When asked to do a 9/11 show on WRKO, my first thought was that I wanted to do something positive. It is such a horrible day to relive, the ceremonies and service had gone on all weekend and I just thought it would be good to hear from regular folks who had their lives forever changed by September 11, 2001. People who could have never imagined they would be doing today what they are doing. People who have turned war and personal loss into amazing good works.
I first welcomed Patti Patton Bader, founder of Soldiers Angels. Patti has been our guest many times over the years. Patti’s force of will has built a 100,000+ strong Angels network that extends from Germany, where they support patients medevaced to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center from Iraq and Afghanistan to small towns all across this country. Patti’s realization that those deployed with her son Brandon were not getting the same basic supplies he was in his care packages is all it took. Today, thousands of good deeds are occurring because of that.
Patti Patton Bader, founder Soldiers Angels
I then welcomed Paul Monti, father of Jared C. Monti, who was killed in Afghanistan and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama last year. Through our show, and helping raise attention for a scholarship in his honor, I have seen firsthand how Paul has taken that personal tragedy and his grief and channeled it into so many good deeds. Visiting Jared at the Cape Cod veterans cemetery, Paul noticed there there weren’t many flags around. He set out to fix that. On Memorial Day 2011, 1500 volunteers showed up to help Paul plant more than 50,000 flags. As he told us last night, he’ll be back next year too.
Paul Monti, father of Medal of Honor recipient SFC Jared C. Monti
Finally, we welcomed Matt Burden, the man behind Blackfive. Few people have impacted me the way Matt has. I went from not really understanding anything about the military and military life to having access to dozens upon dozens of blogs written by deployed soldiers and the families they leave behind. The Someone You Should Know series that we have brought to WRKO for six years started at Blackfive. So too did my education and appreciation for the men and women in uniform. Blackfive started after Matt’s friend, Major Mathew E. Schram was killed in Iraq. Since then, it has grown into the hub of the milblog universe, supporting hundreds of great causes along the way.
Matt Burden, aka Blackfive
From September 11, 2006, Matt joined us to tell us about Rick Rescorla, definitely Someone You Should Know
These are amazing people. Touched in very different ways by September 11. People who have stepped up and created an amazing legacy for their loved ones and their communities.
The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
What an honor to welcome two-time Pulitzer prize winning New York Times investigative journalist Don Van Natta Jr. to WRKO’s Pundit Review Radio. Don is the third New York Times reporter to join us, Andrew Ross Sorkin did for Too Big To Fail and more recently Diana Henriques for her great Madoff book Wizard of Lies.
Don’s has written an amazing book about the best female athlete of 20th century, Babe Didrikson Zaharias. One thing that fascinates me about stories like this is how someone so famous can be so unknown a few generations later.
There were so many aspects of Babe’s life that are completely relevant to today’s athletics. It’s all here, the money chase, the ego, the push and pull between amateur and professional athletics, using and being used by media, great successes and personal tragedies. In so many ways Babe was a modern athlete, brash, cocky and outspoken. She was the original trash talker and self promoter. You could say she was the first Chad Ochocinco, right down to referring to herself in the third person. Her story is incredible, her athletic feats even greater.
In true “you never know who is listening” fashion, we had two callers in a row with a personal connection to Babe. Pretty amazing.
Don has written a great book. I loved reading it and I hope that came across in the interview.
The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match.
This week Bruce told us about 1st Lt. Elliot Ackerman,
Insurgents had a relatively free run of Fallujah the six months preceding November 2004. With little or no Coalition presence in the city, they had turned the urban landscape into a warren – like maze of fortified positions, booby traps, and sniper positions. The terrain could not have been more demanding for the Marines called in to clear the city. First, however, they had to establish a foothold, a task that fell in part to then-2nd Lt. Ackerman and his platoon. On November 10th, he and his men entered the city in what became a six-day struggle to open operational lines.
Insurgents attacked from numerous directions as Ackerman’s Marines pushed into the city. Twice in the early moments of the shooting, Ackerman braved enemy fire to pull injured Marines to safety – and then organized their evacuation. But in the midst of the battle, the vehicle sent to recover the injured could not find their position. Ackerman charged from his cover into the open, dodged what his citation calls a “gauntlet of deadly enemy fire,†and directed the vehicle to the Marines.
Later, as Ackerman and his team were clearing a building, he noticed that his Marines were exposed on a rooftop. After ordering them down, he took their place and began marking targets for tanks as insurgents fired at him from all directions. Despite suffering shrapnel wounds, Ackerman continued to direct the attack, and coordinated four medical evacuations. “There is only one alternative,†Lt. Ackerman said later. “It is to do it or not do it.†For his leadership and actions, Ackerman was awarded the Silver Star on Jan. 12, 2007.
The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible job with the series every week. The SYSK archive can be found here and The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
A few weeks back, we did an hour on WRKO talking about exploring local history. We got great recommendations from callers, from Battleship Cove to the USS Constitution (via @BostonMaggie, natch) to my favorite, the Adams National Historic Park.
What started the discussion was a failed attempt to get to the Paul Revere House. I rectified that situation recently with a trip to the North End with the family. Had a great time.
Dog Tag Memorial in honor of fallen service members since 9/11
Old North Church
This incredible image is courtesy of 360cities.net
Inside the Old North Church in Boston
My meh by comparison images of Old North Church
Leading from Behind, the rear of the church
Peaking in the window
Oldest working organ in US
My kids thought it was so cool to sit in same pew as a President, even if they didn’t know who it was. My son asked, “Is he more famous than Barack Obama?”
Altar
The Finale
Lobster Tail
From The Blaze,
Petty Officer Jon T. Tumilson was laid to rest Friday in Rockford, Iowa, where an estimated 1,500 mourners came to pay respects for the fallen Navy SEAL, including his dog Hawkeye. In fact, Hakeye’s loyalty to his owner at the funeral was visible, creating a heart-wrenching image as he laid down by the casket of his owner during the entire service
Man’s best friend. The tradition of dogs serving in the military goes way back, as I learned when I interviewed documentary filmmaker Harris Done about his project War Dogs of the Pacific,
Harris Done’s War Dogs of the Pacific is about the vital and life saving role dogs played in the brutal war in the Pacific.
The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
It is always a treat to welcome Mark Steyn to Pundit Review Radio on WRKO. Mark has been with us a number of times over the years, most recently for his book America Alone. He’s back with yet another depressing, but hilarious, take on the decline of the Western World with After America: Get Ready for Armageddon.
The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match.
This week Bruce told us about Major (Infantry) Christopher B. Wells, who earned a Silver Star in Afghanistan,
Exposed to heavy enemy fire, Captain Wells without regard for his own personal safety continually gave direction to each maneuvering element in the clearing compounds. Throughout the battle, Captain Wells continued to fight from his vehicle and on the ground, repeatedly exposing himself to hostile enemy fire. Once fixed wing ECAS arrived on station, Captain Wells began air to ground coordination to drop ordinance on the enemy, while avoiding friendly locations. At this point in the battle his vehicle began receiving heavy SPG-9, KPM, and mortar fire from the western ridgeline yet he continued to maintain his position in order to continue directions CAS. AH-64 support arrived on station and he immediately coordinated with the Apaches to destroy the source of the rocket fire. He then began to talk the on station air support onto targets in the town, placing devastating fires on the enemy to include one Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) used to destroy insurgents firing from a cave complex. Captain Wells then moved from his position, again exposing himself to enemy machinegun fire in order to retrieve a wounded Afghan soldier.
The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible job with the series every week. The SYSK archive can be found here and The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.