwell Barnes of Gulfport, C. R. Cadenhead of Gulfport, Jerry Clower of East Fork, James Jones of Laurel, Robert Leslie of New Castle, PA, LaMont Martin of Gulfport, Herbert Sasaki of San Francisco, and Lee Spearman of Bay Springs.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

WARNING: CONTAINS RACIALLY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE.

Episode 4:  By the time America entered the conflict in Europe, it was clear that this war would be waged in radically different ways from the previous war, which had been fought primarily from trenches.

The development of heavy, high-altitude bombers meant that devastating destruction could be delivered far behind the front lines to homes and factories alike.

Meanwhile, Allied leaders strategized on the best way to liberated Europe from Axis forces, and soon, untested American soldiers would face off with the legendary Desert Fox, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel for the first time, in a place called the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. 

Once again, host Bill Ellison calls upon Dr. Andrew Wiest of the Dale Center to bring an in-depth perspective to this duel in the desert, as well as the invasions of Sicily and Italy. He will also discuss Allied bombers and the brutal air campaigned intended to cripple German's capacity to make war. 

To his commentary, we will add the stories of soldiers and airmen who experienced it all, including: Brig. General Elmo Bell of Wiggins, Patrick Carr of Paulding, MS, Taylor Howard of Gulfport, Al Key of Meridian, G. R. Sullivan of Raleigh, MS, Phil McGuire of Macon, MS.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

Subscribe to Voices of Our People: WWII so you don't miss a single episode!

On Episode 3, we examine the early days of the Pacific war. Following their successful attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces began a campaign to subjugate nearby countries in order to obtain more resources, expand their sphere of influence along the Pacific rim, and construct a defensive perimeter of protection to shield the island nation from an expected counter-attack.

Dr. Andrew Wiest of the Dale Center joins host, Bill Ellison, in examining the early military successes of Japan and the strategic failures of the Allies in Burma and the Philippines. And Wiest takes us on a deep dive into the daring Doolittle Raid over Toyko and major battles like Coral Sea, Midway, Savo Islands, and Guadalcanal. And he discusses the importance of the Seabees, Logistics, and Transport Pilots, to the war effort.

To his comments, we add the memories of our veterans who found valiantly on both land and sea, including: Rip Bounds of Hattiesburg, Willie Hammack of Gulfport, Alvy Ray Pittman of Columbia, Albert Russell of Lafayette, Nevin Sledge of Cleveland, and James Smith of Gulfport.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their unwavering support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage through the years. The Humanities are for Everyone!

Subscribe to Voices of Our People: WWII so you don't miss a single episode!

Welcome to the second episode of Voices of Our People: WWII.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, young people flood recruitment offices across the nation, ready to join the fight. As the United States begins shifting its massive economy to a wartime footing, our military experiences growing pains from the sudden influx.

Host Bill Ellison will be your guide as  Dr. Andrew Wiest of the Dale Center details the challenges faced by U. S. Forces in terms of training, equipping, and providing logistics for over eight million men and women.

And we hear stories from over a dozen veterans of how they selected the branch of the armed forces they would serve in, the trials of boot camp, and the often perilous journey to the front lines. Our storytellers: Johnny Balser of McComb, Bill Barnes of Jackson, James Bass of Laurel, Brig. Gen. Elmo Bell of Wiggins, Rip Bounds of Hattiesburg, C. R. Cadenhead of Greenville, Thurman Clark of Laurel, Jerry Clower of the East Fork community, A. J. Jones of Hattiesburg, LaMont Martin of Gulfport, Charlie Odom of Gulfport, Herbert Sasaki of San Francisco, and Lt. Gen. Mickey Walker of Abbott, MS.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their decades of support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage. The Humanities are for Everyone!

Be sure to subscribe to Voices of Our People: WWII so you don't miss a single episode!

Welcome to Voices of Our People: WWII. As Hitler's army marches across Europe, Americans are determined to sit out a second world war. However, half a world away, the Empire of Japan plans a preemptive strike on an obscure U. S. Naval base known as Pearl Harbor.

Our speakers for Episode One:

Bill Ellison, a voice very familiar to fans of Mississippi Moments, will be your guide through this series. With over fifty years in broadcasting, Bill is known for his distinctive voice-over work and as host of Grass Roots, a Bluegrass music program heard weekly on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

Dr. Andrew Wiest, of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi, provides in-depth analysis of the events that led up to the sneak attack and a blow-by-blow recounting of the entire battle. He also discusses America's reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

William Ned Locke was working at a bank in Dayton, TN, in 1938 when he decided to join the Navy. He was aboard the USS Pennsylvania, the flagship of the US Pacific Battle Fleet at the time of the attack.

Other speakers include:

Jimmy Persons of Natchez, James Bass of Laurel, and Irene Smith of the Gulfport Naval Home.

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their decades of support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage. The Humanities are for Everyone!

Be sure to subscribe to Voices of Our People: WWII so you don't miss a single episode!