Tag: United States

Rob Havers and Todd DePastino interview – WWII history book – “Drawing Fire” (Pritzker Military Museum & Library, 2020)

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Rob Havers Todd DePastino Drawing FireRob Havers and Todd DePastino interview – WWII history book – “Drawing Fire” (Pritzker Military Museum & Library, 2020)

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2RFQQKa

Rob Havers is a British military historian who currently serves as the president of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. Todd DePastino was a professor of social and cultural history and helped to write the book Drawing Fire about Bill Mauldin’s life and cartoons. We spoke about Bill Mauldin, his cartoons, and the Bill Mauldin exhibit.

(THE AUDIO PLAYER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST.)

Interview Timeline

1:07 – Rob talks about how he got involved in a project on Bill Mauldin.

2:52 – Todd talks about how he started as a social and cultural historian before studying Bill Mauldin.

5:49 – Rob talks about how the Pritzker Museum collected thousands of Bill Mauldin’s cartoons.

8:31 – Rob and Todd talk about other archives that have some of Mauldin’s work and Mauldin’s influence.

9:49 – Todd talks about how they chose what cartoons to include in the book and Bill’s life up to and into WWII.

14:26 – Rob talks about the military history shown in Bill Mauldin’s cartoons.

18:20 – Todd talks about how Bill did his cartoon work during the war in Italy by going out to the front lines.

22:54 – Rob talks about how it was that an uneducated kid becomes such a master cartoonist.

24:56 – Todd talks about how ambitious and bad-tempered Bill Mauldin had been and how he got into cartooning.

27:48 – Todd talks about how Bill Mauldin got on to Stars & Stripes.

29:13 – Rob talks about the other hotspots Bill Mauldin worked in.

31:28 – Todd talks about Bill Mauldin’s knack for finding himself in hot spots.

33:13 – Rob talks about the National Infantry Museum and an exhibit there.

36:28 – Todd and Rob talk about Bill Mauldin being an adrenalin junkie.

40:12 – Todd talks about the Bill’s writing and oil painting attempts.

43:21 – Rob talks about Bill Mauldin’s ability to adapt his style to circumstances.

45:32 – Rob talks about how a military museum chooses its exhibits.

48:01 – Rob and Todd talk about how they got celebrities to write portions of the book including Tom Hanks and Tom Brokaw.

52:07 – Todd talks about the various traumas that Bill Mauldin dealt with throughout his life and in the war.

54:08 – Rob and Todd talk about the book’s goals.

57:57 – Rob talks about Bill Mauldin being involved with cartoonist organizations.

59:35 – Rob and Todd talk about getting the book finished and published.

1:00:08 – Rob talks about the books the museum publishes.

1:03:31 – The Pritzker Museum can be found at Pritzkermilitary.org and The Veterans Breakfast Club can be found at veteransbreakfastclub.org and “Scuttlebutt” podcast.

1:06:38 – From my podcast “Technology and Space” – John B. Herrington talks about going from naval aviation to becoming an astronaut. (TechnologyandSpace.com)

1:09:48 – From my podcast “Full Contact Nerd” – M.R. Carey talks about a military robot he put in his latest novel The Book of Koli. (FullContactNerd.com)

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2RFQQKa

http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/store/pmml-merchandise/drawing-fire-editorial-cartoons-bill-mauldin/

http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/

https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar and on Instagram @crisalvarezwarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify Please see historyrabbithole.com for a list of my dozen or so blogs and podcasts. You’re sure to find something you like.

Guests: Rob Havers and Todd DiPastino

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: Books, audio interviews, Rob Havers, Todd DePastino, academic, podcast, Pritzker Military Museum and Library, Modern War, WWII, United States,

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2RFQQKa

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Phillip Meilinger interview about his military history and lessons book “Thoughts on War” (University Press of Kentucky, 2020)

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Phillip Meilinger interview about his military history and lessons book “Thoughts on War”

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2R2Bu24

Interview Timeline

Phillip Meilinger has spent decades both in the military as an Air Force officer and teaching military history and issues in staff and war colleges. He’s written numerous essays on military history and he’s collected a number of his essays and reexamined them for this book. We spoke about the book and [subjects] history ranging from Ancient Rome, to Clausewitz, to the US Civil War and on through to World War Two and beyond.

(THE AUDIO PLAYER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST.)

0:40 – Philip talks about having been a pilot for 30 years and what prompted him to write a book on war.

3:58 – Philip talks about covering ancient to modern warfare in the book.

5:18 – Philip talks about the influence about von Clausewitz on military colleges.

8:03 – Philip talks about Clausewitz’ idea of the bloody battle.

12:11 – Philip talks about how the book reassesses past battles and the impact of air power on war. He also addresses policy in warfare.

18:01- Philip talks about how to make major changes in American doctrine and military policy.

21:08 – Philip talks about the effect of nuclear weapons on waging war.

23:57 – Philip talks about the information age and non-state actors.

27:41 – Philip talks about whether Chinese and Russian military activities are a new kind of warfare.

31:56 – Philip talks about how doctrine does not need to be changed but rather a different approach is needed.

36:01 – Philip talks about raids and punitive actions in modern war.

39:55 – Philip talks about the use and effect of strategic bombing.

44:35 – Philip talks about the budgets for aircraft carriers and new generation jets.

47:58 – Philip talks about balancing the US force and defense spending.

50:20 – Philip talks about how he put the book together.

52:00 – Philip talks about how much the US military was involved in politics in American history.

59:06 – Philip talks about how there was not a unity of command in WWII Europe among the allies.

1:00:34 – Philip talks about air intelligence during WWII.

1:04:13 – Philip talks about the Army Air Corps in WII and a book he wrote on a misconception about their status within the Army.

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2R2Bu24

https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813178899/thoughts-on-war/

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar and on Instagram @crisalvarezwarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify Please see historyrabbithole.com for a list of my dozen or so blogs and podcasts. You’re sure to find something you like.

Guests: Phillip Meilinger

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: 

Books, audio interviews, author, podcast, University Press of Kentucky, General military history, United States,

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2R2Bu24

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Brian Herskowitz talks about making the Vietnam War television show Tour of Duty

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Brian Herskowitz talks about the Vietnam War show Tour of Duty

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2PUQNJG

Check out the show here  https://amzn.to/3aD11YZ

Interview Summary

Brian Herskowitz has been a screenwriter for years and has taught the subject too. When he first started in Hollywood, one of his first assignments was working on the popular Vietnam War show “Tour of Duty” which ran from 1987-1990. He became a producer and writer on the show. He’s also written other screenplays, done some acting, and has worked in the entertainment industry for years. We talked about the show, the show’s approach to history, veterans, screenwriting, and about his screenwriting book “Process to Product”.

1:04 – Brian talks about how he got involved with the show Tour of Duty. (Note: I stated his screenwriting book was published in 2019 but it was published in 2014.)

2:48 – Brian talks about how the show progressed and dealt with real issues.

7:56 – Brian talks about the historical consultants and approach to authenticity of the show.

13:26 – Brian talks about the mail the show got from veterans.

14:31 – Brian talks about why the show was cancelled and China Beach.

17:57 – Brian talks about the chemistry of the characters.

20:21 – Brian talks about the approach to the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong in the show.

25:29 – Brian talks about the characters of Zeke and Lt Goldman.

26:09 – Brian talks about audience response to episodes where the US sometimes doesn’t get put in a positive light.

29:49 – Brian talks about Steve Philip Smith, a veteran who was an executive producer on the show.

32:31 – Brian talks about how the actors stepped back in time from the 80s to the late 60s.

34:33 – Brian talks about the environment in the 80s for Vietnam War stories.

38:25 – Brian talks about Magnum PI and its connection to the Vietnam War.

40:34 – Brian talks about people who had trouble with the show’s subject matter.

43:42 – Brian talks about the interracial marriage story line in the show.

47:16 – Brian talks about the kinds of stories that wrote for the show.

49:47 – Brian talks about censorship and the deaths of children and drug use in the show.

51:36 – Brian talks about changes in the use of violence in movies and shows.

56:10 – Brian talks about video games and we discuss how troops play military video games.

1:02:15 – Brian talks about veterans writing screenplays.

1:08:14 – We discuss the movie “Taking Chance.”

1:10:56 – Brian can be found at brianherskowitz.com.

1:12:09 – Brian discusses a few more details about the show Tour of Duty.

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/3aD11YZ

https://amzn.to/2PUQNJG

https://www.brianherskowitz.com/

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Guests: Brian Herskowitz

Host: Cris Alvarez

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2PUQNJG

Check out the show here  https://amzn.to/3aD11YZ

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.