Ghosts of Arlington Podcast
141 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 16 ratingsIf you've ever walked the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, you've heard the voices of the past. Even if you haven't, you can still hear them in podcast form. A history podcast about Arlington National Cemetery and the stories of those buried there, with new episodes available first thing every Monday morning.
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Episodes
#36: The Less-Than-Dashing Abner Doubleday
March 14, 2022 07:00 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBLast week I talked about how Abner Doubleday is sometimes still known as the guy who invented baseball when in reality, he had nothing to do with the sport. With that in mind, I wanted to take time to discuss things that Doubleday actually did, like advocate ardently with his wife Mary for abolition, freed a Mexican slave during the Mexican American War by paying off the debt of a many called Sancho, and participating in the first instance of urban combat in US military history. I was largel...
#35: Abner Doubleday and the American Pastime
March 07, 2022 08:00 - 33 minutes - 22.7 MBThis week I talk a little about baseball in my life, how I really hope there is not a work stoppage this season, and how that is all connected to Arlington National Cemetery. There is a persistent myth that Union General Abner Doubleday invented baseball in upstate New York in the mid-19th century. Its a nice concise origin story but there is just one problem with it - it is completely made up. So how did Doubleday, who was a student at West Point at the time he supposedly came up with Ameri...
#34: From Harlem to Tuskegee - Like Father, Like Son, Part II
February 28, 2022 08:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MBThis week we wrap up Black History Month by continuing the story of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., the man who commanded the Tuskegee Airmen for the US Army Air Corps in World War II, who would transfer to the US Air Force when that military branch was created in 1947, and who would become the Air Force's first African American general officer. his week's Ghost of Arlington is: Air Force Lieutenant General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (Section 2, Grave E-311 RH) As always, a very special thanks to Mo...
#33: From Harlem to Tuskegee - Like Father, Like Son, Part I
February 21, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutes - 17.2 MBAfter the Harlem Hellfighter's returned from the Great War, a cultural movement of African American literature, music, art, and entertainment took the United States by storm. Centered in Harlem, the movement - known as the Harlem Renaissance - was the first taste of African American culture for many everyday Americans. Unfortunately, the movement was unable to survive the Great Depression. It took several years but eventually the Harlem Hellfighters first commander, Colonel William Hayward'...
#32: The Harlem Hellfighters, Part II (Jim Europe & The Black Death)
February 14, 2022 08:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MBThis week we continue the story of the Harlem Hellfighters by exploring their homecoming parade down 5th Avenue in the New York City - possibly the largest parade in the history of a city that loves parades - and focusing on arguably the two most famous veterans of the 369th. First, Jim Europe, who was a household and considered the musical successor of Scott Joplin. He also invented a dance that is still well known and danced the world over today. The second is Henry Johnson, who was workin...
#31: The Harlem Hellfighters, Part I
February 07, 2022 08:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBAs Black History Month gets underway, I wanted to take the time to share the story of the 369th Infantry Regiment from World War I, that went on to be dubbed the Harlem Hellfighters. These men had to fight for their right to fight for their country and to avoid the menial labor tasks most segregated units were assigned upon arriving in Europe in World War I. They got their wish and faced intense combat over 191 days at the front, the most of any US regiment during the Great War. Part I is a...
#30: Red-Blooded American in the Red Army: The True Story of Joseph Beyrle, The Only Soldier to Fight for Both America and the Soviet Union in World War II, Part IV
January 31, 2022 08:00 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBThis concluding episode in the Joe Beyrle saga sees Joe Forrest Gump his way into the Red Army, fight along side Soviet soldiers, and somehow avoid death on the battlefield all while having a personal interaction with Marshal Georgi Zhukov, the most famous leader in the Red Army. His bad luck with trains continues but eventually he makes it to a US Embassy, where he is suspected of being a foreign agent, possibly sent to assassinate the ambassador. This story can never be made into a movie b...
#29: Red-Blooded American in the Red Army – The True Story of Joseph Beyrle, The Only Soldier to Fight for Both America and the Soviet Union in World War II, Part III
January 17, 2022 08:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MBThis week we follow Joe Beyrle from his transportation from temporary POW camps in France to permanent camps in Germany, and finally, to on in Poland. Along the way he has to recover from a fractured skull that left him in a coma for six days, survive American fighters strafing his train car, unaware that it is transporting American POWs, and torture by the Gestapo that nearly killed him after yet another failed prison break. I imagine that you have gathered from the titles of this series ...
#28: Red-Blooded American in the Red Army – The True Story of Joseph Beyrle, The Only Soldier to Fight for Both America and the Soviet Union in World War II, Part II
January 10, 2022 08:00 - 38 minutes - 26.5 MBAfter a two week break, I am glad to be back and hope your new year is off to a wonderful start! This week in part two of a four part tale, we continue to story of Joe Beyrle. After he jumped into Normandy with 3rd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division he finds himself alone and does his best to cause a little mischief. He is then captured not once, but twice by the Germans and learns the sad fate of his battalion commander and two best friends. This is all before he comes face to face with the...
#27: Red-Blooded American in the Red Army - The True Story of Joseph Beyrle, the Only Soldier to Fight for Both America and the Soviet Union in World War II, Part I
December 20, 2021 08:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBDon't miss the special announcement at the start of the episode about the new-ish format I will be adopting so that I don't go insane trying to produce too much content each week and a scheduling update for Christmas & New Years. This week we start the multi-part tale of US Army Staff Sergeant Joseph Beyrle who went from an athletic kid with a scholarship to Norte Dame, to a 20 year old who made two solo clandestine jumps into Nazi-occupied France to deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars...
#26 - American Scoundrel - The Notorious Politician and Union General Dan Sickles, Part II
December 13, 2021 08:00 - 58 minutes - 39.9 MBAfter killing US District Attorney Barton and getting off on the first-ever use of a temporary insanity defense, Dan Sickles keeps up the shenanigans for the rest of his life, becoming one of the most senior politically appointed generals in the Union, one of the most controversial figures of the battle of Gettysburg, military governor after the war, and a US ambassador. He also managed to get fired nearly every step of the way, too. This week’s Ghost of Arlington is: Army Major General Da...
#25: American Scoundrel - The Notorious Politician and Union General Dan Sickles, Part I
December 06, 2021 08:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBDan Sickles might be best known as the US Representative from New York who shot and killed the unarmed US District Attorney Philip Barton Key in Lafayette Square. The murder of the son of Star-Spangled Banner author Francis Scott Key just steps from the White House drew the attention of the entire nation and was the first trial watched nationwide with real-time updates thanks to the telegraph. Sickles admitted to killing key and several people saw the murder take place in broad daylight, so...
#24: Wreaths Across America
November 22, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBEvery year since 1992, Morrill Worcester, a wreath make from Maine, has been traveling to Arlington National Cemetery to lay wreaths on headstones in December. A viral photo in 2005 lead to the 2007 formation of the non-profit organization Wreaths Across America. If you would like to find out how to get involved, visit the website www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. I am taking the week off for Thanksgiving so there won't be a new episode next week, but I want you to know that I am extremely grat...
#23: Pallbearers of the Unknown
November 15, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 51.7 MBThis week's marathon episode fulfills my promise back in Episode 9 to tell the story of the men of the Allied Expeditionary Forces who selected the WWI Unknown Soldier and returned his remains to the United States for burial at Arlington. I also get to talk a little about my experience laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as part of the Tombs 100th anniversary commemoration. Spoiler: It was awesome! This week’s Ghost of Arlington are: Army Sergeant Edward Younger (Section 18, ...
#22: The Top of the World, Part II
November 08, 2021 08:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBThe fascinating conclusion to the story of the race to the North Pole between Robert Peary and Matthew Henson, and their chief rival Dr. Fredrick Cook. This week’s Ghost of Arlington are: Navy Rear Admiral Robert Edwin Peary (Section 8, Lot 15) Josephine Peary (Section 8, Lot 15) Matthew Henson (Section 8, Lot 15) Lucy Henson (Section 8, Lot 15) Marie Ahnighito Peary Stafford (Section 8, Grave 5190-6) Army Captain Edward Stafford Here are the websites with more information about nex...
#21: The Top of the World
November 01, 2021 07:00 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MBI always remember being taught in school that the first person to reach the geographical North Pole was US Rear Admiral Robert Peary, but as with most events in world history, the truth isn't as cut and dry as that. This is part one of my attempt to set that record straight. Here are the websites with more information about next week's centennial anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: 1. For a free reservation to personally walk the Plaza of the Unknowns and lay...
#21: The Top of the World, Part I
November 01, 2021 07:00 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MBI always remember being taught in school that the first person to reach the geographical North Pole was US Rear Admiral Robert Peary, but as with most events in world history, the truth isn't as cut and dry as that. This is part one of my attempt to set that record straight. Here are the websites with more information about next week's centennial anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: 1. For a free reservation to personally walk the Plaza of the Unknowns and lay...
#20: The Great Unknown
October 25, 2021 07:00 - 38 minutes - 26.4 MBJohn Wesley Powell isn't usually mentioned in the same breath as Lewis and Clark, but he should be. His expedition through the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon put the last uncharted area of the contiguous United States on the map. And he did it all with one arm... well, not tied behind his back, but amputated two inches below the elbow after getting shot during the Battle of Shiloh. It never once stopped him from doing anything - like founding the National Geographic Society. Less is kno...
#19: The U-2 Incident
October 18, 2021 07:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBFrank Powers was shot down over Russia while flying the iconic U-2 airplane on a reconnaissance mission in 1960. He was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 10 years in Soviet prison but was eventually exchanged for a Russian spy captured several years earlier. Upon returning home, Frank was both privately and publicly praised and denigrated for his conduct while in Soviet custody. He died when his son was 12. It wasn't until he was in college that his son decided it was time to dig into ...
#18: Radioactive - Arlington's Nuclear Burial
October 11, 2021 07:00 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MBIf you were to ask an American what the worst nuclear accident in the United States was, if they even have an answer, they would probably say Three Mile Island. Most Americans are unaware that in January 1961, a reactor an isolated Idaho desert went supercritical and killed two soldiers and a sailor. This is the story of the SL-1 reactor explosion, complete with finger-pointing, deflecting blame, and false, unsubstantiated rumors of a love triangle and murder/suicide that made it into the of...
#17: Cochinchina is Burning - The First American Casualty in Vietnam
September 27, 2021 07:00 - 32 minutes - 22.1 MBIn this episode I make a case that the first American KIA in Vietnam didn't happen 1956, but rather in 1945. Am I crazy or is there some merit to my argument? You make the call! Also, I am headed out of town for some much needed R&R and this will be last episode for two weeks. This week’s Ghost of Arlington is: Army Lieutenant Colonel Albert Peter Dewey, Section 3, Grave 4272-A-3-4 Also, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about ...
#16: Lockerbie
September 20, 2021 07:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBWith the exponential increase in terrorism over the last 30+ years, it is easy to remember the more recent events, but sometimes the events that happened longer ago fade to the background - last week I said that has probably happened to large extent with the US Marines killed in Beirut in 1983. It has also likely happened with those killed in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing in 1988. There were 270 victims - 259 in the air and 11 on the ground. This week, we remember them. This week’s Ghost of...
#15: September 11, 2001
September 13, 2021 07:00 - 38 minutes - 26.1 MBFor someone a month away from his 21st birthday when it happened, I can't believe it has been 20 years since 9/11. This week's episode just happens to talk about what went on in the cemetery day, less than 400 yards from the Pentagon, and what the last two decades have looked like. I didn't plan for this episode to drop on this auspicious anniversary, it just worked out that way. This week’s Ghost of Arlington are: The Pentagon Group Burial Marker (Section 64) Army Lieutenant Colonel Ki...
#14: "We Write No Last Chapters, We Close No Books"
September 06, 2021 07:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBDid you know that from the moment his remains were recovered, the Air Force officer eventually buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns was known to be 1st Lt. Michael Blassie? So how did he come to be later identified as X-26 and designated the Vietnam War's Unknown Soldier? If you listen to this week's episode, I will discuss just that. This week’s Ghost of Arlington are: The Vietnam War Unknown Soldier Air Force First Lieutenant Michael J. Blassie (St. Louise, Missouri) Also, a very specia...
#13: "I Could Stay Here Forever"
August 30, 2021 07:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBThis week we talk about the most visited site at Arlington National Cemetery, President John F. Kennedy's grave - after his burial, everything changed. This week’s Ghost of Arlington are: President John F. Kennedy (Section 45, Grave S-45) Jacquelin Kennedy Onassis (Section 45, Grave S-45) Senator Robert F. Kennedy (Section 45, Grave S-45-A) Arabella Kennedy (Section 45, Grave S-45) Patrick Kennedy (Section 45, Grave S-45) Also, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its...
#12: The Century's Nastiest Little War & Two New Unknowns
August 23, 2021 07:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MBI reflect just a little on the fall of Kabul to the Taliban then get back to business with how the Korean War put the recovery efforts of WWII fallen on hold and after the Korean War, recovery teams were cleaning up after two wars. Because the efforts were simultaneous, the Unknows from WWII and Korea were interred in a single ceremony. This week’s Ghost of Arlington are: Marine Corps Corporal Paul Kenneth Taylor (Section 31, Grave 4501) Army General Walton H. "Johnnie" Walker (Section 34...
#11: The Last Great War?
August 16, 2021 07:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MBRecovery efforts for WWII remains were well underway when the Korean War broke out in 1950 and put a halt to them. When that war ended, in 1953, the US Army was working to recover fallen Americans from two wars. As a result, the Unknown Soldiers from WWII and Korea were interred simultaneously. Also, sometimes a real-life Rambo does survive his valorous action on the battlefield. This week’s Ghost of Arlington are: Army Staff Sergeant Alton Knappenberger (Section 59, Grave 3193) Polish Pr...
#10: Keeping Promises and Breaking Faith
August 09, 2021 07:00 - 25 minutes - 17.7 MBWe've got 1930s newsreel sound clips this week (Fancy!) which talk about the time the US Army attack US WWI veterans in Washington, DC on the order of the US president... true story. If you don't know about the Bonus Army in 1932, you need to hear it; not exactly the "support our troops" mentality of politicians today. Oh, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier gets its permanent sarcophagus and epitaph 10 years after its initial dedication but the ceremony doesn't go quites as planned. This ...
#9: Known but to God (The Story of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)
August 02, 2021 07:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBThis week we cover the selection of an unidentified American World War I soldier who was returned from Europe to be buried in The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Armistice Day 1921. This week’s Ghost of Arlington is: The World War I Unknown Soldier Also, a very special thanks to Mountain Up Cap Company for its continued help to spread the word about the podcast on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/MountainUpCapCompany Climb to Glory! For more informatio...
#8: The Great City and the Great War
July 26, 2021 07:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBEeek! The podcast was plugged by Doctrine Man, himself. How cool is that?!?! A screen shot is absolutely on the website. Also, we didn't quite make it to the story of the Unknown Soldier like I thought we would - but next week for sure. We do talk about the plans - and the planner - behind the construction of Washington, DC, the first US military aircraft, and the Great War. This week’s Ghost of Arlington are: Army Brevet Major and Captain Pierre Charles L'Enfant (Section 2, Grave S-3) ...
#7: Arlington Enters the 20th Century AKA Fighting Joe Wheeler - Confederate General, American General
July 19, 2021 07:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBFirst off, an apology. For some reason, the audio got wonky in the final third of the show. I cleaned it up the best I could but as I have said before, I really don't have any idea what I'm doing when it comes to this. This week we talk about the Spanish American War and the approval to bury Confederate dead in the cemetery. This week's Ghost of Arlington are: The USS Maine Memorial Brevet Major General (and former Confederate Lieutenant General) Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (Section 2,...
#6: Montgomery C. Meigs, Part 2 - Master Builder of the Union Army
July 12, 2021 07:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBThis is the second of our two-part story about the life of Montgomery Meigs. Many people with high-profile positions in the US Civil have praised Meigs as an unsung hero of the Civil War, saying without his expert management of Union logistics, the war could have had a very different outcome. He continued to leave his mark on Washington, DC after the war - overseeing the growth of Arlington National Cemetery, the expansion of the Smithsonian Institution, and his "Big Red Barn." This Week's...
#6: Montgomery C. Meigs - Master Builder of the Union Army
July 12, 2021 07:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBThis is the second of our two-part story about the life of Montgomery Meigs. Many people with high-profile positions in the US Civil have praised Meigs as an unsung hero of the Civil War, saying without his expert management of Union logistics, the war could have had a very different outcome. He continued to leave his mark on Washington, DC after the war - overseeing the growth of Arlington National Cemetery, the expansion of the Smithsonian Institution, and his "Big Red Barn." For more in...
#5: Montgomery C. Meigs - Father of Arlington National Cemetery
July 05, 2021 07:00 - 31 minutes - 21.5 MBThis week's episode is the first of a two-part story about the life of Brevet Major General Montgomery C. Meigs,, covering his birth to just before the outbreak of the Civil War, with a major focus on his two most enduring pre-war engineering projects: The Capitol Expansion and Dome, and the Washington Aqueduct project. For more information, including links to stream the show and pictures from these two major construction projects, visit the GoA website: www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com
#5: Montgomery C. Meigs, Part 1 - Father of Arlington National Cemetery
July 05, 2021 07:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBThis week's episode is the first of a two-part story about the life of Brevet Major General Montgomery C. Meigs,, covering his birth to just before the outbreak of the Civil War, with a major focus on his two most enduring pre-war engineering projects: The Capitol Expansion and Dome, and the Washington Aqueduct project. For more information, including links to stream the show and pictures from these two major construction projects, visit the GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast...
#4: Custis Lee Gives Up Arlington
June 28, 2021 07:00 - 12 minutes - 8.9 MBAfter the Supreme Court ruled that Custis Lee was the legal owner of Arlington and the US Government was forced to give the property back, how did it end up back in government hands? This week's ghost of Arlington is: Army First Lieutenant John Meigs, the 22-year-old son of the father of Arlington National Cemetery, General Montgomery Meigs (Section 1, Grave 1-SH) For more information, including links to stream the show, visit the GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com
#3: Arlington Returns to the Lees
June 21, 2021 07:00 - 28 minutes - 19.3 MBFirst off, there is a partial retraction (or at least a semi-correction) of last week's story of the origin of Taps... that didn't take long! Then, after years of unsuccessful attempts to recover the property and buildings of the former Arlington plantation, the Supreme Court rules in favor of the Lee family. So, what is the US Government going to do with the 20,000 military members interred there?! This week's ghosts are some of the former slaves who became known collectively as Freedmen a...
#2: The First Burials at Arlington - An Act of Necessity and Vengeance
June 14, 2021 07:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBThis week we discuss some of the firsts in Arlington's history - including the first burial, the first burial with family present, the first burial of a combat casualty, the first burial of a draftee, and the first officer burial. Included is also the history of arguably history's most famous bugle call, Taps. This Week's Ghosts of Arlington are: US Army Private William Henry Christman (Section 27, Grave 19) US Army Private William H. McKinney (Section 27, Grave 98) US Army Private Will...
#2: The First Burials at Arlington - An Act of Necessity and Vengeance
June 14, 2021 07:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBThis week we discuss some of the firsts in Arlington's history - including the first burial, the first burial with family present, the first burial of a combat casualty, the first burial of a draftee, and the first officer burial. Included is also the history of arguably history's most famous bugle call, Taps. This Week's Ghosts of Arlington are: US Army Private William Henry Christman (Section 27, Grave 19) US Army Private William H. McKinney (Section 27, Grave 98) US Army Private Will...
#1: The Need for a National Cemetery
June 07, 2021 11:00 - 24 minutes - 16.8 MBThis week we talk a little about what Arlington National Cemetery looks like today, what the property started out as, and why a national cemetery was needed next to Washington, DC in the first place. This Week's Ghosts of Arlington are: George Washington Parke Custis (Section 13, Grave 6513) Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis (Section 13, Grave 6512) For more information, including links to stream the show, visit the GoA website: https://www.ghostsofarlingtonpodcast.com
#0: Ghosts of Arlington Podcast Introduction
May 28, 2021 16:00 - 10 minutes - 7.18 MBI was surprised when I looked for an Arlington National Cemetery-themed podcast a few years ago and could not find one. Now, after procrastinating long enough, I have decided to make one myself. Do I know anything about podcasting? No. But I certainly have the skills necessary for audio recording and mixing, right? Absolutely not. Then again, when have I ever let having no experience or qualifications stop me from trying something new?! I'll tell you when, never... well, at least rarely. So ...