Beyond the Call: Technical Sergeant Cleto L. Rodríguez at Paco Railroad Station, Manila, 1945 follows a young Mexican-American infantryman as he breaks away from his pinned platoon to assault a fortified strongpoint during the battle for Manila in World War II. Listeners hear a ground-level narrative of the fight for the Paco Railroad Station, the decisions that pushed him across open ground under relentless fire, and the meaning behind each phrase of his Medal of Honor citation. The story also traces his journey from orphaned newsboy to career noncommissioned officer, reflecting on leadership, initiative, and service. Beyond the Call is the Monday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, developed by Trackpads.com.

Arsenal: USS Enterprise (CV-6) in the Pacific War, 1941–1945 follows the “Big E” from the gray dawn over Midway through Guadalcanal and the Central Pacific campaigns, tracing how one fleet carrier helped shift the balance of the war at sea. Listeners hear Enterprise under air attack and launch pressure, the vast ocean problem she was built to solve, how her Yorktown-class design and evolving air group shaped operations, what life and combat felt like on her decks and in her machinery spaces, and how her combat record influenced later carrier doctrine. Arsenal is the Friday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, and the podcast is developed by Trackpads.com.

Headline Wednesday: USS Johnston and the destroyers at Samar, World War II follows a thin line of “small boys” that suddenly find a Japanese battle line bearing down on them off Leyte Gulf. Escort carriers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts meant for anti-submarine work and close air support are forced into a running gun duel with battleships and heavy cruisers. The episode walks through the moment Taffy 3 realizes what is coming out of the morning haze, the decision by USS Johnston and her sisters to turn toward the enemy, and the brutal, close-quarters fight that follows. Headline Wednesday is the Wednesday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, and the series is developed by Trackpads.com.

From there, the story traces how a handful of light ships and scrambling carrier aircraft built an illusion of greater strength, bought miles and minutes for the Leyte invasion fleet, and finally shook the confidence of a superior enemy into breaking off the attack. Listeners hear how Commander Ernest Evans drove Johnston into repeated attacks, how Hoel, Heermann, and Samuel B. Roberts joined the charge, and how smoke, torpedoes, and low-flying aircraft turned a one-sided gunnery exercise into a confused, high-risk fight. The episode closes with the aftermath at Samar, the honors and losses of Taffy 3, and the enduring lessons for anyone studying naval history, planning a staff ride, or just wanting to understand how a few destroyers changed the shape of a campaign.

This Week in U.S. Military History: December 16th, 2025–December 22nd, 2025 invites listeners into a vivid week where snowbound huts at Valley Forge sit beside jet bombers over Hanoi and spacecraft circling the moon. The narrative moves from a Continental Army on the edge of collapse, through the secession crisis and the shattering Union victory at Nashville, to the desperate stand at Bastogne and the sudden loss of General George Patton. Listeners hear how each moment felt to those on the ground and in the air, and how these days reshaped American arms across generations.

Across the same calendar window, the story reaches from the Wright brothers’ fragile first powered flight to Apollo 8 sailing for lunar orbit, from Flying Tigers over China to precision strikes in Operation Desert Fox and the rapid intervention of Operation Just Cause. The episode traces common threads of endurance, improvisation, and technological change, showing how decisions in winter forests, cabinet rooms, and cockpits all echo into today’s force. “This Week in U.S. Military History” is the Tuesday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, developed by Trackpads.com, offering a guided walk through the dates that still shape modern service and strategy.

Beyond the Call: Private First Class Lloyd C. Hawks at Carano, Italy, 1944 follows a combat medic who crawls into open ground under relentless fire to reach and save wounded comrades. Listeners hear a vivid account of his repeated crossings between the lines, the desperate conditions on the Anzio beachhead, and the wider Italian campaign of World War Two that framed his actions. The narrative weaves battlefield detail with reflection on duty, courage, and the quiet leadership of those who act when no one can order them to. Beyond the Call is the Monday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, and the Beyond the Call podcast is developed by Trackpads.com to preserve stories like Hawks’ for new generations.

A tank built for the forests of Central Europe earns its legend in the sands of Kuwait. In this episode of Arsenal, we ride with M1 Abrams crews into the blinding dust of Desert Storm, from the brutal overmatch at 73 Easting to the long armored thrusts that broke Iraqi defenses. Along the way, we unpack how composite armor, thermal sights, and that thirsty gas turbine changed what tank combat looked like, and what it cost in fuel, maintenance, and tragic friendly fire. It is the story of a machine that gave its crews rare confidence and protection, and how a Cold War design became one of the defining weapons of the Gulf War. Arsenal is developed by Trackpads.com.

In this Living History episode for Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, Dr. Jason Edwards opens a two-part series on the Medal of Honor by stepping back from individual heroes to focus on the medal itself. He traces how a young republic that distrusted decorations created a single combat award in the Civil War, how it was briefly used as a catch-all honor, and how painful reforms and redesigned medals in the Army, Navy, and Air Force slowly forged today’s “above and beyond the call of duty” standard. Along the way, he unpacks the mid-century U.S. Army newsreel The Big Picture, whose polished “company of heroes” narration you can find on YouTube through the Living History edition of Dispatch, and contrasts its marble halls with the messy, human realities behind real citations. This is Part One: the origin story, the symbolism, and the tension between myth and lived courage that sets the stage for the World War II narratives to come.

Headline Wednesday: Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge follows the story of a snowbound crossroads town that refused to yield under fire. Surrounded by German armor and infantry in December 1944, American airborne troops, tankers, artillerymen, and support units turned Bastogne into a ring of frozen foxholes and gun positions. This episode walks through the encirclement, the “Nuts” reply to a surrender demand, and the life-or-death importance of a single road junction in the Ardennes. Headline Wednesday is the Wednesday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, and the series is developed by Trackpads.com.

From rushed truck convoys leaving rest camps in France to the hard fighting at Noville, Foy, and the other villages around Bastogne, you will hear how a patchwork force held the line. The episode traces the tightening German ring, the brutal winter conditions, the air drops that kept the garrison alive, and the armored relief that finally punched through from the south. Along the way, it highlights tactical choices on both sides and the wider impact of saving the town’s road net on the Battle of the Bulge as a whole. Use it as a clear, narrative refresher for your own reading, study plans, or staff ride preparations.