No Home For Heroes

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM CASE NUMBER 0255 IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. TODAY’S STORY HAS SO MANY UNIQUE ASPECTS THAT WE DON’T REALLY KNOW WHERE TO START. THE SUBJECT OF OUR PODCAST WAS A VETERAN OF WORLD WAR ONE. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN ARMY. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY. HE JOINED THE UNITED STATES MARINES AND WAS STATIONED IN CHINA BETWEEN THE WARS, HENCE EARNING HIS UNOFFICIAL DESIGNATION AS A "CHINA MARINE."  HIS DEATH DURING WORLD WAR TWO ON TARAWA IN 1943 WAS WITNESSED BY MANY MEMBERS OF HIS COMPANY…AND HE IS THE OLDEST MARINE FROM THE BATTLE OF TARAWA WHO IS STILL MISSING IN ACTION OVER 75 YEARS LATER.

AT 0800 HOURS ON 10 MARCH 1942, CAPT JOSEPH POTTER McLaughlin EASED HIS 5 FOOT, 5 INCH FRAME INTO THE COCKPIT OF A P-40 E KITTYHAWK FIGHTER PLANE IN Canberra, AUSTRALIA on A PLANNED return flight TO HIS HOME BASE AT LAVERTON FIELD ABOUT 255 MILES AWAY. He did not inform anyone of the direction he was heading when he took off. HE ALSO DID NOT PLAN ON FINDING A ROCK IN A CLOUD ON THIS FLIGHT…BUT HE DID. PILOTS ALL OVER THE WORLD HAVE A GRIM SAYING ABOUT AIRCRAFT CRASHES USUALLY CAUSED BY PILOT ERROR IN FLYING TOO LOW TO THE GROUND…PILOTS REFER TO IT AS “FINDING A ROCK IN A CLOUD.” HISTORY IS FULL OF FAMOUS DEATHS CAUSED BY PILOTS “FINDING A ROCK IN A CLOUD”…ACTRESS CAROLE LOMBARD, SINGER PATSY CLINE, AND EVEN MORE RECENTLY…KOBE BRYANT. AFTER OVER 60 YEARS, CAPTAIN McLAUGHLIN WAS IDENTIFIED AS A THE VICTIM OF FINDING THAT INFAMOUS “ROCK IN A CLOUD” DURING WORLD WAR II. THE QUESTION IS "WAS IT REALLY CAPTAIN McLAUGHLIN THAT WAS FOUND?"

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM CASE NUMBER 0411 IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. PILOTS ALL OVER THE WORLD HAVE A GRIM SAYING ABOUT AIRCRAFT CRASHES USUALLY CAUSED BY PILOT ERROR IN FLYING TOO LOW TO THE GROUND…PILOTS REFER TO THESE TRAGEDIES AS “FINDING A ROCK IN A CLOUD.” HISTORY IS FULL OF FAMOUS DEATHS CAUSED BY PILOTS “FINDING A ROCK IN A CLOUD”…ACTRESS CAROLE LOMBARD (THE WIFE OF ACTOR CLARK GABLE), SINGER PATSY CLINE, AND EVEN MORE RECENTLY…KOBE BRYANT. TODAY’S STORY HAS A TWIST… AFTER OVER 60 YEARS, AN AMERICAN ARMY AIR CORPS OFFICER WAS FINALLY IDENTIFIED AS THE VICTIM OF FINDING THAT INFAMOUS “ROCK IN A CLOUD” DURING WORLD WAR II. BUT WAS IT REALLY THE PERSON IDENTIFIED OR SOME OTHER UNFORTUNATE PILOT WHO FOUND THE ROCK? STAY TUNED FOR PART ONE OF A TWO PART SERIES IN THIS AMAZING INVESTIGATION.

BY ALL DESCRIPTIONS, ED AULT WAS PROBABLY THE MOST UNLIKELY OF ALL CANDIDATES TO BECOME A MISSING MARINE HERO DURING WORLD WAR TWO. HE WAS A 33 YEAR OLD MARRIED BUSINESSMAN WHOSE PROFESSION WAS AS A WHOLESALE FLORIST. ED WAS A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OFFICER WITH AN ACTIVE SOCIAL LIFE IN HIS COMMUNITY WHEN HE CHOSE TO ENLIST…LITTLE DID HE KNOW THAT A JAPANESE BULLET AWAITED HIM THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY…AND LITTLE DID HIS FAMILY KNOW THAT HE WOULD REMAIN MISSING FOR ALMOST 80 YEARS. CAN A MAP WE FOUND SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF ED AULT’S DISAPPEARANCE IN 1943? STAY TUNED AS WE EXPLORE “THE CASE OF THE MISSING FLORIST.”

IN 1945, THE FAMOUS WRITER F. SCOTT FITZGERALD WROTE: "SHOW ME A HERO AND I’LL WRITE YOU A TRAGEDY." WHICH MAKES US PONDER WHETHER OR NOT HIS FAMOUS QUOTE WAS INSPIRED BY A REAL NAVAL HERO IN 1945, CAPTAIN CHARLES BUTLER MCVAY III, WHOSE SHIP, THE USS INDIANAPOLIS, DELIVERED THE COMPONENTS OF THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB WHICH EFFECTIVELY ENDED WORLD WAR II. THE TRAGEDY THAT ENSUED WHEN THE INDIANAPOLIS WAS SUNK, WITH THE LOSS OF 879 SAILORS AND MARINES AND THE SUBSEQUENT COURTS MARTIAL OF CAPTAIN McVAY, IS ONE OF HISTORY’S MILITARY MYSTERIES THAT PREVAILS TO THIS DAY. WE DEDICATE THIS EPISODE TO A BRYCE MATTESON OF HAVEN, KANSAS. BRYCE WAS A FORMER JOURNALIST WHO NEVER FORGOT THE IMPACT OF THE LINKAGE BETWEEN HEROES AND TRAGEDIES. A LIFE LONG BEST FRIEND, BRYCE PASSED AWAY JUST BEFORE EASTER 2021. HE WAS A HERO IN MANY, MANY WAYS AND HIS PASSING IS A TRAGEDY FOR MANY, MANY PEOPLE WHO KNEW AND LOVED HIM.

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. A YOUNG MARINE, ON THE EVE OF GOING INTO BATTLE FOR THE FIRST TIME, WROTE HIS MOTHER TO SAY: "I AM THINKING OF WHAT I AM ABOUT TO DO FOR MY COUNTRY...NO MATTER WHAT THE COST IS, IT IS WELL WORTH IT." IT WASN’T THE FIRST TIME, THE YOUNG MARINE HAD TOLD HIS MOTHER THAT HE WOULDN’T BE COMING HOME. IN TODAY’S EPISODE, WE WILL LET YOU HEAR THE MOTHER’S ANGUISH IN HER OWN HANDWRITTEN LETTERS TO THE GOVERNMENT AFTER THE BATTLE WHEN THE SON FULFILLED HIS PREDICTION OF NOT COMING HOME.

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM CASE NUMBER 0271 IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SO SURE OF SOMETHING THAT YOU SAID “I’D BET THE HOUSE…” ON WHATEVER YOU THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE A SLAM DUNK? LIKE “I’D BET THE HOUSE THE RANGERS WILL WIN THE WORLD SERIES THIS YEAR.  WELL, MAYBE THAT WOULD NOT BE A SMART BET. NOT EVEN MY MOM, THE MOST DIEHARD RANGERS FAN IN THE WORLD, WOULD HAVE SAID THAT! BUT OCCASIONALLY, ALONG THE ROAD OF LIFE , COMES A SURE THING, A SLAM DUNK, A CAN’T MISS, DEFINITE, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, IN THE BAG…WELL, YOU GET THE IDEA. IN TODAY'S EPISODE, WE’RE GONNA TELL YOU ABOUT ONE OF THOSE KIND OF BETS THAT MY MOM WOULD HAVE MADE IN HER WORDS…”JUST AS SURE AS THE SUN WILL COME UP TOMORROW…” SOMETIMES, AS YOU WILL FIND OUT IN TODAY'S EPISODE, THE HOME TEAM DOES WIN! YA' JUST GOTTA BELIEVE!

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM CASE NUMBER 0122 IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. WE START TODAY’S PROGRAM WITH A TRIVIA QUESTION. WHERE IS FAMOUS WORLD WAR II GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON Jr.  BURIED? IF YOU GUESSED ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY OR WEST POINT, YOU’D BE WRONG. IN FACT, IF YOU GUESSED ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES, YOU’D BE WRONG. HOW ABOUT NEAR A LONG FORGOTTEN BATTLEFIELD IN EUROPE? NOW YOU JUST MIGHT BE GETTING WARMER WITH YOUR GUESS. WE DEDICATE THIS EPISODE TO THE FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS AT WILLIAM F. HALLORAN SCHOOL NUMBER 22 IN ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY. AS YOU LISTEN TO THIS INCREDIBLE EPISODE OF NO HOME FOR HEROES, YOU WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHY WE MAKE THIS DEDICATION AND THE SCHOOL’S LINK TO GENERAL PATTON AND MANY OF HIS COMMAND WHO GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE TO INSURE OUR LIBERTY.

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM CASE NUMBER 0487 IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. IT’S A STORY THAT WAS PROBABLY REPEATED BY THE THOUSANDS DURING WORLD WAR II AND COULD EASILY BE TITLED, “COME HOME TO ME, JOHN”, “COME HOME TO ME, BOB”, OR JUST ABOUT ANY OTHER FIRST NAME OF A SCHOOL SWEETHEART GOING OFF TO WAR. IN FACT, OUT PRODUCTION ENGINEER CINDY SUGGESTED WE JUST NAME THE EPISODE “COME HOME TO ME.” BUT TODAY’S STORY HAS A CLOSER AND MORE SPECIAL MEANING, AS YOU WILL SOON HEAR.

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. IT’S AN INCREDIBLE TALE OF A FAMILY BEING INFORMED BY THE NAVY THAT THEIR SON WAS MISSING IN ACTION ONLY TO RECEIVE A PHONE CALL FROM THE SAILOR AFTER HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY LOST AT SEA. INVESTIGATING THIS STRANGE CASE AND GETTING THE CONFUSING FACTS STRAIGHT, AND THE OFFICIAL RECORDS CORRECTED, ONLY TOOK 73 YEARS. WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO HISTORIAN RICHARD HULVER AND AUTHOR SARAH VLADIC, WE DEDICATE THIS EPISODE TO OUR LOYAL LISTENERS IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA. FOR IT IS THE FAMOUS WORLD WAR 2 CRUISER USS INDIANAPOLIS WHERE OUR AMAZING STORY BEGINS…

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM CASE NUMBER 484 IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. IT’S THE STORY OF A YOUNG BOY EAGERLY AWAITING HIS 17TH BIRTHDAY SO HE COULD JOIN THE MARINES TO AVENGE THE LOSS OF HIS BIG BROTHER…ONLY TO BECOME A MIA HIMSELF.

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM CASE NUMBER 157 IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. IT’S THE STORY OF ONE SOLVED MYSTERY AND SIX MYSTERIES THAT REMAIN UNRESOLVED. SO, WE DEDICATE THIS EPISODE TO THE FAMILIES OF SIX CREW MEMBERS OF THE “SWEEPY TIME GAL”, A WORLD WAR 2 B-24 LIBERATOR BOMBER, WHO HAVE NOT YET MADE IT HOME FROM THEIR LAST MISSION.

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM CASE NUMBER 471 IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. IT’S A REAL HEAD SCRATCHER THAT HAS DEFIED OUR BEST EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY THE MYSTERY BEGAN SO LONG AGO. WHETHER YOU ARE A POLICE DETECTIVE OR A MILITARY INVESTIGATOR OR JUST AN AVID FAN OF THE PLETHORA OF “WHODUNIT” MYSTERIES ON TELEVISION, THERE ARE JUST SOME CASES THAT YOU JUST SHAKE YOUR HEAD AND SAY “HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN?” TODAY, WE HAVE A CASE THAT FITS INTO THAT “HEAD SHAKER” CATEGORY..

TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS TAKEN FROM AN ACTIVE CASE IN THE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION BUT ONE THAT HAS NOT YET BEEN FULLY INVESTIGATED. WE HAVE NEVER DONE A PODCAST ON AN OPEN CASE BEFORE BUT WE NEED OUR LISTENER’S HELP TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF A NAVY SAILOR KILLED IN A BIZARRE SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES, BURIED AT A KNOWN LOCATION, AND THEN LOST TO HISTORY. C’MON EVERYONE, PUT ON YOUR SHERLOCK HOLMES SLEUTHING HATS, GRAB YOUR MAGNIFYING GLASSES, AND JOIN THE RESEARCH TEAM HERE AT THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION TO HELP IDENTIFY A SMALL TOWN HERO FROM INDIANA..

  WHAT DOES THE ENTIRE CASUALTY LIST OF A WORLD WAR II RIFLE COMPANY OF COMBAT MARINES, THE 1960’S SITCOM “GREEN ACRES”, AND A LOST CEMETERY ON AN OBSCURE PACIFIC ISLAND ALL HAVE IN COMMON? WE ARE GOING TO PUT ALL THESE DOTS TOGETHER FOR YOU IN TODAY'S EPISODE 51 OF "NO HOME FOR HEROES."  

The proverb “all things come to those who wait” means if people are persistent and patient, they will finally achieve their goal. In other words, it means a person must exercise patience when working on something close to his heart, even to reach the goal he/she desires. WHEN I WORKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE THERE WAS NOTHING CLOSER TO MY HEART THAN FINDING A WAY TO GIVE THEIR NAMES BACK TO THE PEARL HARBOR HEROES, WHO WERE BURIED AS SIMPLY “UNKNOWN” AND GETTING THEM HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES. TODAY’S CASE IS A SUCCESS STORY FOR THAT MISSION AND WE ARE PLEASED TO SHARE THE PROOF OF THE PROVERB WITH YOU ON “NO HOME FOR HEROES”…

WE CAN WARN YOU RIGHT UP FRONT THAT TODAY’S MYSTERY IS NOT YET SOLVED…BUT IT INVOLVES A YOUNG MARINE FROM A SMALL TOWN IN MISSISSIPPI WHO ACCEPTED HIS SERGEANT’S CHALLENGE TO CLIMB OVER A SEAWALL INTO WITHERING ENEMY FIRE, ONLY TO VANISH INTO HISTORY…DON’T GIVE UP JUST YET, WE ARE STILL ON THE CASE!

HERE’S TODAY’S RIDDLE FOR YOU TO SOLVE…HOW CAN A BOMBER PILOT BE LISTED AS LOST AT SEA IN THE PACIFIC DURING WORLD WAR 2 ONLY TO BE FOUND IN NEW YORK ALMOST 75 YEARS LATER? STAY TUNED WHILE WE SPIN A STORY THAT IS JUST TOO STRANGE TO BE TRUE…BUT IT IS…

EPISODE 47 MARKS THE END OF THE YEARLY PODCAST BROADCAST SEASON BY THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. IT ALSO HERALDS THE 78TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR ON DECEMBER 7, 1941. IN A SPECIAL PODCAST EPISODE COMMEMORATING THE BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR TWO FOR THE UNITED STATES, WE WILL TELL THE STORY OF THREE VERY YOUNG SAILORS WHO WERE TRAPPED INSIDE THEIR SUNKEN BATTLESHIP FOR SIXTEEN DAYS ON THE BOTTOM OF PEARL HARBOR. IT IS A HORRIFIC STORY. IT IS A NIGHTMARISH STORY.… BUT IT IS A HEROIC STORY.

THERE WAS A PERSON WHO ONCE WORKED AT THE JOINT POW MIA ACCOUNTING COMMAND KNOWN AS "COMMANDER ZERO."  THE "ZERO" PART OF HIS NICKNAME WAS BECAUSE HE WAS BASICALLY WORTHLESS. ONE OF HIS SAYINGS WAS “I THOUGHT I MADE A MISTAKE ONCE, BUT THEN I FOUND OUT I WAS WRONG”. TODAY’S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS DEDICATED TO COMMANDER ZERO BECAUSE, AS YOU WILL HEAR,  WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES. STAY TUNED WHILE WE TELL YOU ABOUT A “SLAM DUNK” CASE WERE ALL THE CLUES POINTED TO JUST TWO MOST LIKELY MATCHES AND ONE FINAL “ABSOLUTE, HAS TO BE HIM” , "AH HA" MOMENT, LIGHT BULB GOING OFF OVER THE HEAD CLUE THAT TURNED OUT TO BE…WELL, THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO SAY THIS…WRONG.