The following shows aired in June 2012. Click on the show date in the left column to listen to that show. Files are in MP3 format.
6/2/12 FRONT BURNER: Al Qaeda’s Attack on the USS Cole. On October 12, 2000, eleven months before the 9/11 attacks, the USS Cole docked in the port of Aden in Yemen for a routine fueling stop. At 1118, on a hot, sunny morning, the 8,400-ton destroyer was rocked by an enormous explosion. The ship’s commander, Kirk Lippold, felt the ship violently thrust up and to the right, as everything not bolted down seemed to float in midair. Tiles tumbled from the ceiling, and the ship was plunged into darkness, beginning to sink. In a matter of moments Lippold knew that the Cole had been attacked. What he didn’t know was how much the world was changing around him. The bombing of the Cole was al Qaeda’s first direct assault against the United States and expanded their brazen and deadly string of terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East. In this gripping first-person narrative, Lippold reveals the details of this harrowing experience leading his crew of valiant sailors through the attack and its aftermath. Seventeen sailors died in the explosion and thirty-seven were wounded—but thanks to the valor of the crew in the perilous days that followed, the ship was saved. Yet even with al Qaeda’s intentions made clear in an unmistakable act of war, the United States government delayed retaliating. Bureaucrats and politicians sought to shift and pin blame as they ignored the danger signaled by the attack, shirking responsibility until the event was ultimately overshadowed by 9/11. Front Burner captures a critical moment in America’s battle against al Qaeda, telling a vital story that has—until now—been lost in the fog of the war on terror. (Public Affairs Books)
 
Join Dale Throneberry this Saturday morning with his guest, Commander Kirk S. Lippold, USN(RET), and get the true story of what happened to the USS Cole. You don’t want to miss this gripping story.
6/9/12 The U.S. Marine Corps. What’s the best run enterprise in the world? It just may be the Marine Corps. The Corps has evolved from the autocratic entity to a freewheeling adaptive organization. Author David H. Freedman will present his 30 management principles of the U.S. Marines refined from a wide-ranging system continuous evolution under the most demanding conditions conceivable. Don’t miss this one.
6/16/12 The United States Army’s 237th Birthday and Flag Day. This week on Veterans Radio we are celebrating Flag Day and the United States Army’s 237th birthday. Both were officially celebrated on June 14th. Our guests include Peter Ansoff, administrator of the American Flags forum, and also the past president of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA, www.nava.org), which is dedicated to the study of flags. Peter will be talking with us about the history of the American flag and explaining some of the rules about when and how to display your flag.
 
And from the United States Army, Dr. Richard Stewart, the Chief Historian of the U.S. Army Center of Military History, Fort McNair, in Washington D.C. Dr. Stewart is also a retired Colonel in military intelligence, USAR, with 30 years of commissioned service. We will be talking about how the Army has changed from its founding in 1775 up to what we have today.
6/23/12 NATIONAL VETERAN SMALL BUSINESS CONFERENCE EXPO June 26-28 2012. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs presents, 4 days of training, 6,000 industry leaders ONE INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY! Job opportunities, job seeking skills, on site networking, VA benefits, these are just a few of the chances for the vet to get it all under one roof. Detroit was selected as the regional exhibitor. Congressman, the Honorable John H, Dingle, will start our program with how this is a national effort to get veterans JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. Other guests include Robert P. McDivitt, Chief Ann Arbor VA, and Ginny L. Creasman, Assistant Director, Ann Arbor Healthcare System will give all of you details on becoming employed. Have pen and paper ready for this one.
6/30/12 AT EASE. Award winning author and host Dwight Jon Zimmerman proudly welcomes authors Carol Jose and Kathleen M. Rodgers whose books You Are Not Forgotten: A Family’s Quest for Truth and the Founding of The National League of Families and The Final Salute: Together We Live On have deeply touched everyone who has read them.
 
You Are Not Forgotten is a story of courage, honor, and personal growth told by the woman who lived it. Evelyn Fowler Grubb was the wife of U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Wilmer Newlin Grubb who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1966 and photographed alive and well at his capture. Throughout the course of the war, Evelyn and thousands of other wives and family members were unable to get information or contact their loved ones. The U.S. government was unable to get reliable information and was hesitant to release unconfirmed data. The North Vietnamese government refused to provide information, and completely ignored the Geneva Conventions. This book traces the heart-rending journey of these families through the life of Evelyn Grubb and her family. It also tells the story of the founding of the National League of Families of POW/MIA and how Evelyn, one of its founding members, and the organization overcame incredible odds both at home and abroad and became the leading advocate for the rights of POW/MIAs and their families.