No Home For Heroes

EPISODE 25 IS FROM CASE NUMBER 0424 IN THE INVESTIGATIVE CASE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. THE MIA FEATURED IN OUR STORY TODAY WAS DROPPED FROM THE OFFICIAL LIST OF CASUALTIES FROM THE BATTLE OF TARAWA FROM 1945 TO 2018…HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? AND…HIS ACTUAL CRASH SITE REMAINS A MYSTERY EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WITNESSED, MAPPED, AND EVEN GIVEN LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES…HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? STAY TUNED WHILE WE EXPLORE A SPECIAL “DOUBLE MYSTERY” ON TODAY’S “NO HOME FOR HEROES”!

TODAY’S STORY IS OUR FIRST EPISODE FEATURING A MIA WHO LOST HIS LIFE DURING THE KOREAN WAR’S FAMOUS BATTLE OF THE CHOSIN RESERVOIR. ALSO KNOWN AS THE “FROZEN CHOSIN." OUR HERO IN TODAY’S EPISODE LOST HIS LIFE PROTECTING AN AIRFIELD SO THAT HIS WOUNDED BUDDIES COULD BE EVACUATED. THERE ARE ALMOST 8,000 AMERICAN SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN WHO REMAIN MIA’S FROM A WAR THAT MOST AMERICANS ARE ONLY VAGUELY AWARE OF AND IS KNOWN AS "THE FORGOTTEN WAR." STAY TUNED FOR NOT ONLY A HISTORY LESSON BUT ALSO THE STORY OF SACRIFICE AND VALOR BY A VETERAN MARINE IN THIS EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES”  

EPISODE 23 IS FROM CASE NUMBER 0381 IN THE INVESTIGATIVE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. WE ARE GOING TO RESPECTFULLY ASSUME SOME LITERARY LICENSE FROM A HERO MARINE TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE SON HE NEVER MET. HOPEFULLY, OUR OWN WORDS WILL CAPTURE THE KIND OF FACTS AND DETAILS THAT A FATHER WOULD WANT HIS SON TO KNOW IF HE WERE NOT AROUND TO TELL HIS OWN STORY. YOU SURE DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO ATTEMPT TO CRAFT A NARRATIVE THAT TELLS THE STORY OF ONE OF HISTORY’S MILITARY MYSTERIES IN WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOST HEROES OWN WORDS. STAY TUNED FOR A VERY INTRIGUING PERSPECTIVE ON TODAY’S “NO HOME FOR HEROES”

EPISODE 22 IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE START THE PROGRAM BY POSING A QUESTION RATHER THAN PROMISING TO PROVIDE AN ANSWER TO THE LOCATION OF A MISSING AMERICAN SERVICEMAN. FROM CASE NUMBER 0421 IN THE INVESTIGATIVE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, LEARN HOW A MARINE WAS LATE REPORTING FOR DUTY AFTER A SHORT FURLOUGH WAS GRANTED HIM WHEN HE COMPLETED TRAINING TO BE A “BARAGE BALLOON CREWMAN”. WE THINK HIS TARDINESS PROMPTED HIS TRANSFER TO A COMBAT UNIT WHERE HE BECAME AN MIA IN HIS VERY FIRST ACTION . IS IT POSSIBLE THAT SOMETHING SO SIMPLE AS MISSING A TRAIN RIDE COST THIS YOUNG MARINE HIS LIFE?   STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT THE ANSWER ON THIS EPISODE OF "NO HOME FOR HEROES".

EPISODE 21 IS CAPTURED FROM CASE NUMBER 0322 IN THE INVESTIGATIVE FILES OF THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. LEARN HOW A MEMBER OF THE FAMED GROUP OF BLACK FIGHTER PILOTS KNOWN AS THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN WENT MISSING ON AN ESCORT MISSION TO GERMANY IN 1944 AND WAS NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN. WE THINK HIS CRASH SITE MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND BUT, AND THERE IS ALWAYS A BUT IN HISTORIES’ MILITARY MYSTERIES, THE REMAINS OF THE PILOT COULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED AFTER THE WAR. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT MODERN DNA SCIENCE CAN PROVIDE THE KEY TO SOLVING THIS 75 YEAR OLD MYSTERY?  MAYBE…BUT THERE ARE PROBLEMS EVEN MODERN SCIENCE WILL NEED TO OVERCOME. STAY TUNED AND WE WILL TELL YOU THE FULL STORY ON TODAY’S “NO HOME FOR HEROES”

TODAY'S EPISODE WILL REVEAL THE LINK TO SEVEN MARINES WHO LOST THEIR LIVES TOGETHER IN THE WANING HOURS OF THE BATTLE OF TARAWA AND WERE BURIED SIDE BY SIDE WITH THEIR GRAVES CAREFULLY MARKED ON A MILITARY MAP AND THE GRID COORDINATES WERE LISTED IN EACH MARINE’S RECORDS. BUT, THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY ASSIGNED TO FIND MIA’S CAN’T SEEM TO READ THE MAP. HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? I’M NOT SURE WE’LL HAVE THE ANSWER TO BEING “ACUTELY DYSFUNCTIONAL” BUT STAY TUNED AND WE WILL TELL YOU THE FULL STORY ON TODAY’S “NO HOME FOR HEROES.”

Episode 19 of NO HOME FOR HEROES describes the case of a World War II American submarine that was listed as "Lost With All Hands" on her sixth war patrol in 1943.  The details of the loss was officially listed as being under unknown circumstances.  But today's episode will solve that mystery for you. And, there is even more mystery in the loss of the USS Triton.  Her ship's bell is today on display at the Navy's Great Lakes Naval Training Center, even though the ship has never been found.  How did this happen?  Stay tuned to learn the story of the USS Triton and the amazing discovery of her ship's bell decades after the loss of the ship.

EPISODE 18 IS ABOUT AN ACTIVE CASE INVESTIGATION BY THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION WHERE OUR RESEARCHERS NEED YOUR HELP TO LOCATE AN MIA'S FAMILY TO TELL THEM THE RESULTS OF OUR INVESTIGATION…AND OUR BELIEF OF WHERE THEIR MISSING MARINE LIES UNDISCOVERED TO THIS VERY DAY! THE HERO WITHOUT A HOME WE WILL HIGHLIGHT TODAY IS A “NOT TOO PERFECT” MARINE WHO CHAFED UNDER MILITARY RULES AND REGULATIONS BUT TOLD HIS BUDDY THAT HE THOUGHT HE WOULD BE A “FIGHTING FOOL” IF JUST GIVEN THE CHANCE. DURING A FINAL JAPANESE BANZAI CHARGE ON TARAWA, THE SELF PROCLAIMED “FIGHTING FOOL FROM BOWIE TEXAS, GOT HIS CHANCE…

EPISODE 17 PROVIDES DETAILS OF THE FIRST “UNKNOWN” FROM THE BATTLE OF TARAWA THAT WAS RECOVERED AND IDENTIFIED FROM AN AMERICAN CEMETERY.  THE FACTS OF THIS RECOVERY ARE STILL SHROUDED IN MYSTERY OVER 75 YEARS AFTER THE HERO WENT MISSING AND OVER TWO YEARS AFTER HE WAS OFFICIALLY IDENTIFIED! PRIVATE FIRST CLASS JACK JUNIOR FOX CONTINUES TO AWAIT RETURN HOME TO HIS FAMILY FOR BURIAL OVER TWO YEARS AFTER HIS IDENTIFICATION WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. HIS REMAINS SIT IN A CARDBOARD BOX IN HONOLULU, HAWAII AND THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT HAS CUSTODY OF HIS BODY REFUSES TO SAY EXACTLY WHERE HE WAS FOUND!   BUT THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION BELIEVES WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS SURROUNDING PRIVATE FOX AND WE WILL PROVIDE THE ANSWERS TO YOU IN THIS EPISODE!

EPISODE 16 EXPLORES HOW A WORLD WAR II GERMAN SUBMARINE EITHER DIDN’T GET THE MESSAGE THAT THE WAR WAS OVER or DECIDED TO IGNORE THE ORDER AND ATTACK AN AMERICAN MERCHANT SHIP OFF THE COAST OF RHODE ISLAND IN MAY 1945. IN THE WORDS OF A JAPANESE ADMIRAL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR “I FEAR WE HAVE AWAKENED A SLEEPING GIANT AND FILLED HIM WITH A TERRIBLE RESOLVE”, THIS ATTACK CAUSED AN INCENSED AMERICAN NAVY TO PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS TO EXACT REVENGE ON THE GERMAN U-BOAT THAT CAUSED AMERICA TO SUFFER SOME OF ITS LAST MIA’S OF WORLD WAR 2!

Episode 15 on NO HOME FOR HEROES is not science fiction…it’s absolutely true, but it’s truly "Twilight Zone" spooky! Fair warning that this episode is a little longer than our usual episodes as we explore the cases of 25 different CASUALTIES FROM THE BATTLE OF TARAWA.  MIA's who WERE LISTED AS WOUNDED IN ACTION AND TRANSPORTED OFF THE INVASION BEACHES FOR TREATMENT ON A NEARBY SHIP…ONLY TO VANISH into the mists of history AND be LISTED AS “MISSING IN ACTION” for over 75 years. THERE IS EVEN MORE TO THE MYSTERY…SOME OF THESE MIA PHANTOMS WERE ACTUALLY LISTED ON MILITARY HOSPITAL RECORDS LONG AFTER THE BATTLE BUT THEY NEVER MADE IT HOME AND ARE STILL LISTED AS MISSING IN ACTION…INCREDIBLE, BUT TRUE!

Episode  14 is a very unusual case  In this case all of us will learn a very valuable lesson about the importance of family history and making sure that our legacies, whatever they may be, a passed down to future generations. We LEARN HOW A B-24 BOMBER BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN SHOT DOWN OVER GERMANY IN 1944 REALLY WASN’T…AND HOW 8 MISSING CREWMEN OF THE BOMBER REALLY WEREN’T MISSING AT ALL. In the end, we are able to help A FAMILY FIND OUT THE REAL FACTS THAT THEIR OWN FAMILY HISTORY HAD WRONG FOR ALMOST 75 YEARS… WHAT A STORY!

Episode 13 will walk you through a very difficult case, the type of which is known in law enforcement as a “whodunit”.  You will get an actual feel for how MIA cases are investigated and how most of them are not simple “slam dunks” even in the age of sophisticated technologies, computers, and DNA comparisons. Like most "whodunit" investigations, Episode 13 will take us down dead end paths, false leads, mistakes by the investigator, and host of other frustrations that left us scratching our heads until a minor adjustment in the investigative process produced a positive result…and yes, just as a spoiler, Episode 13 WILL have a happy ending.

In Episode 12 the Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation examines the case of perhaps THE VERY FIRST AMERICAN CASUALTY OF THE INVASION OF SICILY IN World War II. Seaman First Class Paul Bernard Wilson WAS BURIED IN THE SAND ON THE BEACH WHERE HE DIED, ONLY TO BE LOST TO HISTORY SINCE THE DAY OF HIS DEATH on 10 July 1943. Could TWO LONG FORGOTTEN FINGERPRINTS HOLD THE CLUE TO SOLVING THE CASE…A CASE FILE THAT HAD FBI DIRECTOR J. EDGAR HOOVER’S ORIGINAL SIGNATURE…COULD DIRECTOR HOOVER’S FBI LABORATORY ASSIST US AGAIN 70 YEARS LATER TO BRING HOME THE MISSING SAILOR FROM SICILY? Listen to this episode of NO HOME FOR HEROES to find out.

Episode 11 has all the components of a New York Times best seller. The friendship of two Marines who had the irony of being the last combat casualties AFTER the official end of a major battle. A lost cemetery for almost three quarters of a century that was full of missing American servicemen...An idiotic government policy that prevented their discovery...A map with the famous “X marks the spot” just like the old pirate stories of buried treasure...And a Marine’s help from beyond the grave to find his long lost buddy. All of that, and more, is included in today's episode, file number 0284, from the investigative case files of the Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation.

Episode 10 begins with the seldom heard speech by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recorded live in its entirety when he addressed Congress the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  While you may have listened to the oft quoted 30 second snippet of President Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech, the entire address tells a much more complete story. One of the casualties of that attack was a sailor on the USS West Virginia, a battleship affectionately nicknamed by its crew as the "Wee Vee.".  This sailor from New Jersey was listed a "Missing in Action" until he was determined to be a possible match to Unknown X-136 buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Hear how his case was solved by a determined investigation after it had been closed for over 63 years...and how, Fireman First Class Angelo Michael Gabriele was identified as Unknown X-136 and finally returned home to his family in New Jersey in 2019.

Episode 9 is a very, very special edition of NO HOME FOR HEROES.  It is our honor and our privilege to introduce you to a 97 year old Marine who describes in his own words how he helped bury a fellow Marine in the sand after the Battle of Tarawa.  The buried Marine was lost for almost 75 years until our good friend, Sergeant Edward Gazel, provided the essential clue for investigators of the Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation to identify the burial location of CPL Claire Eulin Goldtrap of Hobart, Oklahoma, Missing In Action.since 20 November 1943. While the title of Episode 9 is "Goldy Goes Home", the title could easily be "We All Pray To the Same God, Son". Listen to the podcast to find out exactly why this title would be equally appropriate. Thanks to Sergeant Gazell, GOLDY GOES HOME...finally!

Episode 8 is part love story and part war story.  We explore File Number 0191 from the investigative case files of the Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation regarding a 25 year old lumber mill worker from Oregon who became a combat veteran in the steamy jungles of Guadalcanal in World War II. After being shipped with his unit to New Zealand for a period of rest, refit, and retraining, our young Private First Class found love in this far off land.  Not wanting to wait for the war to end, he married his 18 year old New Zealand sweetheart only a few weeks before shipping out again.  PFC Victor Harold Feldner met his doom on the tiny island of Tarawa in the South Pacific. Hear how a daughter has waited her whole life for her father's return and the Foundation's investigative conclusions about his loss and recovery location.

So what do John Dillinger, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Lindbergh Kidnapping have to do with a missing American sailor who was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?  Episode 7 features a special guest:  United States Navy Captain Chris Stone, currently the commanding officer of the guided missile cruiser USS Normandy, to help explain a case that baffled the government's MIA investigators for over seventy years.  It was an example of not being able to see the forest because everyone was focused on the tree until a simple law enforcement investigative technique was applied that solved one of history's military mysteries.

Episode 6 explores File Number 0414 from the Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation's investigative case files of missing American service members.  It is the case of Private Edwin William Jordan from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who convinced his father to go along with the desire of a fifteen year old boy to enlist in the United States Marine Corps and the tireless efforts of an aunt to seek his release from combat duty in the South Pacific.  Private Jordan stormed the beach at Tarawa in November 1943 and vanished into history until his accidental discovery in the most unlikely of circumstances over seventy years after his loss...It's an amazing story with a surprising twist in another of history's military mysteries!