The following shows aired in December 2011. Click on the show date in the left column to listen to that show. Files are in MP3 format.
12/3/11 The Good Soldiers. “The Good Soldiers is the most powerful story I have read about the war in Iraq. This is just one of many stories we did not see on television. You can feel the fears and heat and smell the odors of war in all its ugliness. This is a MUST READ for those who want to really know what war is like!” Dale Throneberry, Producer, Veterans Radio.
 
“It was the last-chance moment of the war. In January 2007, President George W. Bush announced a new strategy for Iraq. He called it the surge. “Many listening tonight will ask why this effort will succeed when previous operations to secure Baghdad did not. Well, here are the differences,” he told a skeptical nation. Among those listening were the young, optimistic army infantry soldiers of the 2-16, the battalion nicknamed the Rangers. About to head to a vicious area of Baghdad, they decided the difference would be them.
 
Fifteen months later, the soldiers returned home forever changed. Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter David Finkel was with them in Bagdad, and almost every grueling step of the way.
 
What was the true story of the surge? And was it really a success? Those are the questions he grapples with in his remarkable report from the front lines. Combining the action of Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down with the literary brio of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, The Good Soldiers is an unforgettable work of reportage. And in telling the story of these good soldiers, the heroes and the ruined, David Finkel has also produced an eternal tale—not just of the Iraq War, but of all wars, for all time.” (Description from Amazon.com)
 
Join host Dale Throneberry and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Good Soldiers, David Finkel this week on Veterans Radio.
12/10/11 Gifts for Vets. What does your veteran want for Christmas this year? Maybe a great book, music, leather flight jacket or what? Join Veterans Radio this Saturday to hear about all kinds of great presents for veterans and active duty military. You’ll hear from authors, musicians, military clothing and memorabilia business owners, and veterans groups gathering gifts for hospitalized veterans and their families.
12/17/11 Veterans Helping Veterans. “On November 13, 1982, Ron Miller personally leased an L-1011 from Delta Airlines and took 300 Vietnam veterans to the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. As a result of his remarkable efforts, President Ronald Reagan asked him to form the Georgia Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program, a volunteer organization that was recognized as one of the best in the nation bys President George H.W. Bush who presented Ron and the GVVLP with his prestigious Thousand Points of Light award for their service to Vterans and their families. This story will encourage all Americans to reach out to others with their assistance.” Gov. Mike Huckabee
 
Ron Miller retired as a Major in the U.S. Army with over 20 years of active duty, three tours in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars and numerous other awards for service. And our good friend Elliott Storm, author of the award winning These Scars Are Sacred will be back to talk about the new audio version of his book. These Scars are Sacred was written to heal and inform and give the American public some idea of what it was like to come home to a place where one was not wanted nor welcome. He will also be talking about his new novel, Cast Your Fate To The Wind!
12/24/11 Where Were You On Christmas?. Where were you stationed during Christmas? Let you kids, grandkids, friends and family hear what it was like being so far away or having your loved one gone for Christmas.
12/31/11 2011 in Review!. 2011 was a difficult year for Veterans Radio with the loss of our partner Gary Lillie, but thanks to your support we look forward to 2012 with new energy and optimism.
 
Thanks to all for you for your stories and suggestions. We have heard from authors, veterans and families all over the world.
 
Thank you for sharing your lives with us. It has been our privilege and honor to share your stories with our listeners around the world every Saturday morning for over 8 years.
 
Join the Veterans Radio Crew as we look back on 2011. Which programs were most memorable to you? What do you think was the biggest news story of 2011? Getting Bin Laden? Leaving Iraq? You tell us!
 
Guests included Joyce Faulkner, President of the Military Writers Society of America and Bing West, author of The Strongest Tribe and The Wrong War.