NO HOME FOR HEROES

TODAY'S EPISODE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN TITLED “WHEN IS A SLAM DUNK NOT A SLAM DUNK”? OR : “NOTHING IS EASY WHEN IT COMES TO RETURNING OUR MIA'S TO THEIR FAMILIES?Listen to a litany of clues that should have resulted in the identification and return home of a Marine lost in World War II many decades ago.See if you agree with the conclusion that there is no reason why Jack can't come home...finally.

CAN A SNIPPET FROM A 78 YEAR OLD NEWSPAPER ARTICLE HELP SOLVE THE CASE OF A MISSING MARINE THAT HAS BAFFLED INVESTIGATORS FOR DECADES? IS IT THE BREAK IN THE CASE THAT ALL INVESTIGATORS DREAM ABOUT?Today's case on No Home for Heroes is holds a clue that has baffled us for years. The clue should have been a great lead in a tough case but has turned out to be a big giant dead end for almost 80 years for every investigator who has ever worked the case of Unknown X-37.HAVE WE FINALLY SOLVED THE SECRET? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT...

Perhaps a case only Jack Webb from the old TV series "DRAGNET" could solve. An airplane designed to transport nuclear weapons crashes in Alaska in 1952 with 52 souls on board, according to the official flight manifest. The crash site is lost for 60 sixty years and when finally found, the airplane has moved 14 miles and an ID card is found for someone who is NOT supposed to be on the airplane! This is just one of several strange twists to this latest of "History's Military Mysteries" on NO HOME FOR HEROES.

TODAY'S EPISODE OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS AN INCREDIBLE TALE OF PERSEVERANCE AND PERSISTENCE IN THE FACE OF A SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE TASK.WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU THAT SOMETHING IS IMPOSSIBLE? THAT IT “CAN'T” BE DONE? OR BETTER YET, WHEN YOUR EMPLOYER INSISTS THAT YOU SHOULD NOT PUT MUCH EFFORT INTO YOUR JOB BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN THE ASSIGNED TASK?ULTIMATELY SEVERAL GROUPS OF PEOPLE WORKED TOGETHER TO "SOLVE THE UNSOLVABLE CASE"...AND ANOTHER AMERICAN HERO WAS BROUGHT HOME!

FOR OVER SEVENTY YEARS THE REMAINS OF A MISSING AMERICAN SAILOR LAY IN A GRAVE MARKED ONLY WITH A HEADSTONE THAT READ “UNKNOWN."BUT FOR OVER SEVENTY YEARS, EVERYONE OVERLOOKED A SMALL, ONE INCH BRONZE MEDALLION THAT IS LIKELY THE CLUE TO IDENTIFYING THIS HERO AND RETURNING HIM HOME TO HIS FAMILY.STAY TUNED FOR AN INCREDIBLE TALE ABOUT SOLVING ONE OF PEARL HARBOR'S MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES.

IN TODAY'S EPISODE, WE WILL STUFF YOU INTO A TINY CRAMPED AND CLAUSTROPHOBIC COMPARTMENT ABOARD A NAVY TORPEDO BOMBER. YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED AS THE RADIO OPERATOR AND REAR GUNNER OF A TBM AVENGER IN THE SKIES ABOVE A HISTORIC WORLD WAR TWO BATTLE IN THE PACIFIC. THIS EPISODE WILL GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT OVER WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO DEPEND ON TWO OTHER CREWMEN FOR YOUR VERY SURVIVAL IN THE MIDST OF FIRE AND CHAOS. HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO REMEMBER AND HONOR A HOMETOWN HERO YOU HAVE PROBABLY FORGOTTEN WAS LOST ..“SOMEWHERE OVER SAIPAN"

We start today's episode with some questions for you to ponder...DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST LOVE? WERE YOU 14, OR 15, OR MAYBE A LITTLE OLDER? DESPITE WHAT HAPPENED LATER IN LIFE, WILL YOU ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR FIRST LOVE? TODAY'S EPISODE IS ABOUT ONE SUCH LOVE BY TWO TEEAGERS WHO GREW UP ON TWO DIFFERENT CONTINENTS, INTERRUPTED BY A WORLD WAR AND A LOVE NEVER TO BE FULFILLED. Today's episode details the case of 19 year old Private First Class Harry Cronkhite of State Line, Illinois and even when he was declared missing and later dead, his first love refused to give up the search until the day she died 65 years later.

THE HERO IN TODAY'S EPISODE WAS AWARDED THE NAVY CROSS MEDAL FOR HIS ACTIONS IN THE SKIES OVER EUROPE BUT HE NEVER KNEW OF THE AWARD. HE SURVIVED INCREDIBLE ODDS IN EUROPE TO RETURN TO DUTY MONTH'S LATER IN THE PACIFIC AIR CAMPAIGN AGAINST JAPAN BUT STRANGELY DISAPPEARED ON A ROUTINE FLIGHT SURROUNDED BY THREE SQUADRON MATES IN A CLEAR AND CALM SEA SKY.  

THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING OUR PODCASTS FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS KNOW THAT WE OFTEN FEATURE STORIES ABOUT THE MISSING MARINES AND AIRMEN FROM THE BATTLE OF TARAWA. WE THOUGHT TODAY MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO UPDATE YOU ALL ON THE STATUS OF THOSE MIA INVESTIGATIONS IN ADDITION TO PRESENTING AN EPISODE ABOUT ONE OF THOSE MARINES WHO ARE STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR…SGT JOHN TERRY BRACKEEN FROM TIPTON, OKLAHOMA.

TODAY'S EPISODE IS THE TRUE TALE OF A REAL PRIVATE RYAN, NOT A MOVIE ACTOR…PRIVATE KENNETH JOHN RYAN FROM ARIZONA WHO WAS A MEMBER OF M COMPANY, THIRD BATTALION, SECOND MARINES. SADLY, NOTHING WE CAN DO WILL “SAVE” THE REAL PRIVATE RYAN FROM HIS FATE ON A LONG FORGOTTEN PACIFIC BEACHHEAD, BUT OUR MISSION AT THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION IS TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION WE HAVE LEARNED TO PRIVATE RYAN'S FAMILY AND, IF POSSIBLE, HELP FIND HIS REMAINS FOR RECOVERY, IDENTIFICATION, AND RETURN HOME TO HIS FAMILY AFTER BEING MISSING FOR OVER 78 YEARS.

IN THE FINAL COUNT, THERE WOULD BE ONLY 316 SURVIVORS OF THE SINKING OF THE USS INDIANAPOLIS WHO ENDURED LONG HOURS IN THE CRUEL OCEAN WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER AND SWARMS OF HUNGRY SHARKS. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER 879 LOST SAILORS AND HOW THEY DIED BECAME ONE OF HISTORY'S GREATEST SERIES OF MILITARY MYSTERIES. TODAY'S EPISODE IS THE TALE OF JUST ONE OF THOSE MYSTERIES AND IT HAS MORE CLUES, FALSE LEADS, AND DEAD END ALLEYS TO KEEP THE MOST ARDENT SHERLOCK HOLMES FANS SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS

THE DICTIONARY DEFINES A SNAFU AS “a situation marked by errors or confusion.” SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE, BUT MULTIPLE SNAFU'S CONSPIRE TOGETHER TO PREVENT A LOST MARINE FROM BEING IDENTIFIED FOR ALMOST 80 YEARS? MANY OF YOU MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE MILITARY ACRONYM “SNAFU”. SNAFU is an acronym that is widely used to stand for the sarcastic expression:  Situation Normal: All FOULED Up.  SINCE THIS IS A FAMILY APPROVED PODCAST I HAVE UTILIZED “FOULED” FOR A MORE WIDELY USED WORD IN THE MILITARY THAT STARTS WITH the letter “F”. The acronym is believed to have originated in the United States Marine Corps during World War Two AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHERE TODAY'S EPISODE TAKES US. STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT HOW PERSISTENCE FINALLY CONQUERING THE SNAFU MONSTER.

TODAY WHEN WE SAY “FLIGHT 19” IN THE SAME SENTENCE WITH “THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE”, JUST ABOUT EVERYONE HAS SOME KNOWLEDGE OF THE STORY…IT USUALLY GOES LIKE THIS…”A BUNCH OF AIRPLANES VANISHED AFTER BEING ABDUCTED BY SPACE ALIENS…OR EATEN BY SEA MONSTERS…OR FLEW INTO A TIME WARP…OR, WELL, JUST RAN OUT OF GAS AND CRASHED INTO THE SEA.” WHAT MOST SEEM TO OVERLOOK IS THAT THERE WERE 14 AMERICAN SERVICEMEN ON THOSE “BUNCH OF PLANES” WHO ARE THE REAL STORY. IN TODAY'S EPISODE, WE PICKED ONE OF THOSE HEROES WHOSE FINAL FLIGHT INTO OBLIVION WAS NOT AT ALL A FATE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREDICTED.

PFC RICHARD COURTLEIGH WAS THE HANDSOME SON OF A RENOWNED ACTOR AND A BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS WHO WAS DESTINED IN HIS OWN RIGHT FOR STARDOM IN HOLLYWOOD. WORLD WAR TWO INTERVENED AND PFC COURTLEIGH WAS LOST TO HISTORY ON AN OBSCURE SOUTH PACIFIC ISLAND IN 1943. HIS BODY HAS NEVER BEEN RECOVERED AND IDENTIFIED. WILL AN ENORMOUS PAIR OF SHOES BE THE ONE CLUE THAT BRINGS PFC COURTLEIGH HOME AFTER ALL THESE YEARS?

SEAMAN 1ST CLASS GEORGE STANLEY ABBOTT WAS A CREW MEMBER OF THE ILL FATED NAVY CRUISER USS INDIANAPOLIS WHEN IT WAS SUNK BY A JAPANESE SUBMARINE IN THE PHILIPPINE SEA DURING THE CLOSING MONTHS OF WORLD WAR 2. HE WAS PRESUMED LOST AT SEA AND IS OFFICIALLY LISTED AS “UNACCOUNTED FOR” UNTIL THIS VERY DAY. BUT HE WAS NOT LOST AT SEA…HE WAS FOUND…AND A QUEST FOR CLOSURE FOR HIS FAMILY HAS TURNED INTO A CHRONICLE OF HIS HEROIC ACTIONS IN HIS FINAL MINUTES ON BOARD THE INDY.

  MARINE CORPS PFC RAYMOND MILTON STEPHENS WAS KILLED IN ACTION DURING WORLD WAR 2. HIS BODY WAS RECOVERED, IDENTIFIED, AND BURIED AFTER THE WAR IN THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC IN HONOLULU, HAWAII. BUT WHAT ONLY A VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW UNTIL TODAY'S PODCAST IS THAT PFC STEPHENS WAS NOT ALONE IN HIS COFFIN. HE HAD ANOTHER MARINE BURIED WITH HIM WHOSE IDENTIFY REMAINS A “BAFFLING MYSTERY.” WE DEDICATE THIS EPISODE TO OUR LOYAL LISTENERS IN SALEM, OREGON. STAY TUNED FOR AN EPISODE ABOUT ONE OF YOUR HOMETOWN HEROES THAT SHARED HIS HONOR EVEN AFTER HIS DEATH…ONE KNOWN AND ONE UNKNOWN…MAY GOD KEEP THEM BOTH IN HALLOWED GLORY.  

ANYONE WHO KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT WORLD WAR 2 NAVAL HISTORY IN THE PACIFIC HAS HEARD OF THE USS INDIANAPOLIS.  SUNK IN THE CLOSING DAYS OF THE WAR AND SO FORGOTTEN BY THE NAVY'S COMMAND STRUCTURE THAT NO ONE NOTICED THE SHIP WAS MISSING WHILE OVER 900 OF ITS CREW FOUGHT A DEADLY BATTLE WITH SHARKS IN THE DEEP PACIFIC WHILE AWAITING A RESCUE THAT SEEMED TO NEVER COME. EVEN IF YOU KNOW NOTHING OF HISTORY, THERE ARE ENOUGH MOVIES THAT CITE THE INDY STORY TO HAVE CAUGHT YOUR IMAGINATION…NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH ARE THE FAMOUS QUOTES ABOUT THE INDY'S CREW FIGHT WITH SWARMS OF SHARKS IN THE MOVIE “JAWS”. The CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION TOOK ON THE TASK TO INVESTIGATE twelve World War II mysteries of  as possible matches to deceased casualties that were previously recovered by United States naval forces, identified, and buried at sea in the aftermath of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific Ocean on 30 July 1945 but who are officially still listed as "Unaccounted For." TODAY'S EPISODE IS THE TALE OF SOLVING JUST ONE OF THOSE MYSTERIES.

IN 1992, AS THE POLICE CHIEF IN WICHITA, KANSAS, I SPENT A DAY WITH FORMER PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON AND HEARD THIS QUOTE “IF YOU CAN'T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT, WHO CAN YOU TRUST?” YES, THAT SAME RICHARD NIXON WHO HISTORY RECORDS AS THE ARCHITECT OF THE WATERGATE COVER-UP CONSPIRACY. IN THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR 2, AND LONG BEFORE WE CAME TO ROUTINELY QUESTION EVERYTHING THAT COMES OUT OF WASHINGTON, DC; MOST PEOPLE SIMPLY ACCEPTED WHATEVER THE GOVERNMENT CONCLUDED ABOUT JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING…INCLUDING IDENTIFYING OUR WAR DEAD. BUT TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO CALL INTO QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF THAT TRUST. CAPTAIN EDWARD GLENN WALKER, JR. WAS KILLED IN WORLD WAR 2 AND BURIED IN HIS HOMETOWN CEMETERY IN TENNESSEE...BUT NOW WE KNOW THAT THE PERSON BURIED IN CAPTAIN WALKER'S FAMILY PLOT WAS NOT CAPTAIN WALKER! STAY TUNED FOR THIS INCREDIBLE TALE FROM HISTORY'S MILITARY MYSTERIES!

IN JULY 1945, THE CRUISER USS INDIANAPOLIS DELIVERED THE ATOMIC BOMB COMPONENTS TO TINIAN ISLAND THAT WOULD SOON BE THE INSTRUMENT TO END WORLD WAR II. WITH A JOB WELL DONE (OR A “BRAVO ZULU” IN NAVY SPEAK) THE INDY SPED TOWARD HER NEXT ASSIGNMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES BEFORE THE BOMBS WERE DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI. SHE NEVER MADE IT. TWO TORPEDOES FROM A JAPANESE SUBMARINE SENT THE INDY TO THE BOTTOM IN FIFTEEN MINUTES AND 900 AMERICAN SAILORS SPILLED INTO A DARK OCEAN FULL OF SHARKS AND NO DISTRESS SIGNAL ACKNOWLEDGED. SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OUR PODCASTS OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” BEFORE AND SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW OF OUR FOUNDATION FOR OUR EFFORTS TO INVESTIGATE THE CASES OF OVER 500 MISSING AMERICAN SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN SINCE 2006. BUT HOW DO YOU INVESTIGATE CASES OF SAILORS WHO WERE LOST AT SEA? HOLD ON AND WE WILL TELL YOU ABOUT A VERY LITTLE KNOWN ASPECT OF THE INDY STORY THAT WILL ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR YOU.

WHEN TWO BROTHERS ENLISTED IN THE NAVY IN 1938, THEY WERE THE EPITOME OF THE CLOSE KNIT FAMILY. THEY WERE SO CLOSE, THAT THE NAVY GAVE THEM SEQUENTIAL SERVICE NUMBERS...QUITE A RARITY FOR THE TIMES. AND THEN THE NAVY WENT ONE STEP FARTHER WHEN IT ASSIGNED BOTH BROTHERS TO THE SAME SHIP…THE ILL FATED USS WEST VIRGINIA SOON TO BE HOMEPORTED IN PEARL HARBOR HAWAII. ONE BROTHER WOULD SURVIVE THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON DECEMBER 7, 1941 AND THE SINKING OF THE USS WEST VIRGINIA…AND ONE BROTHER WOULD BE FIRST LISTED BY THE NAVY AS LOST, AND THEN ALIVE AND WELL, AND THEN MISSING, AND FINALLY KILLED IN ACTION ... BUT NEVER FOUND. BUT DON’T WORRY, THIS STORY IS GOING TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDING THANKS TO SOME PLAIN OLD FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK!

TODAY’S STORY FEATURES THE SON OF A POLICE OFFICER BORN IN A SMALL COMMUNITY IN OKLAHOMA WHICH WAS SO SMALL THAT IT NO LONGER EXISTS. OUR HERO JOINED THE MARINES BEFORE WORLD WAR TWO TO SEE THE WORLD AND BOY, DID HE, AT LEAST UNTIL HE DISAPPEARED IN A SOUTH PACIFIC BATTLE ALONG WITH OVER 500 OF HIS FELLOW MARINES. IF YOU KNOW WHERE CLOUD CHIEF, OKLAHOMA IS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND…HMMM…I DON’T SEE ANYBODY WAVING THEIR ARMS. THAT’S REALLY NOT SURPRISING BECAUSE, CLOUD CHIEF, OKLAHOMA IS NO LONGER A RECOGNIZED TOWN…IT EVEN LOST ITS POST OFFICE IN 1964. BUT TODAY, WE RECOGNIZE PROBABLY IT’S MOST HEROIC AND FORGOTTEN SON…SGT CLYDE CLAYTON MITCHELL BORN IN CLOUD CHIEF ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1916. Clyde's father, Walter D. Mitchell, was employed as a Oklahoma State Highway Patrolman before he died in 1937 when Clyde was 21 years old. BUT, AS YOU WILL SEE LATER ON IN THE EPISODE, THE FATHER MAY STILL HOLD THE CLUE TO SOLVING CLYDE'S DISAPPEARANCE.

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.

STAY TUNED FOR EPISODE 45 OF "NO HOME FOR HEROES" WHILE WE TELL YOU ABOUT A MISSING MARINE WHOSE CASE WAS SOLVED USING THE TINIEST OF CLUES ONLY GRUDGINGLY OBTAINED FROM THE GOVERNMENT BY USE OF A FEDERAL LAWSUIT AND ONE WHERE THE SOLUTION PROVED TO UNRAVEL NOT JUST ONE BUT TWO OF HISTORY’S MILITARY MYSTERIES. THE CASE IS PERHAPS THE MOST STUNNING VALIDATION TO DATE OF THE INVESTIGATIVE WORK DONE BY THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INTO FINDING MISSING AMERICAN SERVICE MEN AND MISSING AMERICAN SERVICE WOMEN.

WORLD WAR ONE ENDED IN AN ARMISTICE ON THE ELEVENTH HOUR OF THE ELEVENTH DAY OF THE ELEVENTH MONTH OF 1918. EXACTLY ONE YEAR LATER, THE WAR'S END INSPIRED THE CREATION OF VETERAN'S DAY ON NOVEMBER 11, 1919. TODAY'S EPISODE IF OUR SPECIAL 2019 TRIBUTE TO VETERAN'S DAY.  STAY TUNED TO EPISODE 44 OF "NO HOME FOR HEROES" WHILE WE TELL YOU ABOUT A YOUNG MAN WHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO BUT WHO IS STILL REMEMBERED IN HIS SMALL HOMETOWN OF DERIDDER, LOUISIANA, POPULATION 10,578.    

  EPISODE 43 OF "NO HOME FOR HEROES" IS A SPECIAL STORY ABOUT ONE OF THE 27 NAVY CORPSMEN WHO WERE KILLED IN ACTION DURING THE BATTLE OF TARAWA IN 1943.  STAY TUNED WHILE WE TELL YOU ABOUT A LITTLE KNOWN GROUP OF MEN WHO WERE NOT WARRIORS BUT WHO WENT IN HARMS WAY TO SAVE THE LIVES OF THEIR MARINE BUDDIES…AND ONE CORPSMAN IN PARTICULAR WHO DIDN’T COME HOME TO TEXAS AFTER THE WAR.  A VERY SPECIAL HERO INDEED!  

THIS EPISODE GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO DIVE RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF AN ACTIVE MIA CASE INVESTIGATION THAT IS FAR, FAR  FROM COMPLETE…POLISH YOUR MAGNIFYING GLASS, PUT ON YOUR SHERLOCK HOLMES HAT AND FILL YOUR PIPE AS YOU PONDER QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERS.  WHO KNOWS?  YOUR INSIGHT MAY HELP SOLVE A 76 YEAR OLD MYSTERY AND BRING ONE OR MORE MISSING AMERICAN HEROES HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES.

STAY TUNED WHILE WE TELL YOU AN INCREDIBLE TALE ABOUT A MISSING MARINE WHO, DESPITE BEING FOUND FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES, TODAY STILL REMAINS ON THE LIST OF THOSE AMERICAN HEROES MISSING IN ACTION FROM WORLD WAR TWO.

STAY TUNED FOR EPISODE 40 OF "NO HOME FOR HEROES" WHILE WE TELL YOU WHAT ATOMIC BOMBS, MISSING JEWELS, A HOLLYWOOD STAR, AND A GHOST’S IDENTIFICATION CARD HAVE TO DO WITH AN AIRPLANE BURIED IN A GLACIER FOR OVER 60 YEARS WITH 52 MISSING SERVICEMEN ON BOARD. IT IS GUARANTEED TO BE A REAL "TWILIGHT ZONE" JOURNEY INTO “FINDING OLD SHAKY”.

PART ONE OF EPISODE 39 OF “NO HOME FOR HEROES” IS PERHAPS OUR ALL-TIME WINNER IN THE “TWLIGHT ZONE” CATEGORY. RARELY DO WE INVESTIGATE ONE OF HISTORY’S MILITARY MYSTERIES THAT CONTAINS SO MANY BIZARRE COINCIDENCES AND ODD HEAD SCRATCHERS THAT WE HAVE TO NUMBER THEM JUST TO KEEP ALL THE STRANGE FACTS STRAIGHT. WHAT DO ATOMIC BOMBS, MISSING JEWELS, A HOLLYWOOD STAR, A FAMOUS POLITICIAN'S RELATIVE, AND A GHOST’S ID CARD HAVE IN COMMON? STAY TUNED WHILE WE TELL YOU ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE CASES WE HAVE EVER INVESTIGATED. AN AIRPLANE BURIED IN A GLACIER FOR OVER 60 YEARS WITH 52 MISSING SERVICEMEN ON BOARD AND ENOUGH MYSTERIES TO FILL A NOVEL.

SOMETIMES THE CHIEF RICK STONE AND FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION RECEIVES THE STRANGEST AND SIMPLIEST REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE FROM THE FAMILIES OF MIA’S, BUT EPISODE 38 IS REALLY IN A CATEGORY OF ITS OWN. THINK ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED WHEN YOU ARE GONE? A NICE GUY PERHAPS? MAYBE A GOOD WIFE AND MOTHER? AN AMERICAN HERO?…NOT A BAD EPITAPH. WELL, HOW ABOUT A GIRLFRIEND FROM 70 YEARS AGO WHO REMEMBERS YOU AS “THE LOVE OF MY LIFE?" STAY TUNED WHILE WE TELL YOU ABOUT THE LEGACY LEFT BEHIND BY ONE OF OUR AMERICAN MIA HEROES THAT WAS REMEMBERED BY OVER SEVENTY YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH.

SOMETIMES THE MOST MUNDANE ITEMS LEFT BEHIND AT THE SCENE CAN SOLVE A MYSTERY.  A PARKING TICKET SOLVED THE SON OF SAM MURDERS.  A DISCARDED CIGARETTE BUTT HAS BEEN THE KEY CLUE TO MANY DNA IDENTIFICATIONS OF CRIMINAL SUSPECTS.  AND IN TODAY'S EPISODE WE ARE GOING TO TAKE AN OFFICER’S UNIFORM CAP AND ADD IT TO MODERN FORENSIC INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES TO SOLVE A MILITARY MYSTERY THAT HAS BAFFLED THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR ALMOST 78 YEARS.   SO SIT BACK, RELAX, PUT YOUR FEET UP AND, YES, EVEN TILT YOUR CAP BACK ON YOUR HEAD AS WE TAKE A MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR THROUGH TIME  ON “NO HOME FOR HEROES”.  IT IS OUR MISSION TODAY TO HOPEFULLY BRING CLOSURE TO AN ENDURING MYSTERY FROM THE DARK DAYS AFTER THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR IN 1941.

IN EPISODE 36 WE WILL LEARN ABOUT A YOUNG ALABAMA BOY WHO LEFT THE FARM DURING WORLD WAR 2 TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY. WHEN HE ENLISTED IN THE MARINE CORPS, PRIVATE WILLIAM FRANKLIN COWART HAD PROBABLY NEVER BEEN FARTHER FROM HOME THAN MISSISSIPPI. BUT, IN A FAR AWAY LAND, HE BECAME A MAN, A HUSBAND, A FATHER, A HERO…AND A MIA. STAY TUNED WHILE WE TELL YOU ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE TALE OF LOVE AND LOSS THAT CONTINUES TO THIS VERY DAY ON “NO HOME FOR HEROES.”