One Soldier Canadian History Podcast

In this episode host Russell Hillier is joined by historian and author Christopher Klein to talk about the Fenian raids and his book "When the Irish Invaded Canada."   When The Irish Invaded Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/When-Irish-Invaded-Canada-Incredible/dp/0385542607/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GLFH6GF1IXIB&dchild=1&keywords=when+the+irish+invaded+canada&qid=1626358732&sprefix=when+the+irish%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-1   The One Soldier Podcast studies military history from Canada and around the world, by talking to authors and veterans about their experiences, books and memoirs.

Are the Riders of Rohan akin to Vikings on horseback, or are they Anglo-Saxons? Is the battle at Minas Tirith analogous to the Ottoman siege of Vienna? Who are the Orcs in our own lives? In this episode, host Russell Hillier is joined by Professor of Religious Studies Gerard McLarney, to learn about the myths, war and lessons of Lord Of The Rings.  

In this episode, host Russell Hillier is joined by John Van Zyl, veteran of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and creator of the Fighting Men of Rhodesia Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDfQx5rjmSc&t=6sJohn talks about growing up in Colonial Africa, the Rhodesian Bush War and what it's like to lose your country.Backgroundin the 1960's Rhodesia was a prosperous country, with high employment, a strong currency and little crime. Ten years later and it was all gone. By 1980, Rhodesia had vanished off the map. History is a demanding teacher and the lesson is that things can fall apart quickly, regardless of what country you call home.  

In this episode, host Russell Hillier examines the 1885 Metis Rebellion and the battle of Cut Knife Hill through the diary of Lieutenant R.S. Cassels.Cassels chronicles the actions of Toronto's Queens Own Rifles, as they embark for war and engage Cree warriors throughout the Saskatchewan prairie in the last of the great North American "Indian Wars."

In this episode, host Russell Hillier is joined by Paul Hinman, two time Alberta MLA and current leader of the Wildrose Independence Party. Paul Hinman joined the podcast to talk about pandemic lockdowns, the fight against globalism and the need for Alberta to cut ties with the rest of Canada. You can follow Paul Hinman on twitter @PaulHinmanWIPA

In this episode, host Russell Hillier is joined by Chuck Prodonick, veteran of Bosnia, Kosovo and the Afghan war.Chuck joined the podcast to talk about hunting Taliban in Kandahar province and shares some behind the scenes stories during the making of "The Bards of War" documentary. You can follow Chuck on twitter: @DeplorableNorth

In this episode, host Russell Hillier is joined by best-selling author and veteran of the South African Border War, Granger Korff.In the early 1980's Granger Korff joined the elite South African Paratroopers, as they battled Soviet and Cuban-backed forces throughout Angola and Namibia.Granger's book titled 19 With a Bullet, chronicles his life growing up in South Africa and the brutal war the raged along the country's borderland throughout the 1980's. Order your copy of 19 With a Bullet: https://www.amazon.ca/19-Bullet-African-Paratrooper-Angola/dp/1920143319

In this episode, host Russell Hillier is joined by author, veteran of the Canadian Airborne Regiment and bank robber, Darnell Bass. It's been twenty years since its disbandment in the wake of the ill-fated mission to Somalia and yet the legend and mythos of the Canadian Airborne Regiment is still with us. Ask any soldier about the maroon beret, and you're bound to get a passionate response. Host Russell Hillier joined Darnell Bass to hear about his journey from paratrooper, to armed bank robber, in this no-holds-barred discussion. Find Darnell's Book, "What Manner of Man," here: https://www.amazon.ca/What-Manner-Man-Canadian-Airborne/dp/1897113390The One Soldier Podcast studies military history from Canada and around the world, by talking to authors and veterans about their experiences, books and memoirs.

In this episode, host Russell Hillier talks to William Ray, veteran of the battle of the Medak Pocket.In 1993, Canadian peace-keepers were sent to the Medak Pocket, with the goal of protecting Serbian civilians from a planned Croatian offensive. What happened next was an intense battle between Canadian and Croat forces. Medak Pocket was Canada's largest battle in the decades between the Korean War and Afghanistan. Yet instead of being thanked for their courage, veterans of the battle were told not to talk about it. As far as the government was concerned, the battle never happened. The One Soldier Podcast studies military history from Canada and around the world, by talking to authors and veterans about their experiences, books and memoirs. 

Host Russell Hillier sits down with his brother Dillon and Master Sniper, Best-Selling author and former Ottawa City Councilor, Jody Mitic. In this episode we're talking about the War in Afghanistan, record-setting sniper kills and dirty politics in the nation's capitol.Get your copy of Jody's book here: https://www.amazon.ca/Unflinching-Making-Canadian-Jody-Mitic/dp/1476795118/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=unflinching&qid=1597067271&sr=8-1The One Soldier Podcast studies military history from Canada and around the world, by talking to authors and veterans about their experiences, books and memoirs. 

In this episode, host Russell Hillier talks to author Robin Speer, about which wine pairs best with phosgene gas; why men don't read and Robin's new book titled, Saint Lazarus Day and Other Stories.  Get your own copy of Robin Speer's book here: https://www.amazon.ca/Saint-Lazarus-Day-Other-Stories-ebook/dp/B086Q6X3G8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=saint+lazarus+day&qid=1595457423&sr=8-1

There’s probably no other military unit shrouded in so much legend, myth and even notoriety as the French Foreign Legion. But a new book by Canadian author Joel Struthers, called Appel: A Canadian in the French Foreign Legion, cuts through a lot of the many misconceptions by giving a clear, no BS account of what it's like to wear the uniform of this storied unit.To get your own copy of the book and to support Joel Struthers PTSD awareness initiative, check out his website www.legionengineered.com  

There's no justice, like frontier mob justice.In this episode, author Keith Leckie joins host Russell Hillier to talk about his book, Cursed: Blood of the Donnelly's, a novel about the most infamous family in Canadian history.The Historical BackgroundFor years, every barn-burning, horse theft and murder in the pioneer town of Lucan, was blamed on the Donnelly clan. Then on the night of February 3, 1880, a vigilante mob of local citizens converged on the Donnelly farmstead, armed with clubs, guns and pitchforks. They massacred every family member they could find, then made their way to a second farmstead and shot-dead another Donnelly brother as he opened the door.There were witnesses to the killings, yet not a single man was convicted of the crime.Were the Donnelly's lambs at the slaughter, or did they have it coming?

General George Armstrong Custer.The name alone symbolizes the American frontier and has become synonymous with military disaster. In this podcast episode, historian and best-selling author James Donovan, joins host Russell Hillier to talk about his book “A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Big Horn,” and what happened on that fateful day in June 1876, when American forces were massacred by Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. Historical BackgroundGeneral George Armstrong Custer quickly rose through the ranks of the Civil War United States army. He led from the front and his men loved him. There was this thing called “Custer’s Luck,” because he always seemed to make the right snap-decisions on the battlefield and he never lost.This luck came to end on the banks of the Little Big Horn River in June 1876, when Custer and 210 of his men were massacred by Sioux and Cheyenne Warriors from Chief Sitting Bull’s tribe.There were no survivors and the “last stand” has been immortalized ever since.But was Custer a victim of his own success-driven ego, or was he stabbed in the back by subordinates who wanted to see the famed General humbled?

In this episode, scientist and author Rachel Lance, joins Russell Hillier to share the story of how she solved the mystery of the H.L Hunley, the world’s first successful submarine that sank over 130 years ago during the height of the American Civil War. Historical BackgroundFebruary 1864, Charleston Harbour:There were rumours of course.Men on board Union warships blockading Charleston Harbour had heard about this new contraption of war. This enemy ship that sailed unseen and under the waves. This submarine.When the Hunley submarine launched its attack on the night of February 17, 1864, some onboard the USS Housatonic thought it was a log carried out on the tide. Others guessed right and tried to lower the angle of the ship’s cannons and when that failed, they began using musket fire to drive off the partially submerged enemy ship. All to no avail.The blast from the first ever successful submarine attack sunk the Housatonic in less than five minutes. Men clutching to Housatonic’s rigging thought they saw the enemy submarine go down as well.Thus began the mystery of just what exactly happened to Hunley submarine.Was the submarine destroyed in the blast?Did a “lucky shot” from a sailor’s musket punch a hole through the iron body?Or was it something else entirely.Rachel Lance, scientist and author of “In the Waves: My Quest to Solve the Mystery of a Civil War Submarine,” has answered the question: why did the Hunley submarine sink. Listen in to find out about the research that went into solving the mystery of the Hunley submarine. 

In this episode, host Russell Hillier is joined by best-selling author and veteran of the Rhodesian Bush War, Tim Bax.For ten years, Tim Bax fought against the tide of infiltrating ZANLA and FRELIMO terrorists throughout Rhodesia and Mozambique, as part of the legendary Rhodesian Light Infantry and Selous Scouts. His life growing up in Africa and Canada, as well as his war-time experiences are captured in the book “Three Sips of Gin.”Tim joined the podcast from his home in Orlando to share his thoughts about writing, as well as the lessons from Africa that can be applied to the modern battlefield.BackgroundIn the 1960’s and 1970’s Rhodesia was Africa’s wealthiest nation, with a robust agricultural sector, strong currency and a capitol city that boasted fancy restaurants, Jaguar cars and high-end clubs.By 1980, it was all gone.Although the Rhodesian Light Infantry and Selous Scouts never lost a battle, they still lost the war. After years of economic sanctions and with their rifles and ammunition supplies spent, Rhodesia capitulated. The new country called Zimbabwe would soon be on the path to hell, with Robert Mugabe as its leader.

Remember in history class when you read about the drunken Irish mob that tried to invade Canada? It gets about half a page in most high-school history textbooks and like so much of the official historical narrative in this country, there's more to the story.In this podcast episode, host Russell Hillier talks to historian and author, Peter Vronsky, about his book Ridgeway: The History of Canada, and gets to the bloody truth about the Fenian invasions.Far from being a drunken mob, the Fenians who invaded Canada in 1866 were hardened veterans of the American Civil War and they bested Upper Canada on the field of battle. Imagine in the year 2020, a thousand American veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, armed with the latest military technology, crossed into Canada. Think of the panic and confusion resulting from such a move. This is precisely what happened in 1866, as 1000 Fenian veterans from the Civil War crossed the Niagara frontier, with the goal of capturing Canada and holding it hostage in exchange for Britain relinquishing control of Ireland.In hindsight, it seems like a crazy proposition and yet, the Fenians did land an army and completely routed the Canadian forces sent against them in the battle of Ridgeway.In this episode, we get into the Fenian strategy, the battle tactics and the reasons why this battle has been largely forgotten by Canadian history.

In this episode, host Russell Hillier speaks to retired Corporal Scott Casey about the Canadian peace-keeping mission to the former Yugoslavia and Bosnia. Scott Casey recounts the war-time atrocities witnessed during this mission and explains his journey into becoming a best-selling author. 

Host Russell Hillier reimagines the epic battle of Queenston Heights in 1812, with Confederate General Robert E. Lee taking the field against Sir Isaac Brock. Who would win in this clash of military giants?

Captain Robert Semrau’s military trial made international headlines—a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan arrested for allegedly killing a grievously wounded Taliban soldier in the field. For more than two years, Semrau faced an uncertain future that hinged on an incident blurred by the fog of war.In this episode, Robert Semrau join's hosts Russell and Dillon Hillier to talk about the war in Afghanistan, the state of Canadian literature and combat leadership. 

In the Canadian Civil War, it's Alberta cowboys and roughnecks against British Columbian hipsters and tree-huggers.Which province has what it takes to win this epic clash?

Could Louis Riel and the Metis have won the North-West Rebellion? Host Russell Hillier re-imagines the pivotal events of 1885 and arrives at an alternative ending for the last of the great, "Indian Wars."

Corporal Scott Casey's Ghostkeepers, is an account of the Canadian peace-keeping mission to the Balkans, in the early 1990's and serves as a brutal reminder that civilized society can fall apart quickly. 

Part Two of the national best-selling One Soldier: A Canadian Soldier's Fight Against the Islamic State. In 2014, Canadian veteran Dillon Hillier accompanied Kurdish forces as they battled against the Islamic State throughout northern Iraq. This podcast takes you to the front lines with the author, where you will hear the sounds of war and share in the experience of a soldier who was there. 

Part One of the national best-selling One Soldier: A Canadian Soldier's Fight Against the Islamic State. In 2014, Canadian veteran Dillon Hillier accompanied Kurdish forces as they battled against the Islamic State throughout northern Iraq.