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True American Heroes

By: SuperTalk Mississippi
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  • Summary

  • The stories of America's true heroes in their own words. Each episode of the podcast revolves around the direct testimony of a veteran. This collection of stories provides an incredible portrait of the veteran experience in service of America. Hosted by Jack Rutland. This show is a production of WRQO - SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
    2024
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Episodes
  • WW2 Paratrooper Richard Weaver, Part 2: Push Into Germany

    WW2 Paratrooper Richard Weaver, Part 2: Push Into Germany
    Jun 21 2024
    During World War II, the 17th Airborne Division earned more Medals of Honor than any other airborne division and sustained casualties nearly double the daily combat average of the other airborne divisions. In the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge, the troopers of the 17th entered combat in waist-high snow with poor intelligence and inadequate artillery support, facing two German panzer armies in a bloody combat on a narrow, high-rimmed road known as Dead Man's Ridge. In early March 1945, the division participated in Operation Varsity, the last airborne operation of the war, executing a daylight jump into the Ruhr heartland, across the Rhine River.
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    24 mins
  • WW2 Paratrooper Richard Weaver, Part 1: From Gettysburg to The Battle of the Bulge

    WW2 Paratrooper Richard Weaver, Part 1: From Gettysburg to The Battle of the Bulge
    Jun 20 2024
    The local draft board told Richard Weaver it might be six or seven months before he was inducted to serve in World War II, but the 18-year-old enlisted right away along with his buddies from Delone Catholic High School. Weaver, now 98, who grew up and still resides in Bonneauville, was the star of this past weekend’s annual meeting of the Scions of the 17th Airborne. The organization was founded by family members and descendants of the men who served in the famed division. The 17th fought in the Battle of the Bulge and its members landed by parachute and unpowered glider in Operation Varsity, the largest airborne assault in history. Weaver is one of 23 known living veterans of the division, said his son-in-law Dennis Neal, who is chair of the Scions Membership and Marketing Committee. Operation Varsity was essentially “the end of the war” for the Germans, Weaver said Friday, 78 years to the day after it happened. The engine-less gliders, whose landings he described as “a controlled crash,” were not the soldiers’ favored option. “I’m not flying in one of those,” Weaver had said at the time, but his captain thought otherwise. “I could have had my ticket punched 20 times in one day, but I’m still here,” Weaver said of his three years of service in Europe. Weaver recounted numerous memories of the time when he and his compatriots “kept taking town after town back from the Germans.” Weaver, a technical sergeant attached to the division’s headquarters, once found himself among several officers at Haltern, Germany, including Maj. Gen. William Miley, the airborne strategy innovator who led the 17th. The general was on the phone. He hung up and said, “Gentlemen, I think we’d better go in the basement now.” Within moments, a shell destroyed the back half of the building, he said. The next shell took out some trees and a couple of jeeps. The next “hit right where we were standing five minutes before. I’ve never heard such a noise in my life,” Weaver said. “I never thanked my general for saving my life” until last fall, when Weaver made it a point to visit Miley’s grave in Mississippi. Weaver’s story about Miley was recounted during a ceremony to dedicate a memorial to the general at the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, N.C., said the Scions’ secretary, Ed Siergiej. Weaver visited the grave with Neal and his daughter, Eileen Neal, who live near the site. Eileen is one of the 11 children Weaver had with his wife Jeanne. She wrote in his high school yearbook that she hoped to marry and have a dozen children. “I told her I was the man for the job,” he said. The couple also reared two foster children. “When you’ve got so many, what’s a couple more?” Weaver said. Weaver supported the family by working as a plasterer. He worked in many local homes, including that of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower. Weaver said he has attended four reunions, including one in Belgium and Germany, hosted by the Scions, who work to preserve and honor the memory of the 17th’s contributions to Allied victory.
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    22 mins
  • Jerry Rein, Marine at the "Frozen Chosin" in Korea

    Jerry Rein, Marine at the "Frozen Chosin" in Korea
    May 23 2024
    As a 19-year-old, Frederick Joseph “Jerry” Rein fought in the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, an epic battle often referred to as the “Frozen Chosin” due to extreme frigid temperatures. Frederick Joseph “Jerry” Rein, was born on January 25, 1931, in Meridian, MS. He passed away at the age of 90 on February 13, 2021, in Madison, MS. While a student at Meridian High School, Jerry held several jobs including working at First National Bank in Meridian, which began a long and enjoyable career in the banking industry. Upon graduation from high school, Jerry enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the First Marine Division, Chief of Staff Section, during the Korean War. Upon completion of his service in the Marine Corps, Jerry returned to Meridian to marry his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Nell Young Rein, and to continue his education. While working at First National Bank in Meridian, he graduated from Meridian Junior College and completed his BS degree from State Teachers College in Livingston, AL (University of West Alabama). In 1963, the Reins moved to Brookhaven, MS, where Jerry continued his career with Brookhaven Bank and Trust Company. Jerry took great pleasure is finding ways to help his customers achieve their financial goals. During his career, he was responsible for a number of advancements in the local market including the introduction of main frame computer systems and ATMs. Rein retired in 1993 as Executive Vice President of Trustmark National Bank, the successor of Brookhaven Bank, and remained on the Advisory Board for many years. Subscribe to our free email newsletter Get the latest news sent to your inbox Rein was a graduate of the School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University and completed the Commercial Bank Management program at Columbia University and the Senior Bank Officers Management program at Harvard University. Jerry served as president of the following organizations in Brookhaven: Junior Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Brookhaven/Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, United Fund of Lincoln County, and the Saint Francis School Board. He also served as treasurer of the Lincoln County March of Dimes and the Lincoln County Red Cross. He formerly served on the Zoning Committee for the City of Brookhaven and on the Bank Operations Automation Committee for the Independent Bankers Association of America (IBAA). He was also a member of the Mississippi Bankers’ Association and was recognized for 50 years of service to the industry in 2001. Rein served two terms as Mississippi Executive Councilman on the Board of the Independent Bankers Association of America and two terms as State Director of the Louisiana-Alabama-Mississippi Automated Clearing House Association. He served as President of the Krewe of Ceres in 1988 and was King of the Krewe in 1992. Rein was appointed in 1995 by Governor Fordice to the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Home Corporation, where he served two terms. He was a member and past treasurer of Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. While he had many accomplishments, Jerry’s pride and joy was his family. He eagerly followed their activities and supported them in every way imaginable. Jerry’s deep love, concern and wise counsel will remain an inspiration. Jerry is survived by his son, F. Joseph “Joey” Rein, Jr., daughter-in-law Alice Watkins Rein, and grandsons William Joseph Rein and Richard Watkins Rein. Preceding him in death were his parents, Clarence and Ethel Rein, brothers Clarence Richard “Dick” Rein, Jr., and John Ready Rein, and his dear wife of 46 years, Nell Young Rein.
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    17 mins
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