Nov 11, 2021
Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!
Today we have a special Veterans Day 50th Episode of Combat
Story from Vincent Speranza, who was a paratrooper in the storied
101st Airborne Division in World War II. Vince was a machine gunner
at the Battle of the Bulge where he and his fellow paratroopers
held Bastogne after being encircled by the Germans.
[Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Loansteady LLC. A
small-by-design lender, Loansteady believes in bringing a
much-needed dose of humanity to the mortgage process. With their
experience, agility, and creativity at Loansteady, they offer
better rates, a simpler process and a much stronger personal
connection. They're here to find a mortgage that works for you, not
the other way around. They are waiving all lender fees for Veterans
in 2021. Visit http://www.loansteady.com/combatstory to request a
rate quote or start an application. Loansteady LLC, All rights
reserved, NMLS# 1701910, (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/), Equal Housing Lender.
For more licensing information, please visit https://www.loansteady.com/licenses-and-legal.]
While fighting, Vince earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, but
he’s gone down in history for being the GI who miraculously found
and transported draft beer in his helmet from the last standing bar
in Bastogne during the attack. This story later became the basis
for Airborne beer, which can be purchased throughout Belgium and is
designed to be enjoyed from a small ceramic cup shaped like a WWII
helmet.
Vince, in the last 10 years, has written a book, aptly titled
“Nuts!: A 101st Airborne Division Machine Gunner at Bastogne,” has
jumped out of airplanes again, and speaks to soldiers and
organizations about his experiences.
His story is nothing short of legendary and reminds us all why we
refer to his as the “Greatest Generation.” I hope you enjoy this
amazing combat story as much as I did.
Follow Ryan on Instagram @combatstory
Show Notes
0:00 - Intro
0:48 - A word from our Sponsor (Loansteady)
2:15 - Guest intro
3:22 - Interview begins
4:18 - Growing up an Italian immigrant
16:00 - Did you miss out on a “fun” or easy childhood?
18:20 - AWESOME Pearl Harbor story from Dec 7th,1941
22:21 - The Draft letter
23:43 - Shipping off to WWII (wait for his dad’s comment)
38:04 - Training to go to WWII
41:01 - Volunteering for Airborne
50:40 - Taking the Queen Mary over to the war
52:34 - The feeling on the boat on the way to WWII
54:28 - You’re going in!
59:29 - Battle of the Bulge - Basic numbers and the environment
1:01:41 - The importance of artillery at Bastogne
1:04:44 - Asking for our surrender
1:06:15 - Like the Colonel already said
1:07:10 - “Freedom in your heart” (you can’t help but smile when
you hear this)
1:07:50 - How was I feeling at the Battle of the Bulge?
1:10:15 - The sobering moment comes after the shooting…
1:11:45 - German strategy going in
1:14:50 - Airborne Beer (INCREDIBLE story)
1:18:30 - Made myself a promise
1:33:45 - Combat Story (WWII Edition) Begins with description of
digging into frozen ground and fighting from those positions
1:36:00 - “The whole world exploded”
1:38:48 - A machine gunner’s delight
1:47:16 - A once in a lifetime R&R
1:58:59 - Did you carry anything with you into combat?
1:59:57 - Would you do it all again?
2:00:09 - At the Eagle’s Nest!
2:03:26 - Not a hero…
2:05:23 - Listener comments