Hardtack Podcast

05/01/2026

09/13/2025

Starting in 1943, Japanese women, known as “Nisei” or “second-generation,” were accepted by the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) and the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) to work as nurses and doctors to provide medical care and as Military Intelligence Service officers and linguists. Aside from the Nisei, many other Asian American women have also served in the war, including Chinese American women serving in the Army Air Force and Filipino American women working in the underground resistance in the Philippines. Though Asian American women served many important functions in World War II, they are still overlooked or completely ignored in modern discourse.

05/30/2025

Another wonderful visit to the in

Although the George H. W. Bush wings is currently under renovation, the museum still has much to offer.

Pictured here is the versatile Avenger, designed with a powered wing-folding mechanism that enables greater storage and transport of multiple aircraft.

The internal bomb bay carried one aerial torpedo or multiple 250 or 500 pound bombs or depth charges.

Their handling also allowed for scouting, anti-submarine missions, and night fighting.

#1945

05/06/2025

Admiral Arleigh “31 Knot” Burke was the naval mastermind during the Pacific Campaign of World War II and rewrote the tactics of destroyer warfare through the use of a new approach that paid homage to ancient land warfare of Scipio Africanus. Tested by multiple destroyer groups, his tactics were revolutionary and left the Japanese unable to respond.

But World War II was not the end of Burke. After achieving the position of Chief of Naval Operations, a position he held for three terms, he served in the Korean War where he shifted his flexible mind from naval surface warfare to submarine, nuclear operations. You might know Nimitz, but you have got to learn more on Burke.

04/16/2025

1942 and ‘43 with Military Historian Jeff Ballard. Here, Jeff and I delve deep into an operational overview of the Pacific Theater, the Japanese response to American initiative after Midway, failures and successes in naval leadership, and new doctrine.

Jeff Ballard holds a Master’s in Military History with a concentration in World War II. He is on the editorial staff of the Saber and Scroll Military History Journal and is the Editor in Chief of the Military History Chronicles military history journal.

⚓️ #1942 #1943

03/31/2025

If you have listened to the latest episode@of Hardtack, then you know that Dr. John McManus has a new book releasing on April 25th. Well, here it is, straight off the press.

Thank you Dr. McManus for guesting on Hardtack Podcast and for your many contributions to the field of Military History.

For those interested in Dr. McManus’ new book, details are included on the printout pictured here. For a deeper dive into the 7th Infantry Regiment, check out the latest episode of the podcast.

American Courage, American Carnage will be available in less than thirty days and can be found at all major bookstores and websites. Don’t pass up this opportunity.

🇺🇸

03/16/2025

What a wonderful interview with Dr. John McManus! Learn about America’s 7th Infantry Regiment and what they have done for freedom since the War of 1812!

03/16/2025

An ignoble move by the American government.

We won’t let this stand.

Go For Broke National Education Center and Nisei Veterans Memorial Center strongly oppose the erasure of the legacy of the Japanese American Soldiers of WWII from the U.S. Army’s official website. In March 2025, the webpages honoring the courage and sacrifice of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team were removed.

The U.S. Army website previously recognized how the 100th/442nd RCT was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. military history. It honored the over 4,000 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor, and unprecedented eight Presidential Unit Citations that underscore the valor of the Nisei soldiers of WWII. Profiles of those who served with distinction from Senator Daniel K. Inouye to the AAPI veterans of today were also removed.

For 80 years, the American people have fought for the proper recognition of those who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Military Intelligence Service, the Engineering Corps, as well as the Army Nurse Corps and Women's Army Corps.

In the face of the unjust incarceration of their family members, these American-born children of immigrants embodied this country’s values of courage, patriotism, and sacrifice. The sudden removal of their story does not erase their impact on U.S. history, nor negate the work of organizations preserving their legacy.

Go For Broke National Education Center and Nisei Veterans Memorial Center encourage people to write to their elected officials to demand that Defense Secretary Hegseth order the immediate return of the U.S. Army website to its original state.

Go For Broke National Education Center’s mission is to educate and inspire character and equality through the virtue and valor of our World War II American veterans of Japanese ancestry. The mission of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center (Maui) is to ignite the potential in people by inspiring them to find the hero in themselves through the legacy of the Nisei Veterans.