The Last of the Greatest

On this week's episode, Gazette reporter Erin Prater sat down with Robert Brakley, an army combat engineer who has rolled with the punches for his entire life.

For this week's episode Gazette reporter Kate Shefte sat down with retired Army Colonel Paul Morin and his family for an interview on his 95th birthday in Colorado Springs on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. Paul enlisted in the Army at age 19 and spent two years in the Philippines.

For this week's episode, Gazette editor Vince Bzdek sat down with Linda Wilson-Madden to read some of the letters her father wrote while he was deployed and to share what she knew of her late father's service.

For this week's episode Gazette reporter Stephanie Earls sat down with 96-year-old, Tuskegee airman Frank Macon. A Colorado Springs native who grew up Pine Street. Frank loved to build things, learn how they worked and experiment, which often got him scolded by his aunts. From a young age he knew he wanted to be a pilot and took every opportunity he could to learn about airplanes. The war presented him with the opportunity to fly, but a week before graduating with his class of Tuskegee airmen he suffered an accident that would make him unable to fly for the Air Force or commercially ever again. Frank shared his story with us, but you can also read about his life in his book “I wanted to be a pilot” 

On this week's episode, Gazette reporter Amanda Hancock speaks with Donald Cole about his World War II experiences. Donald Cole was born and raised in Colorado. He's spent most of his life on a ranch in Colorado Springs, where his family homesteaded in 1929. They worked on the ranch every day from dusk to dawn. Donald was drafted into the Navy and spent 26 months in the service. When he got out, he returned to the land he was familiar with and has remained there.

On this week's episode, Gazette reporter Olivia Prentzel sat down with 96-year-old retired Buck Sergeant Ted Langowski to talk about his World War II experience. Ted wanted to enlist in the Marines but life took him in another direction. He eventually landed in the Army and served from 1944 to 1946.

For this week's episode Gazette reporting intern Jessica Snouwart and host Parker Seibold met with Bill Roche and JJ Inman at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs and talked to them about their experiences.

On this week's episode Gazette reporter Liz Henderson sat down with Carol Cook, the daughter of a World War II veteran that passed away in 1999 at age 76. What you just heard was a snippet of a letter her father sent her while he was serving during the Korean War. Carol's father, Don Baldwin, was a captain in the Army Air Corps and served in World War II from 1942 to 1945.

On this week's episode I spoke with Cole Griego who served as a Navy  Corpsman, a medic, during the Battle for Iwo Jima. After graduating high school in Belen, New Mexico, he moved to Seattle, but it wasn't long before the military called. 

On this week's episode, Gazette reporter Seth Boster talks with 96-year-old retired Army Air Corps Captain Douglas Palmer about his love of airplanes and how it led him to flying B-26 bombers and participating in 68 missions out of England during World War II. 

This is The Last of the Greatest, a podcast where we dive into the experiences and memories of the remaining World War II veterans in Colorado. On this week's episode, we honor five men, all living at the same senior living center near Colorado Springs, all connected by the war.