Author: The Digression Podcast Guys
Chris and Jody are Air Force vets who enjoy military history and folklore. They have a podcast. They tell stories. They digress. A lot.
ep 94: The Tomb of the Known Soldier
Lt Michael J. Blassie was a United States Air Force pilot who was shot down and killed during the Vietnam War. His remains were initially listed as "unidentified." They were interred in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery by President Ronald Regan in 1984 as part of a group of remains…
ep 93: Christmas in Wartime
Christmas has always been an important holiday in the U.S., but it took on a special meaning during World War II (1941-45) because so many families had loved ones serving in the armed forces that they could not return home for Christmas. Although the Second World War did not have holidays, Americans at home and…
ep 92. Foxbat Fraud
The spy satellite photos created real panic in the Pentagon! An enormous Soviet airplane–probably an interceptor–with engine intakes the size of small cars. The wings were huge, which suggested it had maneuverability far beyond anything America’s McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II could achieve. The Pentagon was looking at the prototypes of what would become the Mikoyan-Gurevich…
ep 91: Censored!
IN THE NEWS: YouTube censors TDP; Family sues Army over Fort Hood daughter's death; Bonnie Dick sailor acquitted; Maveric's Dark Star steals the show at Edwards; Ukraine meme war; Elon Musk wants DoD to pay for Starlink in Ukraine; Mad cow military can give blood; Selective service says biological men are men; Space Force has…
ep 90. “I Was A Soldier,” Revisited
Revisiting the fateful day that changed the course of Sergeant Major Charles Morris’ life. On June 29, 1966, while on a search-and-destroy mission in Xuan Loc, South Vietnam, he came within 20 feet of a Viet Cong machine gunner and was shot in the chest. He returned fire and took out the machine gun nest…
ep 89: Werewolves of Aachen
As the Allies pushed through Germany in the Autumn of 1944, the Nazi's hatched a plan to position elite guerrilla forces behind enemy lines. They were known as "Werewolves" and the very name struck fear in in the hearts of many Allied soldiers. In the Autumn of 1944, as the allies pushed through Germany, the…
ep 88: Space Isn’t New
IN THE NEWS with guest co-host Christof Ambrosch! VA makes PACT Act conditions presumptive and accepting claims; Ukraine's Zelensky talks war with Jimmy Fallon; While the parliament gives themselves a 70% raise; Pentagon OKs Novavax for COVID19, Civilian Protection Center of Excellence and limiting war casualties; Space is not new; Space Flag and on-orbit combat…
87. Winning Battles, Losing Wars
Among the basic distinctions in warfare is the difference between tactics and strategy. Tactics deal with the form of individual engagement, while strategy deals with its use. So, tactics are the operational techniques military units employ to win battles. Strategy addresses the broader political objectives for which a war is fought and the ends, ways,…
ep 86: The Weasel
In this special episode, we're discussing General Milley's resignation letter to the President that he never sent, deciding instead to work against the Commander-in-Chief from the inside. Military members have a duty to be loyal to the service and the officers appointed over them. Military officers can be punished under the Uniformed Code of Military…
ep 85: Hardcore Mode
IN THE NEWS: We bid farewell to three icons--CMSAF #6, James McCoy; Lt Uhura, Nichelle Nicols; and Dodger's announcer, Vin Scully--Godspeed; Pentagon phone wiping, but it's not what you think; No national guard for DC Mayor Bowser to help with her illegal alien crisis; Space Force ‘ambassadors’--is that even a thing? ; Air Force joint…
ep 84: Angel’s Glow
The US Civil War was America’s bloodiest and most costly conflict. Although the battlefields were covered with death, the field hospitals were perhaps the most frightening places. From the echoing screams of men undergoing amputations to the inexperienced doctors and lack of medical knowledge, many believed it was better to die on the field than…
ep 83: Pronouns
IN THE NEWS: Navy targets pronouns while China launches new carrier; Turns out West Point is teaching woke; Rep Matt Gaetz fighting DEI in the military; Woke military struggles with recruiting; Congress tells Space Force to slow down; Air Force "leaders" discourage gender-specific pronouns in award citations; Competition to replace the Army's Bradley is underway;…
ep 82: Talk To Me Goose!
By now, just about everyone has seen Tom Cruise’s blockbuster movie, “Top Gun: Maverick”...so why are we talking about it? Well, for one thing, it’s “us,” and another is it’s a damn good movie! So if you’re one of the few who have not seen this movie and you’re worried about spoilers in this podcast,…
ep 81: Mission First?
IN THE NEWS: Fast-mover-slow-mover collision story; If the Ukraine war is destined to be a stalemate, why are we fighting?; 500 GI Jab lawsuit; The real home-grown terrorists; Space Force is just misunderstood; also, Space Force is LIT; Air Force changes to dress and appearance standards would make General Olds smile; Navy approves beards for…
ep 80: The Red Knight of Germany
We all know The Red Baron as Snoopy's unseen arch-enemy who shot his Sopwith Camel doghouse out of the sky untold times in the Peanuts cartoons. But the actual man was much more than the caricature painted by Charles Schultz! Although Baron Manfred von Richthofen was only involved in World War I's air war for…
ep 79: So Long, Space Force!
IN THE NEWS: Welcome to the Bud Abbott edition of The Digression Podcast; Space Force HQ finally has a home; USS George Washington moving sailors off the ship; More money for Ukraine and cracks in EU resolve; Milley worries about medics; Space Force National Guard fixes bureaucracy with more bureaucracy; So long to the REAL…
ep 78: My Road to Mandalay with David Townsend
Major Donald Townsend experienced some of the most extraordinary events in British history. In My Road to Mandalay, author David Townsend recounts his father's adventures fighting with the "Forgotten Army" in the China-Burma-India theater during World War II. David expertly choreographs this story through a collection of more than 500 letters his father wrote to…
ep 77: Safe Spaces
IN THE NEWS: The Digression Podcast Guys are back from vacation; Spotify drops Obamas’; Russia wants a land bridge to Crimea; Biden pours more money into Ukraine–where’s it going?; Unethical PsyOps with Ukraine and Clearview AI; Space Force goes solo at basic training; Air Force Safe Spaces; Land navigation coming back to the Army; What’s…
ep 76: The Kee Bird, Revisited
The Digression Podcast Guys are taking some much-needed time off, so climb aboard the Wayback Machine as we revisit one of our favorite episodes from the early days: Recovering the Kee Bird (episode #8 from 8/25/2019). In addition to a cleaned-up replay of the original episode, we share some additional news and insight about the…
ep 75: Space Force Fit
IN THE NEWS: Swift water awareness; 1-10-1 and 2-10-2 Rules; The Russians carve out Donbas; Did we bring the Taliban here?; The biggest troop surge in Europe since 2005; DoD covid policies are affecting readiness; Russia wages war while the U.S. trains on gender identify; A new digital fitness program for Space Force; Our thoughts…
ep 74: Bloody Peleliu
In the autumn of 1944, the U.S. landed on Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands of the western Pacific. Some 28,000 Marines and soldiers hit the tiny island and immediately faced stiff resistance from the Japanese. The brutal, difficult battle lasted more than two months. The island garrison put up a particularly tough defense along…
ep 73: “No One Told Me”
IN THE NEWS: Early thoughts on Ukraine; Feel-good story of the day; Seems we did leave a helicopter behind; DoD claims data glitch in vax reporting; 6-million man-hours gone woke; Kabul commander whines; The REAL Space Force is live; The other Space Force wants to pick-up garbage; Lucifer's Chariot laid to rest; Army points finger…
ep 72: Voice of the Dogface
Bill Mauldin once said that the infantryman “gives more and gets less than anybody else.” He knew this from his experience on the front lines during the invasion of Sicily and the Allied campaign up the boot of Italy. The talented cartoonist succeeded in ruffling the feathers of the “brass” all the way up to…
ep 71: Covid Misinformation
IN THE NEWS: Covid misinformation; Pentagon spox refutes woke military claims by explaining how woke they are; Leaked docs prove Biden's Afghanistan failure; Special Forces take out new ISIS leader; Vax injuries skyrocket after military vax mandate; The REAL Space Force is back!; Congress turns down Space National Guard...again!; If that's not bad enough, there…
ep 70: Rommel’s Last Day
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Germany’s widely praised “Desert Fox”, met his end not on the battlefield, but at the hands of henchmen sent by his own commander in chief. After more than 75 years, Rommel’s death remains a testament to the depravity of a regime and a leader who, by the summer of 1944, he…
