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On an equal field in the battle of ideas, mistruths and misconceptions is getting us into a world of hurt.
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Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
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And welcome to the Kim Munson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You’re each treasured. You’re valued. You have purpose. Today, strive for excellence. Take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body. My friends, we were made for this moment in history. And thank you to the team that I get to work with. That’s Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa. amanda and all the people here at crawford broadcasting check out the website that is kim munson mon son.com sign up for our weekly email newsletter while you’re there that goes out on sundays my email is kim at kim munson that’s mon son.com i appreciate all of you who support us we are an independent voice on an independent station searching for truth and clarity By looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. And the show comes to you 6 to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday. First hour is rebroadcast 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Second hour, 10 to 11 at night. And that is on all KLZ 560 platforms. That’s KLZ 560 AM, 100.7 FM, the KLZ website. The KLZ app, you can say Alexa Play KLZ, and then everything is on Spotify and iTunes as well. It is Memorial Day. It’s a day to stop and reflect about those that gave all or at least some. There are those that came home that have been injured. And so it’s a time to stop and reflect about the sacrifices that have been made for our liberty. And so it’s a day sometime today. Sit down. with your family, your kids, your grandkids, and just talk about the significance of Memorial Day. And so we are pre-recording the show, and very pleased to have on the line with me Colonel Bill Rutledge, 96 years young. He is a retired Air Force colonel, and he’s traveled the world. He has… Reads extensively, has a great curiosity about people and places and things. And he said for Memorial Day weekend, both for the America’s Veterans Story Show and for the Kim Munson Show, let’s talk about Medal of Honor recipient Eddie Rickenbacker. And so, Colonel Rutledge, welcome to the show. Well, good morning, Kim. It’s good to have you, and it’s a really remarkable story. So let’s start with Eddie Rickenbacker’s story. Where was he born?
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, well, Eddie was… First of all, Eddie’s mother and father came from the German-speaking part of Switzerland, and they immigrated in the 1880s. And Eddie… was a third of eight children. And he was born in Columbus, Ohio, October the 8th, 1890. And his parents really wanted to be a part of the American society. So they gave all of their eight children English first names. And not only that, when they were in Switzerland, Rickenbacker was spelled slightly different. So when they came to America, by coincidence, people put it down like it sounded to them, B-A-C-K-E-R, and it would have been B-A-C-H-E-R had they stayed in Germany.
SPEAKER 15 :
Okay. And so he was born in Columbus, and even at a young age, he was really an entrepreneur, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes. He felt an obligation, first of all, to help his family. And so he took a job when he was 10 where he was delivering newspapers, and he got $1 a week for all of his work. And then shortly thereafter, actually when he was 13, he was in the seventh grade, his father was in a working accident and was killed there. So Eddie dropped out of school. Now, it’s not unique, his experience, because I compare him very often in the aviation field and also especially commercial aviation. And I relate him to people like Edison and Bell and Ford and Chrysler, all of these great, great people. Most of them never had a high school education and certainly they never went to college. And so he had an education until he was 13, and then he became an apprentice as a machinist working with people with a company that was designing and building race cars.
SPEAKER 15 :
And he became really an expert, ultimately, as a mechanic, yes?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, he became so good as a mechanic that they started having him ride in the race car now in the early days the race cars were designed sort of they were designed specifically for that so they weren’t the flat traditional one that Ford was building and others but they always had two people in the cab so there was the driver and they always had a mechanic with them because sometimes they did cross-country competition as well as a fixed track And there were occasions when they’d have to get out and just stop, and the mechanic would have to get out and work on the engine. And he became an absolute expert in his field.
SPEAKER 15 :
So ultimately, though, he wanted to also learn to drive, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, right. He was so good at his job, people wanted to keep him as a mechanic. But he wanted to move up and become a driver. So he did. And he moved up. And in his late teens, then he was a driver. And since he also was so good at mechanics, he was in a position to sort of make that transition where you didn’t have to have two people in the cab of the car. So he was, again, a pioneer in early race driving. And he… competed throughout the Midwest and in those days you normally you’d pay some money to enter the competition and the winner got the money it wasn’t like it is today, where they scale it down and the winner gets the largest piece of the cash. In those days, if you if you came in second that’s too bad no money.
SPEAKER 15 :
Interesting. And so he did end up racing at the Indianapolis 500, which that race is always over Memorial Day weekend.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, he did, and he became very interested in doing it. And he was really ready in 1917. By this time, he was 27 years old. He’d had a lot of driving experience. And in May of that year, he was in Indianapolis preparing his car to go into the Memorial Day race competition when he got a call from an old friend who was on the staff of General Pershing. And the friend said that General Pershing wanted to have a particular driving pool of experienced drivers to help move him around and other members of his general officer staff. So Eddie talked to him and he said, well, you know, I’m going to be racing next week. So if you would just let me do that, then I’d be ready to go. And the man who was a major on Pershing’s staff, he said, Eddie, we’re leaving tomorrow from New York. And if you’re not ready to be on the ship You’re not going with the first division. So Eddie said, I will be there. He hung up, and he went straight down and got on the trains and moved as fast as he could to New York and got there in time enough to get aboard ship.
SPEAKER 15 :
Wow. So it’s such a fascinating story and really a story of American exceptionalism as well. And we get to have these great shows and these great stories because of wonderful sponsors. And I’m blessed to work with amazing people as sponsors of the show. And I’m so pleased to welcome Jody Hinzey as a new sponsor of the show. And we are pre-recording for Memorial Day. And Jody Henze, welcome. And Memorial Day is really special to you, yes?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes, it is, for sure. My family has been in the military for many years. In fact, my dad was in the Coast Guard and gave his life for our country, serving our country in the Coast Guard.
SPEAKER 15 :
So thank you. And that’s why it is so important on Memorial Day to stop and reflect. I know people like to get together with friends, barbecues, there’s sales at the stores, but it’s more than that. It is actually really to stop and reflect about those that have given their last full measure of devotion for our country. So can you give us some details on what happened?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, so my dad was part of the Coast Guard. And at the time, it was back in the 90s, and we were focusing a lot on the war against drugs. And what they were doing is they were flying drug surveillance missions over the ocean. And he was flying one of the E2 Hawkeyes, and they were flying over the ocean looking for drug traffickers. And unfortunately, the plane caught on fire. They had a technical issue and they turned the plane around. And unfortunately, the plane didn’t make it. And all four servicemen members were killed in a plane accident.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, boy, this really makes Memorial Day even more important to hear your story. And that had to be really difficult. And I think that’s the thing about Memorial Day. I was at an event recently where I was talking with General Joe Arbuckle, and he said there were 97,000 Americans that gave their lives in the Korean War and Vietnam War. And they leave behind wives and children. And we take it so for granted, our liberty these days, Jodi, that it stops me in my tracks to think about the sacrifice of your family.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, yeah. I was 14 at the time. I have an identical twin sister and another sister who was living with my dad. And Yeah, it was shocking, and we’ll never forget it. In fact, my dad left a memory that my older sister now serves in the Navy, and I’m grateful for her service as well.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, yes, and thank you, and thank you for my liberty. We’ve got just a couple of minutes left. Let’s switch gears to you’re a sponsor of the show, and we are so pleased to have you as a sponsor of the show today. And I know that Mint Financial Strategies, you strive for excellence. So what do you want people to know about you and your business?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah. Mint Financial Strategies have been doing it for a little over 25 years now. I can’t believe it’s been that long. But thinking about freedom, we believe in financial freedom as well. Striving for that, we believe in a strategy-first approach, and that’s really what we focus on at Mint Financial. Thinking about independence as well, we believe that working with a financial advisor that’s independent of financial products. We believe in really putting together a strategy that’s independent of financial products. That’s what we do at Mint Financial. We really help people strive for that financial freedom through an independent nature.
SPEAKER 15 :
And that is really important if you have economic freedom. I think Maggie Thatcher said something along the line. You can’t have political freedom unless you have economic freedom. And certainly that’s the case on a personal level as well. What is the best way for people to reach you, Jody Henzey?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, they can check us out on our website. That’s Mint Financial or www.mintfs.com. Or you can call me, 303-285-3080. That’s 285-3080. That’s my direct line. I answer the phone. I don’t have an assistant, so you’d reach me directly. That’s 303-285-3080.
SPEAKER 15 :
Okay. Jodi, Henze, thank you so much. And again, thank you for my liberty. You too. Thank you, Kim. Okay. And then another great sponsor of the show is the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance Team. They also strive for excellence.
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SPEAKER 15 :
And welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. Be sure and check out our website. That is kimmunson.com. And we actually are pre-recording this show for Memorial Day weekend and for Memorial Day and also because Eddie Rickenbacker was a Medal of Honor recipient. So a military career as well. We thought it appropriate that we would broadcast this interview both for America’s Veterans Stories on Sunday and then for the Kim Munson Show on Monday. And so pleased to have on the line with me, Colonel Bill Rutledge, retired United States Air Force, 96 years young. Amazing curiosity about people and places and things and reads extensively. And we’re talking about Eddie Rickenbacker. And really quite a career. So as we mentioned in the previous segment, Eddie Rickenbacker volunteered in late May 1917 to become a part of General Pershing’s American Expeditionary Force. And he was selected because of his automobile driving skills and his exceptional mechanical ability. And so he gets to New York and they get on the ship. So then what happened, Colonel Rutledge?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, when he got to New York and he was about to go aboard the ship, one of the senior officers, and I think it was a full colonel, had the authority to designate the military rank or grade that they would have. So they designated him as a sergeant. And, of course, we know we have privates and corporals and then sergeants. So he was a sergeant. And as he got aboard ship, they looked at the stripes on his uniform and checked their records, and they said, okay, you’re a sergeant. So you’re going to be down in the hold with all of the other enlisted men. So he went down there, and it was crowded. It was smoky. There was oil fumes around. The food was terrible, and he didn’t like it. So he went up on the deck, and he came across another old friend who he had known in the automobile business. and he said where are you staying you’re not with us he said oh i’ve got my private cabin and he said well why he said i’m a sergeant you’re a sergeant he said yeah eddie but i’m a i’m a sergeant first class and um eddie said well i ought to be also and he said well You aren’t. And he’d say, well, Eddie said, well, how can I do that? He said, you’ll have to talk to the colonel. So he did. He went to the colonel. He said, so and so is he has a private quarters and he’s up on the main deck. And it’s very nice and it’s terrible down the hold. So I want you to promote me. So he did. And he promoted him. And by that second night, Eddie had his own stateroom. And this was sort of the respect he had with the seniors because he was very good, but he was also very direct. And he made him know very clear that he was not happy down in the hold area.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and I love the initiative of him finding out how to change things and to change it. So then he gets over to Europe. What happens then?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, then the 1st Division went over, and they were there for several months while they were preparing to get involved actually in the combat. And Pershing refused to let the Americans be integrated into the French forces. Force or into the English. Both of those wanted to be having American units coming in to replace their units that were decimated by the war. And he said, no, we will fight as a unit, and we will be the American Expeditionary Force, and we will not be ready for a few months. So they went through a formative period. And Eddie then was working with other And, of course, he was the best mechanic in the whole bunch. So he did not actually drive for General Pershing. Many people often thought he was. It was Pershing’s motor pool driving drivers. But he was so good that he was selected by Billy Mitchell, who was a brigadier, and who was in charge of the Army Air Corps. to be his driver, so that whenever he went out, he wanted Eddie. And one of the interesting stories was that they were up near the front, and it was muddy and bad roads, and it was night, and dangerous to be out. So Eddie was driving, and they got into this area with a lot of mud, and their car stopped. And he got out, and General Mitchell was very concerned. And Eddie said, well, I’ll check it out. So he was so good, he found out what the problem was. He actually developed a replacement part that he put back in there, and he got the engine started, and they got out, and they moved. So this was the caliber of an individual he was. He was creative, and he designed. always took initiative. So he got the reputation of being extremely good with engines. And because of this, and because of his affiliation with General Mitchell, then he was actually assigned to one of the airplane squadrons that was being formed on the 94th. And he then became the principal mechanic for the aircraft engines. And when he did this, they just sort of centralized their maintenance because of his skill. And Eddie then approached the major who later would become one of the chief of staff of the Air Force 20 years later. And he talked to the major and he said, well, if I’m going to be working on these engines, I ought to know how to fly. And he said, but you’re too valuable. And Eddie insisted, and he kept insisting. So finally, because of his persuasiveness, the major agreed to let him go to a French flying school. Now, Eddie didn’t speak French, but Eddie was a fast learner. And so he went to the school. He learned how to be a pilot, and he had promised he would come back, which he did. So after he’d gone and came back, then he learned to fly, and he He would fly around a little bit in non-combat areas. And then the class of Americans that he had been in were sent away to go to gunnery school, and Eddie didn’t go. But the reason he didn’t go, because a major said he was too valuable as a mechanic. So Eddie again started his persuasiveness and kept telling him, look, I’m going to be working with these people Yes, I’m working on the mechanical part, but I want to be able to qualify as a combat pilot so if the opportunity or the need is there, I can help our mission. So he did. He went down to a French school, which is down in the southern part of the country, and it was designed specifically to teach people how to use machine guns on aircraft so he learned that and then he came back and so when he got back it was now the winner of 1917 1918 so he had to have some more opportunities to fly before he ever was exposed to combat
SPEAKER 15 :
So in the year 1918, though, he did do combat missions, and he ultimately was awarded the Medal of Honor for those, yes?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, but that was years later. What happened was he had to have enough training to be confident, so he didn’t go out. A lot of the pilots, the new pilots, were shot down in their first missions, and he flew enough with an experienced person and actually he was the best American pilot. He’d been born in France and he took Eddie sort of under his wing, so to speak, and worked with him one-on-one where he would take his plane, Eddie would take his plane. They were flying French-made Newports and so they trained. And then Eddie had their first chance for combat the last week in April, 1918. So he did his flying. He was up and around, and he got his first aircraft shot down that time. But it was a harrowing experience, and he was learning a lot because that’s a situation where you either learn fast or you’re shot down and you’re gone. Shortly after he had had some combat experience, he had some sort of a respiratory problem. So Eddie was actually in and out of the hospital for almost two months. So May and June were basically gone. So then he came back, and now he’s got about four months to work with, July, August, September, October. Within four months, Eddie had become… the squadron commander, and had shot down 26 German aircraft.
SPEAKER 15 :
Wow, that is amazing. And again, this would be like the old-time dogfights, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, absolutely. Yes, for sure. And he learned, he really learned a lot from the Germans, because the Germans were the ones that developed the attack program in Germany. He was very observant of their procedures, and he used a lot of the tactics that the Luftwaffe was using then. Of course, then it wasn’t called the Luftwaffe. It was only named that later. But nevertheless, he was flying during the period after most of the German aces had actually been shot down because of constant exposure. But nevertheless, there were still… The German pilots still were more experienced than these young Americans. One thing was interesting, though, about that they had to make a waiver on, and this is a flashback. Eddie, when he wanted to be a pilot, the age requirements was 27. You could not fly if you were that old, I mean, if you’re over that age. I thought it was 25. I’m sorry, 25, correct. And, of course, he was born in 1890, so he was already 27. But what happened was the doctor who did the physical exam was a good friend of Eddie’s. So he just changed the record to show that Eddie was born really in 1892. So… It shows, again, a little of his initiative and how his good friends helped get him into combat.
SPEAKER 15 :
Boy, remarkable stories about Eddie Rickenbacker. And we get to have these discussions because of our sponsors. And one of those great sponsors is Karen Levine.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 15 :
And welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMunson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter. You can email me at Kim at KimMunson.com as well. And thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice on an independent station searching for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Something’s a good idea. You shouldn’t have to force people to do it. I’m talking with Colonel Bill Rutledge, retired United States Air Force, 96 years young. We’re talking about Eddie Rickenbacker, just really an amazing man, both military and an entrepreneur. We are pre-recording this for both Memorial Day and for America’s Veterans Stories for the day before. So Colonel Rutledge, it’s 1918, April. Eddie Rickenbacker in combat flight, he gets his first kill on that. And then he was in and out of the hospital because he had some respiratory stuff going on. And so then he ended up having four months left because then the war came to an end. A total of 26, I guess, Germans that he shot down, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
Correct. And also, he had moved up where he was a squadron commander. And so when the war ended and he came back home, he was certainly the aviation hero. And also, because of his close affiliation with General Billy Mitchell, he maintained contact… with those people who were still flyers in the military. But he was also recognizing that in order to have a good pilot and a number of pilots for any kind of future combat, that we needed to develop commercial aviation for many reasons. But one of the reasons, of course, was to gain experience as pilot. So he was doing that. Then he also went back and he bought the Indianapolis Speedway. It was on the market. It was going to be sold. And it looked like it was going to be converted into homes and businesses. And he was very good working with people. financial people. So he got backers and put together enough money to buy the property. And he always claimed that because of the importance of the facility, that it was one of the greatest test places for the automobile industry. This is long before they had big outdoor tracks like they do in Arizona now. But The race tracks were great. And the people, of course, in the tire business really promoted and encouraged racing there because they had to change their tires a lot when they were doing the Indianapolis 500. So he bought that so they could continue the procedure, which is still today. On Memorial Day weekend, it is the elite race in America. And so he saved it and then the same time he decided because of his mechanical skills that he liked wanted to go into the auto production field so he actually did and uh he set up factories he got people that were going to be dealers for him around the country because he’d had some experience like that before the war and uh they actually produced rickenbacker automobiles many thousands during the 1920s but what happened was because of the great crash and depression as it started in 29 they just didn’t have enough cash to survive so he had to go out of business and then he started directing his attention more to commercial aviation Especially, he affiliated with the very small airport airplane operations in Florida. And then he eventually switched the name to Eastern Airlines, and he became the executive and eventually the owner of Eastern Airlines. Now, when he was going through this transition, Roosevelt was elected in 1932. He took office in 1937. March 4th, 1933. And he was trying to figure out how to save money. And there had been some movement of airmail by commercial carriers. And that seemed to be fairly safe because they would only do it during the daytime and where they could see and follow. They used to follow railroad routes or paved roads. They did all sorts of things because Aviation was in its infancy on the commercial aspect. So he worked a lot with that. Roosevelt decided in spring of 34 that instead of paying commercial contractors to fly the mail, he was going to have the Army Air Corps do that. Well, the Army Air Corps didn’t have nearly as good of planes as the commercials. They were still using training planes left over from World War I, plus the fact they didn’t know enough about flying at night, they didn’t know the routes well, and they didn’t have enough flying time. So consequently, when Roosevelt directed that happen, he canceled all the contracts with the commercial carriers and gave the assignment to the Army. And Lindbergh, along with Rickenbacker, both made public announcements to the effect that this was terribly dangerous that it shouldn’t be done and for some of the reasons i’ve already mentioned and so what happened in the spring of 34 within about a month or so they had enough crashes they thought they lost 12 new young pilots in crashes and i can remember because i was Very young. I was in the first grade. But I was in Georgia, and one of the pilots was from a town down there. He was from Albany, Georgia. And they used to have articles in the paper every day about this man who’d been in a crash in Florida. He was in the Army Reserve. But what his health condition was, how he was recovering. His name was Mason Reed. And I just kept hearing people talk about him. How is Mason Reed doing today? How is Mason Reed? Well, after a few weeks, Roosevelt realized that he had made a terrible mistake. So he backed off and took the Army out of the mail business and went back for commercial contracting. And that continued on until today. It’s done by commercial purposes, not by military aviation purposes.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and Roosevelt kind of held a grudge, didn’t he?
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, he held a real grudge. He held a grudge against Rickenbacker and also, of course, against Lindbergh. Both of them, Lindbergh had been designated a colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve, and Rickenbacker had been, he served on active duty as a captain during World War I. But after the war, through the reserve, he was promoted also to full colonel in the Army Air Corps. And he was presented, of course, with his Medal of Honor many years after the war. But these were the two most important pilots recognized by the American public. And when they both came out in opposition to Roosevelt, It had an impact. So when we got to World War II, both of them wanted to come back and be on active duty, and Roosevelt refused. He wouldn’t let them do it. It was just chip on his shoulder.
SPEAKER 15 :
So how did—we’d done that show on Lindbergh. How did Rickenbacker end up serving in World War II then?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, what happened was— He had gotten to know a number of the general officers, of course, from the First World War who had become generals then. And Hap Arnold now was the chief of staff for the Army Air Corps. And Hap Arnold knew how good Rickenbacker was. So when they started the military draft in 1940 and started building new fields all around the country – He approached Rickenbacker and said, I would like for you to go and inspect each one of these new bases. And what he did, he took him into the Secretary of War because there was no Air Force that’s separate at that time. And Stimson was the Secretary of War. So he told him what he wanted to do. So Stimson gave him a letter. that he could use and show to the base commanders at all of the new Air Force bases being built, that he was speaking on behalf of the Secretary of the Army and had the authority to direct any changes necessary to make the bases and the training staff more efficient. So that’s what he did. And he went all over America, did a marvelous job. And… He was so successful there that they even sent him to some of the other areas. And then even when Russia got into the war in 1941, in June of 1941 when they were invaded, we started sending aircraft over to assist them. And Eddie went to Russia representing the U.S. to help the Russians understand how to fly aircraft. the American fighter aircraft. And he also had the opportunity to see what the Russians were doing as far as their aircraft construction. So he was what we used to call a tech rep, technical representative, and to monitor and to come back and to share what he had learned in the field with the Army Air Corps. And it was very important. It was so important, and now we get a situation where Japan has invaded, I mean, Japan has attacked Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. In 1942, when Corregidor fell in the Philippines, MacArthur was sent by direction from Roosevelt, was sent to Australia, and he was to be the commander of that whole theater with the Army. But the Secretary of the Army… wanted to relay some confidential information to MacArthur. So he elected to have Eddie go directly to MacArthur. To talk to the general. Okay.
SPEAKER 15 :
Colonel Rutledge, let’s keep that as a cliffhanger. And also before we get into that remarkable story, I also wanted to ask you about 1941 when he was in that plane crash. So let’s keep those two things as cliffhangers.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, we can do that. We should do a flashback on that.
SPEAKER 15 :
Absolutely. And I did want to mention the Center for American Values located in Pueblo. And they will be having a Memorial Day event on the 28th. And it will be an On Values presentation. You can get more information about that by going to AmericanValuesCenter.org. That’s AmericanValuesCenter.org. And I also want to mention Lorne Levy for Everything Mortgages.
SPEAKER 12 :
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SPEAKER 09 :
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SPEAKER 15 :
And welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is kimmunson.com. Happy Memorial Day to all of you. It’s a day to remember and reflect upon those that have given their lives for our liberty. And something that you might consider doing is the USMC Memorial Foundation website. We’ll be sponsoring an event out at the Memorial at 2 o’clock on Memorial Day, so be sure and check out their website. That is usmcmemorialfoundation.org. I’m talking with 96-year-young Colonel Bill Rutledge, retired United States Air Force, about Eddie Rickenbacker. And we’re getting ready to talk about when he was to take the message down to General MacArthur. But let’s let’s go back earlier in the year. I think it is, I guess, the year before February 1941. What happened to Eddie?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, Eddie had become the chief executive officer for Eastern Airlines and Eastern had become the largest commercial carrier in America before the start of our involvement in World War II. So he was a passenger aboard one of the DC-3s, which were the real advancement in commercial aviation for passengers. And he was just a passenger aboard on his way to Atlanta, coming out of New York. And so there was no bad weather or anything going on, and nothing was unexpected. And they were approaching Atlanta, and something happened as far as the technical aspects of the aircraft and communication of the grounds, because a lot of it was experimental in those days. Anyhow, what happened was that the pilots and the co-pilots were both killed in the crash that happened north of Atlanta. And it was finally after a flight investigation, they found that their altimeter had been wrong. They thought they were at an altitude of about 2,000 feet higher than they really were. So they flew right into the forest. And a terrible crash. And many of the people aboard were killed. And Eddie was, it was a miracle that he wasn’t killed. He was in the the wreckage, and the people came out as quickly as they could get there, but it took them about an hour, an hour and a half to come to the wreck site. Then the emergency people were trying to excavate and get their survivors who could walk, get them out of the way first. And then they heard that Eddie was still breathing, so it took them over an hour to use cutters and things to get him out. But he was so enshrined with metal all around him. So they got him out. They put him in the ambulance. They all went to the hospital. When they got to the hospital, the doctors who were on call that night in the emergency room, they looked at Eddie and they thought, this guy’s not going to make it. They said, put him over there to the side. So they just wanted to work on the ones that looked like they had a chance to survive. The good news for Eddie was that Eddie knew the doctor who was in charge of the hospital. And the doctor was alerted of the crash. So he came over, and he arrived there within an hour or so after Eddie got to the hospital. And he asked, where’s Eddie? And they pointed out to him over there, well, he’s over there with a group we don’t think will make it. Well, the doctor in charge went over and became Eddie’s personal physician. And he did everything he could. And he saved Eddie’s life. But Eddie had many, many broken bones and a fractured skull and things which would normally kill anyone. And so the doctor told him, he says, you’re going to stay here and we’re going to treat you. And he said, I believe. that you will need to be here for eight months. And Eddie said, I don’t think so. And in four months, Eddie got up and walked out.
SPEAKER 15 :
Amazing. Amazing. So let’s get over to he walked out, and we’re now getting into World War II. So now what happened?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, then we’ve talked about his visits to all of our air bases and acting as a tactical consultant. But he then was asked directly by the Secretary of War to take a personal oral message to General MacArthur, who was now down in Australia. So he flew to Hawaii, and when he got to Hawaii, there was a B-17 available to fly him from there on down towards Australia. Well, they took off. There was Eddie and seven other members of the crew. And Eddie was the passenger. And they were going. They had their headings. Everything was going fine. But then their radio communications didn’t work right. And the long and the short of it was that their contact with the islands that they were supposed to be able to stop at and refuel… they got lost. And after a while, it looked like there’s no way they’d make any kind of a landing on surface. So the pilot told them we’re going to have to crash land. So they moved their supplies of water and also their supplies of emergency food. And they moved it to a particular spot on the plane. And so they had to crash into the ocean. So they came down Made a good landing. But in their panic to get out of the plane, they forgot the food and the water. So they went out and inflated their three little rafts that were done. And so they all got in those. They got off. And when they got safely away from the airplane, it went under. And suddenly they realized, hey… We don’t have any water and we don’t have any food. And yet there’s eight of us floating around out here and nobody knows where we are. And so what they were doing, they realized they were going to be dependent upon rain for water and try to fish. And so one of the first notable things happened. eddie very smartly kept on his coat and regular suit and a big felt hat now a lot of the people had thrown a lot of their personal clothing item away because they thought it would be easier for them to swim to swim away from the plane that was stupid because it also exposed them to terrible sun so one day and this is shortly after they’d gotten out there floating around um A bird came, a seagull, and landed on top of Eddie’s head. And nobody moved. Nobody said anything. They didn’t want to frighten the bird. So Eddie real quickly, wham, on top of his head. And he killed the bird. And so they took the bird and divided it up into eight parts, and they ate the bird. And, of course, there was no way to cook the bird or anything like that. They probably picked some of the feathers off. But, nevertheless, that sustained them for a while. And then they also rigged up some devices with some strings and some sort of hooks they made that they could use and try to catch a fish once in a while. And then they had rain. And the rain is what saved them. And they were floating in the drift. They were lost in the newspapers. didn’t cover much about it because it was a very highly classified mission. But they did later report that Rickenbacker was missing on a combat flight to Australia. So we knew this. But at 22 days before one of the aircraft, which was an amphibious plane from one of the smaller islands way out in the middle of the Pacific, flew over their area, identified them, and it took them another 24 hours to go back and get some other amphibious aircraft to come down and pick them up and take them all back to this island. And so then all the people wanted to go back to Hawaii. But Eddie said, no, I’m going on to Australia because I have a mission to perform, and it’s verbal. So he did continue on. and he went and visited with MacArthur and relayed the information from the Secretary of the Army.
SPEAKER 15 :
Remarkable. And we’ve got a couple of minutes left. What would you say would be the big takeaways regarding Eddie Rickenbacker that you want our listeners to hear?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I think the most important thing to me was, well, the amazing thing is that I’ve talked to many people that I’ve known during the last few weeks And I’d say, do you know anything about Eddie Rickenbacker? They said, who’s he? I couldn’t find hardly anybody who’d ever even heard of Eddie Rickenbacker. And I told them a little bit about the story and that he was the most famous American fighter ace in World War I. But I also tried to equate him with other people of his era. And that’s when I mentioned that he was on a par with people who they recognized. In other words, Edison and Bell and Ford and Chrysler, all of whom had no degrees. And you could go all the way back to Benjamin Franklin. People mostly didn’t know anything about him either. But all these people did not have formal educations, but they were leaders in their field. Nobody else could have taught them Because they were inventing and creating. And he was, Eddie was a person who was creative, especially in business and organization for commercial aviation. In other words, he was to commercial aviation what Billy Mitchell was to the development of military aviation.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, Colonel Rutledge, I so thank you for all of the research that you’ve done on this. And thank you so much for sharing this. And our quote for the end of the show is from Eddie Rickenbacker. He said, the four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built is initiative, imagination, individuality, and independence. So, my friends, today be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you. God bless America. And stay tuned for hour number two.
SPEAKER 06 :
I don’t want no one to cry, but tell them if I don’t survive.
SPEAKER 08 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
SPEAKER 17 :
It’s the Kim Munson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 15 :
The socialization of transportation, education, energy, housing, and water, what it means is that government controls it through rules and regulations.
SPEAKER 17 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 15 :
Under the guise of bipartisanship and nonpartisanship, it’s actually tapping down the truth.
SPEAKER 17 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 15 :
On an equal field in the battle of ideas, mistruths and misconceptions is getting us into a world of hurt.
SPEAKER 17 :
Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 15 :
And welcome to our number two of the Kim Munson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You each are treasured. You’re valued. You have purpose. Today, strive for excellence. Take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body. My friends, we were made for this moment in history. And I’m really blessed to work with amazing people. Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, Amanda, and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. Be sure and check out our website. That is kimmunson.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter. That way you will get first look at our upcoming guests as well as our most recent essays. You can email me at kim at kimmunza.com. And I thank all of you who support us. We are an independent voice on an independent station searching for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through this lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. And the show comes to you Monday through Friday, 6 to 8 a.m. The first hour is rebroadcast 1 to 2 in the afternoon, the second hour 10 to 11 at night. And those platforms are KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM, the KLZ website, the KLZ app, Alexa, PlayKLZ, and then also Spotify and iTunes. And for Memorial Day, we are pre-recording these shows, and I’m very honored to have on the line with me. He is a Medal of Honor recipient for actions that he took during the Vietnam War. Drew Dix, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER 05 :
Kim, it’s good to be here today, and it’s also good to be whenever I’m talking with you about what you think about. And I think we’re doing some good letting people know what counts in this country.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and you and Brad Padula are co-founders of the Center for American Values, which is a nonprofit that I dearly love and highlight on a regular basis. It’s located in Pueblo on the beautiful Riverwalk. And it is a really interesting. It’s a really important place. It’s focused on these foundational principles of honor, integrity, and patriotism. But set this up for us, Drew Dix. For those of listeners that may not know the story of the Center for American Values, tell us how it came to be.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, 15 years ago, Brad Padula and I went to visit Jerry Murphy, one of the other founders recipients of the Medal of Honor from Pueblo. And he was in a home and he was doing okay, but not too good that day. And we left there, stopped to have a beer and talk about it. And we got to thinking, you know, we need to do something to remember the value of having somebody like Jerry in our community that I looked up to as a young person as well. And from that day, we went down to the center where his father had just purchased one of the old historical buildings there and was figuring out what to do with it. And we asked him, we put the center in here. We got this idea, and he looked at us and said, And his style, he just kind of wasn’t sure what we were talking about. And about 10 minutes later, he says, I’ll do it. What floor do you want? And that’s where it was. And we’re on the ground floor. And he said, well, there isn’t really a ground floor. And I said, well, Rudy, it really needs to open out onto that river walk. And he looked at me again, and a couple minutes later, he said, okay, we’ll dig it out. And so we had great support from the Padula family, and it’s been a pleasure ever since. For 15 years now, we’ve been honoring those that made sacrifices to this country. And that’s why Veterans Day, I mean, Memorial Day is so important, is to remember the sacrifices that people made for this country. And we showcase the center with the portraits of the Medal of Honor recipients, but it’s not about war. It’s not about those individuals necessary, but what they represent. And that’s the beauty of it. So this Memorial Day and those in the future, we’re going to be recognizing those that made sacrifices for this country and all of us that were veterans in combat. can probably have faces that come in our view from the recesses of our mind about those that fell next to us and gave up their life for us and this country.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and we have a long history of everyday people stepping forward to stand for liberty, which is the responsible exercise of freedom. And, of course, the values that the center focuses on is honor, integrity, and patriotism. And patriotism isn’t bravado, Drew. It’s love of country. And I think it’s important that people understand that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, it is. And we focus on our young people that come through the doors. And while we don’t, we just, we use the Medal of Honor and stories of these recipients that are on the wall there to let them know that at some times in your life, you have to step up and do something. Not necessarily in a war, but… that they will have their time to do something, and they need to be looking for that opportunity and be willing to make those sacrifices because that’s what built this country. And I just think of it often and feel blessed that we were able to keep the center going, and we’re making a difference because we see thousands of kids every year that come through there, and we don’t know what they do with that information, but we know it makes a difference.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and you do have these great programs for K through 12. And you can certainly use people’s help in making this happen. I know so many Coloradans are saying, what can we do? Well, one of the things that they can do is support the center both financially and also with a time as well. But certainly financial resources are important for the center. And how can people make a contribution there, Drew Dix?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, again, Kim, we welcome donations. We need donations. In times like we have now in this country, there’s people that just talk about it and rub their hands together and figure out, you know, complain, but So if you don’t have faith in others doing the work, look at the center because we’re getting the word out about things. And we’re absolutely apolitical. But what needs to be done is common sense things and restoring pride in this country and what built it is. is what’s important. So look us up at AmericanValueCenter.org, and there’s a place to donate, and we appreciate all the support. We have some good sponsors, and I might add that none of our board members or key individuals are paid. They’re all volunteers. We do have a staff, and that’s what we need to keep going.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and it is a very special place. I’d highly recommend that as the kids are getting out of school that you put it on your bucket list to go down to Pueblo and visit the Center for American Values. It will change their lives. It will change your lives. Again, that website is AmericanValuesCenter.org. We have these important discussions because we have amazing sponsors. That number is 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan team is there. And I’m pleased to be talking with Roger Mangan with the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance team. And, Roger, I’ve got a question for you. I received something, it was several months ago, from Xcel Energy that they’re doing some kind of a program. It looked like an insurance program to me to insure lines coming into your house, so your water line, different things like that. Is that something that State Farm Insurance does as well? And what would you say to people about that?
SPEAKER 03 :
I would say take a hard look at that. It’s very costly, as you well know, to replace a sewer line. So from the drain in your basement under the concrete to outside the perimeter of your home, which would be, let’s say, your yard, to the main sewer line, That could be an 80-foot distance. And to dig that up and replace it, and most of that occurs, by the way, in the yard where tree roots and so forth through time have had the opportunity to get into those sewer drain lines and destroy them. And that’s probably anywhere from a $10,000 to $12,000 bill for you. So you can buy an endorsement on your state farm homeowners policy. It’s about $60 to $80 a year. It’s a flat rate, so that rate changes. And I’m looking at a rate of $66 a couple years ago. I think that’s pushing about $85 a year. And you can add it pretty much any time to your… It’s called service lines coverage. It would cover… Your sewer line, it would cover any kind of electrical line. It’s very, very important. So electric, gas, sewer, water. And we would provide you up to $10,000 of coverage with a $500 deductible. If your home is older, that $10,000 is reduced to $2,500. But that’s 50 years or older. So if your home is less than 50 years, you get $10,000 of coverage for that $66 to $85 a year. And what it covers is wear and tear, rust, mechanical breakdown, weight of vehicles, equipment, animals, vermin, freezing or frost, external forces from a shovel, backhoe, tree or other, ruts, rut invasions. Very, very comprehensive coverage.
SPEAKER 15 :
It seems to me like that makes a lot of sense for people to get that onto their homeowner’s insurance. And I know I have all my things bundled with you, so I need to check all that out. And so I’ll be giving you a call. What’s that number to call you?
SPEAKER 03 :
You do have that coverage, Kim. It’s 303-795-8855. And we’ve been serving Littleton and all of Colorado, as well as Arizona nowadays, for over 49 years. So we’re here to stay and to help you. So please give us a call.
SPEAKER 15 :
And again, that’s the Roger Mangan State Farm Insurance team. And they strive for excellence. That’s why they’ve been in business for 49 years. That number is 303-795-8855. Like a good neighbor, the Roger Mangan team is there.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 11 :
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SPEAKER 16 :
You’d like to get in touch with one of the sponsors of The Kim Monson Show, but you can’t remember their phone contact or website information. Find a full list of advertising partners on Kim’s website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 15 :
And welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMunson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter. And you can email me at Kim at KimMunson.com as well. And we’re an independent voice on an independent station that happens because of our great sponsors. And I want to say thank you to the Harris family for their longtime great sponsorship of the show. We greatly appreciate them. On the line with me is Drew Dix. He is a Medal of Honor recipient for actions that he took during the Vietnam War. And he and Brad Padula and the Padula family are very involved in creating the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo. And there’s really three things, Drew Dix, that the center focuses on. Certainly the Medal of Honor Portraits of Valor, which is… It’s a very reverent place, and you have them on the walls with these amazing portraits and these great quotes. And I think that an important point to make is I can’t read all of them at one time. I have to go and think and read and think. And so it’s really a place that I’m blessed to get to go to quite often. But I think it’s important for young people. We’ve heard those that have said that people can relate to people that look like them. Well, ultimately, I think that look like them is the people that have these values of honor, integrity, and patriotism. But the portraits on the wall at the medal really represent – The diversity of America. And I think it’s important that we understand that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, Kim. And, you know, the interesting part about it is the first time we opened the doors and the very first school buses were unloading. out on the street ready and the teachers were trying to corral the kids and line them up to come in there i’m looking out from the top windows and oh no they’re going to trash our place because you know those kids are kids and and i was very proud of how nice it looks down there and i walked down and as they and they were they were doing like kids in the line you know grousing around and stuff and as they came through the door they just kind of all got it together. They were quiet and respectful and just gravitated to all of those portraits. And we thought that the portraits would be a good piece because kids are, you know, visual. They want to see it. And like you said, it represents people like they are. But of course, these are older people that were portraits taken many years after their action, but maybe they represent their father, their grandpa, or somebody. But anyway, it was a short time before we had quotes, and that was part of the portraits, and they’re inscribed right under each portrait. And it wasn’t long before we realized those kids were focusing on those words. which was remarkable to me because, you know, I thought they’d like the pictures and whatever they meant, the photos. So that gave us the idea to put together the Medal of Honor Quotes book, which is a very successful book that people and organizations buy to give out to family and friends. But that’s where it started. It is interesting. having young people look at faces of individuals that represent all walks of life. And it’s very well done. Nick DelCaso was a photographer and put those together and had a unique ability to capture the person, not only in the person’s likeness, but in capturing that person’s identity some way and it is really remarkable so yes kim that’s that’s what makes it special and the kids just are i get letters from them uh and notes that um thank you for putting the center together so you know we all feel good when we get recognized
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and that’s why Memorial Day is so important. We are pre-recording this interview. And my producer, Steve, who’s retired, would always just be so frustrated with Memorial Day sales for products, furniture, mattresses, you know, whatever. And I think he had a point. And so I think Memorial Day can be two things. It can certainly be about sales and barbecues. Okay. But what it really is about, though, is stopping and remembering and honoring. And, Drew, I think that going through the quote book, the Medal of Honor quote book, and then researching out what these men did, I think that if we had schoolchildren in every school in Colorado – that had a report each year that they needed to do on one of our Medal of Honor recipients, I think that it would change Colorado for the better. And I would love to figure out a way to make that happen.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, and we’ve thought about that, too. How can we get a quote book into the hands of every graduating student? senior or maybe when they they come to they first get into the school at the younger age i don’t know somebody needs to figure out but it can it can it was designed for them to refer to and as a quality book rather than just a little paperback so we put the money in building it but if anybody out there gets an idea that they can make that happen feel free to call us and uh We’ll certainly work with them because the objective is not necessarily to make the money on the book and keep us going. The objective is getting the book in everybody’s hand so they can feel it and touch it and see it, the relationship to the average American that did good at the right time.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and how I got involved in America’s Veterans Stories is in 2016, I went with a group that accompanied four D-Day veterans back to Normandy, France, for the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day landings. And so the veterans did a number of presentations in the schools there. And what I found was so interesting was these students there in Normandy knew the history of the – the landings in 1944, and they were just full of questions. And I realized at that point in time, these stories, we need to remember and honor. And so that’s why I’m really thrilled to get to do the work that I do with you all down at the center. It’s a great honor for me to get to do that, Drew Dix.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, yes, and you mentioned something about how they remember that in Europe, and I think they remember it more than in our schools. So that’s what we like to do. We don’t promote war at all. In fact, we promote peace through strength, but the willingness to be able to make sacrifices for something you believe in is so important.
SPEAKER 15 :
It really is. And so these foundational principles of honor, integrity, and patriotism is what the Center for American Values is focused on. That website is AmericanValuesCenter.org. And the show comes to you because of great sponsors, and I’m so pleased to have the Second Syndicate as a sponsor.
SPEAKER 02 :
The Second Amendment was established to ensure that all individuals have the right to resist oppression, stand firm against government overreach, and protect our ability to defend ourselves, our families, and our freedoms. Today, that right is under relentless attack in Colorado. Colorado’s premier grassroots Second Amendment organization, the Second Syndicate, is on the front lines, fighting to preserve and protect your constitutional rights. We expose the most pressing threats to the Second Amendment and provide the education, resources, and tools to stay informed, empowered and prepared join the movement protect your rights visit thesecondsyndicate.com that’s thesecondsyndicate.com where the second is first
SPEAKER 12 :
We’ll be right back. Because he works with many different lenders, Loren offers you choices for your individual mortgage needs. Knowledge is power and preparation leads to success. Call Loren Levy at 303-880-8881 so that you are prepared for the opportunities in the mortgage market. That’s Loren Levy at 303-880-8881.
SPEAKER 14 :
Focused and wise marketing is essential for your success, especially during tough economic times. If you love The Kim Munson Show, strive for excellence and understand the importance of engaging in the battle of ideas that is raging in America. Then talk with Kim about partnership, sponsorship opportunities. Email Kim at kimmunson.com. Kim focuses on creating relationships with individuals and businesses that are tops in their fields. So they are the trusted experts listeners turn to when looking for products or services. Kim personally endorses each of her sponsors. Again, reach out to Kim at Kim Munson dot com.
SPEAKER 15 :
And welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is kimmunson.com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter, and you can email me at kim at kimmunson.com as well. Thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice on an independent station searching for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Something’s a good idea. You should not have to force people to do it. And within all that, there is a proper role of government. And one of the things that I learned when I was on city council is proper role of government, government making the decisions that should be limited and as possible. And that’s how I got to know Hooters Restaurants. It’s a really interesting story that you can find at my website, kimmunson.com. And Hooters Restaurants has five locations, Loveland, Aurora, Lone Tree, Westminster, and Colorado Springs. and a great place to get together with friends for their lunch specials Monday through Friday or watch all of the different sporting events out there as well. So more information, you can find that at my website. I’m talking with Drew Dix. He is co-founder of the Center for American Values located in Pueblo on the beautiful Riverwalk. And, Drew, you are a Medal of Honor recipient, and you and Brad Padula worked together to get the center created. But there were four Medal of Honor recipients that grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, which is pretty remarkable. And I think Eisenhower said to one of the guys as he was presenting the medal, he says, is there something in the water out there in Pueblo? But it’s pretty remarkable, and there is a video that highlights these stories.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, Kim, that’s the unique part about Pueblo, is that there were four of us that were raised in Pueblo. It’s the only… city in America that’s had four living recipients. And when you think about it, of the 3,500 awarded, roughly 2,000 of those were from the Civil War before they had other awards. That’s pretty remarkable when out west here, Pueblo was just a little dot on a map somewhere at the time. Really wasn’t much to it in the 40s and 50s. Even when I grew up in the 60s, it was about the same size it is now, much bigger than Colorado Springs. But Still not that big of a city compared to those that were around during the Civil War, like Philadelphia and New York and those very populated places. So Brad Padula put together, co-founder of the center, put together a video called Beyond the Metal. And it’s four vignettes, an hour long. That’s the right term to call it. um about beyond the medal about the four of us individually and that’s available at the center so if someone would like to see it it’s very well done in fact he received an emmy for that his work there two of them two emmys and uh did a wonderful job and it’s a very popular thing with the kids to see that because it’s a combination of interviews of us when we were, you know, older after the action and then some, some action footage, uh, come during the combat scenes. Um, so it’s, it’s popular and a good thing for kids to see and adults as well. So that’s well done. And, um, mine is called, uh, uh, the green beret because I was in special forces and, uh, And it outlines a lot of what I was doing over there prior to being unclassified. So it’s pretty interesting and entertaining. Brad did a good job.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and the four guys, their names and which war they served in?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, the four guys, one is Bill Crawford from World War II, Carl Sitter and Jerry Murphy, both Marines from World War II. from Korean War. Incidentally, Bill was Army, and then me in Vietnam. And the interesting thing is, when I was raised in Pueblo and used to deliver papers, and I’d pedal my bike up that Jerry Murphy Road, which I thought was the longest road in Pueblo at the time. Uphill both ways, you know the deal. But I never thought that someday I would meet Jerry Murphy. And, of course, I met him and the other two when I was welcomed back to Pueblo after receiving the Medal of Honor in 1969.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, it is remarkable, this little town in Colorado that has four Medal of Honor recipients, and there at the conference center in Pueblo, there are some really wonderful statues of each of the four guys as well.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, yes. Yeah, it’s, you know, they’re very well done, because they’re big, tall statues. And it’s really remarkable when the kids, you know, I’ve seen them and they see me and they look at me like, well, you’re not eight feet tall, but anyway, uh, they’re well done. And, uh, uh, they were, they were, uh, our, our likenesses were captured real well. I remember Bob Rawlings when he was the, um, owner, publisher of everything, of the newspaper there, called me up one time, and he was behind it, and he said he wanted to do the statues for the Medal of Honor recipients. Well, he kind of mentioned me, and I said, well, you know, Mr. Rolland, I don’t know if I feel like I want to have a statue of Pueblo. And he said, we’re not doing it for you, Drew. We’re doing it because there’s four of you. So that was a big one. It got my attention, and so I agreed to do it.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and then during this time, with all this work going on, Pueblo became known as the home of heroes. And that’s a really interesting story as well.
SPEAKER 05 :
It is. Congressman Scott McInnes proposed that in Congress, and it was dedicated as the home of heroes. And so we have that distinction in Pueblo. And so it’s a natural place for the center to be. You know, we don’t consider ourselves heroes. None of me or the other three really didn’t. We were just recognized for something we did. And the beauty of it is you’re being recognized by your peers. And that’s a message that we like to tell those young people, that there’s no greater honor than to be recognized for doing a good job by your peers, those that were with you in those times.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and the Medal of Honor is awarded because these men took action when a situation presented itself. And the action was to help others and to save their lives. And I think that’s important that people understand that. And there is one woman that received the Medal of Honor. Am I right? Yes.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, it was Dr. Mary Walker in the Civil War. It was awarded originally then in 1917 when they created the other medals. They rescinded that one along with about 900 others from the Civil War because it didn’t meet the criteria of being in the military because she wasn’t in the military. But then it was reinstated under President Jimmy Carter to reinstate her Medal of Honor. So yes, there’s one female that has the Medal of Honor, and that was Dr. Mary Walker.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, and I didn’t realize so many of the Medal of Honors was awarded in the Civil War. But, of course, there was a lot of Americans that served in the Civil War. Let’s talk about you a little bit. And I know you don’t like to talk about you. But you were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions you took during the Vietnam War in And it was a long battle, like 52 or 56 hours. So it was a really long, a long, long, more than a day battle.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, it was a long, long 56 hours. Yeah, as we said earlier, the Medal of Honor is awarded for saving lives, actually, not for necessarily taking lives. But in the process of saving those, it was 14… civilians that I was able to rescue. And there were a few other guys with me, so I can’t take all the credit. They were there. And of course, if they weren’t there, I wouldn’t receive a Medal of Honor because you have to have two eyewitnesses. So that’s the deal. And at least two. And so we were able to rescue those 14 people. And in doing so, That’s where it comes in. You’re awarded it for rescuing or saving lives, but generally in doing so, you engage the enemy. And when I was moving through the streets of Chowdhury, trying to locate and identify those civilians that were Americans, mostly Americans, were… captured or isolated we had to take out a lot of the enemy and do it so I got about 19 prisoners one of them a general officer that was assigned to take over that city when they won the battle that’s head offensive so that’s it and that happened over 56 hours and I mean it was a lively time but I have to say there were some really gutsy guys that mainly the indigenous troops that were with me to Well, they saved my bacon, and maybe they should have got medals of honor for saving me, because they did. I washed my back, and I washed theirs, and it was a pretty lively time during that 56 hours back there in 1968.
SPEAKER 15 :
Wow. And, gosh, so you went back to Vietnam, though, right?
SPEAKER 05 :
I did. I did. You know, as proud I am of my service with Special Forces and having received the Medal of Honor, I’m probably more proud of working with those draftees because I was a staff sergeant and received a battlefield commission. And in those days, Special Forces didn’t really have a branch, so I was infantry officer and loaned out. And… But after receiving the Medal of Honor, I was a little bit on a shrimp and peanut circuit. But most of the people were asking about how the draftees worked out because the press was kind of negative about some things. They always do what it seems like. And I couldn’t answer them, so I went back, and I was proud to be a company commander in a company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry, 101st. And the entire rifle company was composed of draftees. One, I think, might have had two career sergeants. That was it. The rest were 19 years old or less. And they did a wonderful job. They didn’t know a lot. I’m teaching them all the way, but I was very proud of them because by the time we were done, I would have put them up against about anybody.
SPEAKER 15 :
So, Drew, I had civilian questions, but these young guys, I know in World War II that I’ve been told that so many of these soldiers of our military in World War II came from A rural America where so many of the guys knew how to do all kinds of things, fix things, shoot, all that. What about the draftees in the Vietnam War? Was it a little different to train them?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, no. Of course, we drafted more in World War II, but we got a cross-section in 1960s, too. So we had a lot of farmers and mechanics and machinists and college graduates. We had a few of them. No, it was the same. It really was. They do a pretty good job of balancing that out. So… You could tell the farm boys had a little bit more at ease in the jungles than those from the streets of New York or Philadelphia somewhere. And they helped those guys out because, let’s face it, they didn’t know much as far as walking off the pavement and dealing with. with the natural enemies out there in the jungles. The farm boys did much better initially. By the time it was all over, they were all the same.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, I imagine the learning curve’s pretty darn fast when you’re out there in the jungle engaging the enemy. So we will continue the discussion with Drew Dix for this Memorial Day broadcast. And remember… Memorial Day is a time to stop and reflect and think about those that have given their lives for our liberty. And our liberty is the responsible exercise of freedom. We get to have these important discussions because of wonderful sponsors. And one of those is Bowes & Law.
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SPEAKER 15 :
And welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Munson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter. You can email me at Kim at Kim Munson dot com as well. And it is Memorial Day. We’re pre-recording this hour number two with Drew Dix. Before we get back to him. The other nonprofit that I dearly love and support is the USMC Memorial Foundation. And Paula Sarles and her team are doing amazing work for us to remember and honor. And there will be a great event out at the memorial later on Memorial Day. So be sure and check that out. It’s important during this weekend to stop and reflect and honor. And, of course, the USMC Memorial Foundation also. will do a great job on that. Drew Dix, so many people have come through the door of the Center for American Values. That website is AmericanValuesCenter.org. And honoring these Medal of Honor recipients and learning their stories, I think gives us courage and gives us perspective on protecting this idea of honor, integrity, and patriotism. But last time I was down at the Center, you had shared a rather remarkable story about about a Medal of Honor recipient who was a neighbor of yours.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s right, Kim, and I think of him often because, you know, those of us that have been fortunate enough to be awarded the Medal of Honor, and especially to wear it, that received it a lot, don’t really think that we’ve done anything wrong. that great, but then we realized the impact we have on others. And I remember after coming back from Vietnam the first time, and I, you know, had a, had a wife and a couple of children and bought a house and lived in this little neighborhood and two doors down was, uh, uh, a career Sergeant, uh, staff Sergeant had a wife and a couple of kids too. And, uh, And when I came back, obviously it was difficult for him to talk with me because he was so, I don’t know, proud to know a Medal of Honor recipient, but awkward, I guess is the word, and maybe I’d have felt the same way. And so, you know, we’d have a beer once in a while and talk about things, but he was very, very withdrawn. And I know that it was his… It just felt like he was out of place. Well, so he went back to Vietnam, and a short time later, he was declared missing in action. And we’re wondering, well, I’m not too sure if that’s a good sign, because he had only been gone a couple of days, actually. And what had happened is he deployed, went to Vietnam, was in the replacement unit, And then they had these convoys that would come in and pick up the replacements and go out to their units. And Sergeant Glenn English was in that convoy when it was attacked. And his action is rescuing several soldiers, all soldiers of a burning armor personnel carrier. And he rescued them until he couldn’t come out. And he perished in that. that fire and he was missing in action because they hadn’t identified his remains. That’s a normal process. But the point of this story is that you never know. And that emphasized the fact that we’re just like everyone else. Here he thought he put the Medal of Honor on such a high pedestal and didn’t know that he had the potential to stand up and serve. And as we said before, that you receive the Medal of Honor for risking your life to save people. And he definitely did. Glenn English is one I remember on Memorial Day who risked his life to save fellow soldiers, ones he probably didn’t know very well.
SPEAKER 15 :
And Glenn English is his name. And the other thing is, though, wife and two little children back home, that’s a big sacrifice for them as well.
SPEAKER 05 :
It is. And, you know, I… when I had that rifle company, when I went back over, you know, we, we, we didn’t lose very many, but if you lose one, that’s, that’s probably too many, but, uh, we did a good job and they’re very proud of it, but it was a different kind of war because they were just like Sergeant English went over as individual replacement. We didn’t go over units because the casualties were pretty high during the 68, 69 timeframe. And, uh, so, uh, guys were going over there and I had replacements come in because I didn’t travel with all three of my platoons and the jungle was so thick they weren’t far away but possibly replacements would arrive and I never was able to see them and maybe on a couple cases they were lost or badly wounded and you had no idea if they even made it and we didn’t even know their names because they didn’t it just wasn’t handled right that way and And I’m proud to say that the military doesn’t do it that way anymore. But it was a bad sign of the way they handled it. And I can remember getting a call in the middle of the night from a young medic that was in my rifle company. And it was late at night, and he said, I’ve got this problem. I think, oh, boy, he’s maybe a suicide potential. And he said, you know, I wake up wondering if some of those guys that I patched up, whether they made it or not. And I went to the Vietnam wall to see their name, and I couldn’t find it because I didn’t know their name other than a nickname. And I said, Hop, that was his nickname. I said, I know what you’re going through because I went to the wall. I’m the company commander, and I couldn’t find them because I didn’t know their real name. So that’s what I remember on Memorial Day. And every time I see a veteran, I wonder if it’s one of my guys that I didn’t know.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, that is why it’s more important than ever on this Memorial Day to stop and reflect and think about those guys that gave their lives in the sacrifice of a wife and children at home and just what this means for our history. It all began with the Revolutionary War where… It’s amazing. These little colonies on the eastern seaboard said, we want to stand for liberty. And what is liberty? It’s the responsible exercise of freedom. It’s the first time, Drew Dix, ever in the history of mankind that a country was founded on an idea. And that’s what makes America so special, and that’s what makes the Center for American Values so special as well. We’ve got about four minutes left. What are some of the final things that you’d like to leave with our listeners as we are recording this for Memorial Day, for our Memorial Day broadcast?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, Kim, one of the most important things, and I think about this often, because I just mentioned, you know, when I see a veteran, a Vietnam veteran in the Army, I look at him and see if I can’t. to recognize him possibly being one of the guys because, you know, after when they left, those draftees left and went back home, they were told to change their clothes at the airport when they landed in California, Travis Air Force Base. generally, and to wear civilian clothes and go back like it never happened. And I can’t even imagine a country telling those young men to do that. But then I also, and for that reason, I think a Memorial Day is a day for remembrance of those people that made sacrifices. Sure, we get together with our families, but sometimes people don’t even know why we’re getting three days off. Memorial Day means that anybody that died, no, Memorial Day is those that died in combat. And we’ve kind of stretched that a little bit to anybody that’s ever served. And while we all respect anyone that served in the military, Memorial Day is for those that gave their life for this country. Ripped out of their draftees, ripped out of their hometowns, sent over in the war and Many of them of an age that didn’t even realize what politics were about the country. They just didn’t have a clue. But they quickly learned that they loved each other and they fought hard and they did it because of the pride they have and knowing that the other guy next to them would do the same for them. So that’s what I think about on Memorial Day.
SPEAKER 15 :
Well, it really is. That is what it is all about. So make sure on this Memorial Day that you stop and reflect. And as Drew mentioned, getting together with family, what a blessing to be able to get together with family together. on a Memorial Day. And one of the other things that we really need to do, it’s not just one day, but I think every day we need to stop and reflect and think about those that gave their lives so that we could live in America. And we need to engage in what’s occurring in our country now in this battle of ideas to conserve and preserve this great American idea. Drew Dix, we have just about a minute left. Your final thought.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I think I’d like to mention that the Center for American Values is having a Memorial Day presentation on the 28th, following Memorial, the official Memorial Day of Monday. But on Wednesday, the 28th, Colonel Air Force retired Jeff Chostner, former district attorney, is giving a talk there. And he’s very… He does a good job, and I’ll be there, and we’re going to talk about what Memorial Day should mean to the average American in our communities. So I have you to come down.
SPEAKER 15 :
And more information, go to AmericanValueCenter.org. Drew Dix, I thank you and really appreciate your love of our country.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s always good to see you, Kim, and talk with you.
SPEAKER 15 :
And our quote for the end of the show is from Drew Dix. He said this, nothing is ever as bad as you think it might be. So today, my friends, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you, and God bless America.
SPEAKER 06 :
To the mountains climbing, twisting, turning further from my home. Like a new moon rising fierce to the rain in love. And I don’t want no one to cry But tell them if I don’t survive
SPEAKER 08 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
