Podcasts about AA

After a wandering preamble I take a look at the new Napoleon movie, should historical movies try and be accurate? Where does the line end between artistic license and open culture war propaganda, or the rewriting of history? Does it ultimately matter? Which parts of Braveheart were untrue and was Napoleon really the dim witted, low energy simpering cuck that the movie portrays? my youtube channelhttps://youtu.be/dumRwP2Euos?si=36hbYJ4DHppu3kbQsupport the band sponsoring todays podcast! :Bandcamp: beithioch.bandcamp.com Instagram: @beithiochmusic support the show over athttp://www.patreon.com/AlanAverillsponsored byMetal Blade recordshttps://metalblade.indiemerch.com/promo code AA 2023 for 10% off your orderships worldwidefor professional band backdrops or other requests contact :alan.averill@gmail.comPrimordial on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0BZr6...Verminous Serpenthttps://open.spotify.com/artist/54Wpl...Dread Sovereignhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/60HY4...Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/agitators-anonymous-the-alan-averill-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isabell H is from Fort Lauderdale and is telling a bit of her story at the One Nite Share meeting held during the  Spring Step Series from 2022 at the Fort Lauderdale Primary Purpose Group. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Decoding the Big Book, is sourced from "Writing the Big Book, by William Schaberg.  We highly recommend this book.  Click here to purchase the book on Amazon.Discover the intriguing story behind the creation of "Two Wives," attributed to Bill Wilson despite common misconceptions. Understand the tensions between Bill and his wife, Lois Wilson, regarding the chapter's content and its portrayal of women supporting their husbands through recovery. Explore Bill's rationale for maintaining a consistent writing style and his insistence on an alcoholic author's perspective in defining the condition.Uncover the subtleties in Bill's depiction of alcoholism's impact on families, particularly spouses, and the nuances of emotional stability in the early stages of recovery. Examine the evolution in defining alcoholism, shifting from drinker types to the pivotal emphasis on willingness to stop—a cornerstone in the AA recovery program, reiterated in the appendix's essentiality of willingness for recovery.Despite the dated tone and perceived gender roles in "Two Wives," unpack the two significant points that emerged—Bill's defining of alcoholism and the focus on willingness as central to recovery. Understand the belief that the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, remained the sole solution for those afflicted and their partners in the absence of other options in 1938. Join us as we explore the intricate layers of history and biases within the foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous in this enlightening episode.I have a quick favor to ask you. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support it, please go to soberfriendspod.com and sign up for the weekly newsletter. It's free, it's fun, and it's full of sober news, tips, resources, and the latest episode of the show. So don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to stay connected with the show and get the most out of this podcast. Go to soberfriendspod.com and sign up for the newsletter today. Trust me, you won't regret it. Do you find value in what the Sober Friends Podcast does? Consider buying us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/soberfriendspod. Your donation helps us with hosting and website fees and allows up to maintain our equipment. You keep us on the air for the new guy or gal.Support the show

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In the second half of our documentary on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, we examine the AA recovery principles that have promoted sobriety for millions of recovering alcoholics and have created a template to help people worldwide who struggle with many forms of addiction. To view additional resources for this episode please visit our website at humanmedia.org. […]

Steve welcomes Jason back to reflect on how our sex lives and the ways we look at sex have evolved in our recovery.Topics discussed include:Catching up with JasonHow did sex, drugs, and alcohol affect one another in our addictionWhat was sex like in early recoveryWhat sex is like for us todayThe power of communication with sexPutting aside shameAnd much more!Follow Jason @rudabega82 on IG, and follow us too @gayapodcast. Head over to the Patreon page to hear what is basically "gAy A After Dark" this week as we dive even deeper and harder into the topic of fabulous sex in sobriety!Support the show

Dr. Widmer discusses the complexities of stricture management, challenges around diagnosis, multidisciplinary considerations for treatment – and the keys to balancing her career and family. ENDO-1716101-AA

Steve T, Kelly T, and Daniel T are the leaders of this workshop on Steps 1-2-3. This was part of the Savannah Georgia 22nd Back To Basics Workshop held in 2013. There is some Q and A at the end and it feel like it ends a bit abruptly but it is the end. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Monique R from Bradley Beach New Jersey leads this meeting on the topic of The Lack of Power Dilemma at the Magical Mystery Tour zoom meeting held in the UK in September of 2022. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Diana's love of AA is unmistakable. In her words: “AA is at the center of my life. It keeps me sane. It gives me structure, a sense of purpose. It teaches me about myself. It gives me fellowship.” When I first met Diana L. on a London AA Zoom meeting almost a year ago, the humility of that sentiment had me listening carefully every time she shared in that weekly meeting. I intuitively knew that such a heartfelt love for the Program occurs only after a particularly difficult road to sobriety. That's how it was for Diana. It took her more than ten arduous years, fraught with multiple relapses, to finally anchor her current sobriety date to 2011. To save her own life, she got a sponsor, read the Big Book, worked the 12 Steps, went to meetings, prayed, and fulfilled her service commitments. Her love of AA was a natural result, as was her tenacious and ongoing commitment to the Program. That love continues today. So, have a cup of tea and a biscuit while you enjoy the next hour with my AA sister from Great Britain, Diana L. [This is an encore of Episode 18, originally released March 24, 2021]. If you've enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It's an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who've never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It's also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you'd like to read along with the audio. I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It's a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon. [Disclaimer: AA Recovery Interviews podcast strictly adheres to AA's 12 Traditions and all General Service Office guidelines for safe-guarding anonymity on-line. I pay all podcast production costs and no one receives financial gain from the show. AA Recovery Interviews and my guests do not speak for or represent AA at-large. This podcast is simply my way of giving back to AA that which has been so freely given to me. – Howard L.]

Karen A, Nadia J,  and Kirsty W did a pop-up panel for this Reco12 Afro-Euro Speaker Meeting and share their experience, strength, and hope.  Their topic of discussion comes from the chapter of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous entitled The Family Afterward.  These 3 "mommies" in recovery discuss what the family afterward can look like.  Reco12 Afro-Euro Timezone is a brand NEW Reco12 Resource in and for the Afro-Euro time zone hosted by Karen A.  We hope that you will join us and draw strength and hope from these podcasts that we will host every other Wednesday at 9AM GMT / 11AM Israel time.Reco12 is an organization with the mission of learning and sharing the similarities of addiction of all kinds and gaining and sharing tools and hope from others who are walking a similar path.  We come together from all places, faiths and backgrounds to gain tools and hope from others who are walking a similar path.Reco12 appreciates your help in keeping us working our 12th Step with these great resources and services for the addict and loved ones.  We gratefully accept contributions to help cover the costs of the Zoom platform, podcast platform, web hosting, and administrative costs.  To become a Reco12 Spearhead you can quickly and easily become a monthly donor here: https://www.reco12.com/support  or you can do one-time donations through PayPal (https://www.paypal.me/reco12)  or Venmo:  @Reco-Twelve .  Thanks for your support!If you would like to get in contact with Karen, Nadia, or Kirsty, please send an email to reco12@gmail.com and we will get you connected with them.Support the showPrivate Facebook GroupInstagram PageBecome a Reco12 Spearhead (Monthly Supporter)PatreonPayPalVenmo: @Reco-TwelveYouTube ChannelReco12 WebsiteEmail: reco12pod@gmail.com to join WhatsApp GroupReco12 Shares PodcastReco12 Shares Record a Share LinkReco12 Noodle It Out with Nikki M PodcastReco12 Big Book Roundtable Podcast

Episode 127: Cult-ivating Sobriety- Reviewing Love Has Won and it's Boozy Leader   In this week's episode of Recovery in the Middle Ages, Mike and Nat do an in-depth review of the documentary "Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God," now streaming on Max. Our hosts explore the captivating and often troubling world of the Love Has Won cult, discussing the complex interplay of addiction, control, and charismatic leadership embodied by the group's leader, Amy Carlson. The guys also engage in a taste test of a new non-alcoholic wine, sparking a broader conversation about the role of non-alcoholic beverages in recovery. They share their personal experiences and insights on the pros and cons of incorporating these options into a sober lifestyle. As the holiday season approaches, the duo reflects on the challenges and stresses it brings, especially for those in recovery. They offer practical tips and coping strategies to navigate this hectic time, emphasizing the importance of self-care and community support. Recovery in the News finds Mike and Nat weighing in on a recent study that challenges a growing belief in the recovery community: the use of marijuana in treating opioid addiction. They dissect the findings of this new study, discussing its implications and the importance of evidence-based approaches in recovery treatment. *This podcast does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.* Please remember to SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite platform to get the latest episode delivered right to your devices as soon as it's released. LINKS: www.soberliningsplaybook.com New Study Suggests Cannabis Does Not Help Opioid Use Disorder We are a listener-supported podcast. If you like what we're doing here at RMA and want to support the show, JOIN THE RECOVERY IN THE MIDDLE AGES PATREON  Our sole mission is to help other people achieve sobriety and become their best, most authentic selves. As little as $3 a month makes a big difference and helps us keep the lights on.  https://www.patreon.com/RecoveryintheMiddleAges Visit www.soberlink.com/middle-ages to sign up and receive $50 off your device.  As always, we thank you for your support.  RMA ON YOUTUBE FOLLOW US ON TWITTER  Facebook Page We also have a Facebook Group! Request to join the group. It's a private space for continuing the discussion of what Nat and Mike talk about on the podcast. Hope to see you there. PLEASE leave us a 5 star review on I-Tunes if you're enjoying the show and SUBSCRIBE to get the latest episodes.  Email: MikeR@middleagesrecovery.com Natx@middleagesrecovery.com Check out the website: www.middleagesrecovery.com  We all have a story. Tell us yours and we'll share it on the show! E-Mail your story to miker@middleagesrecovery.com If you're in trouble with substance abuse and need help, reach out. There are thousands of people who have put problems with addiction in their rear-view mirrors and you can be one of them. While we neither endorse nor condemn any particular program, the sheer number of available AA and NA meetings suggest that reaching out to those organizations would be a good first step, (but maybe not the last step), on your road to recovery.   https://www.aa.org/ https://www.na.org/meetingsearch/ Marijuana Anonymous (just in case): This Naked Mind

“A relationship with a healer cannot exist without a wound to heal. Telling Jesus to go and heal another because ‘I'm good' doesn't allow Christ room to heal your heart and deepen a relationship with Him.”Kurt shares his story of struggling in constantly seeking validation. He got an early massive dose of feeling good enough when he was called to be a bishop/pastor in church in his twenties and then continued to ascend up in leadership responsibilities. For him, his “lightbulb moment came with the realization that while he did not struggle with an addiction to drugs or lust, he was high on validation and used it as a numbing agent that separated him from Christ and other men.Uniquely, this episode ends with a Bootcamp style prayer asking God or heal our need for validation. To fill the hole in our hearts we've tried to fill with things that are not God. You can contact Kurt through his Leading Saints podcast and website. If this episode resonates with you, or if you know someone who needs a reminder of God's open arms, please share the link to this episode with them. At Unashamed Unafraid, we are here to spread the words of hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Subscribe and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @UnashamedUnafraid.Do you have a story you are willing to share?  Email our Podcast Executive Director Jeremy at jeremy@unashamedunafraid.com. 

Chris S speaking on the topic of Emotional Sobriety at a meeting in West Orange held sometime in 2005. Chris is a very popular speaker in AA and has spoken and led workshops all over the world, I have featured him a number of times over the years. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

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Cait Madry found her sobriety in a slightly different way than most. Growing up she had an addicted parent and felt like they were villainized when their addiction was revealed. Later in life, that affected how she was willing to view her own addiction. Growing up, she wanted to prove that she could be different from her addicted parent. Her hope was that she would not let her substance use affect her life. That strategy didn't go according to plan. So often she drank she had the deep feeling that her standards were nowhere near what she wanted them to be. Then after four years of friendship, Cait's best friend became more than that, fueled by late nights of drinking. 6 months later, their relationship was crumbling under booze-soaked fighting and being less than their best selves. Cait began reading and learning about a new way to view her relationship with alcohol. Someone was finally presenting a new perspective on her drinking and even her need to label herself an addict. Through this learning, she attempted to curb her drinking and each time she found her way back to alcohol until finally finding sobriety in the wake of a Thanksgiving blowout with her girlfriend. In the aftermath, they both made the choice to end their relationship with alcohol. Today Cait co-hosts the podcast “Clearheaded”: The Guide for Sober Care where she and her partner  handpick the very best out there to enhance or kickstart your sober-care routine. Tune in To Learn About:Childhood Influence: Discover how Cait's childhood, marked by the experience of having an addicted parent, influenced her perception of addiction and the way society tends to villainize individuals with substance use disorders.Struggling with Standards: Learn about Cait's struggle with maintaining the standards she set for herself, particularly as she found herself frequently turning to alcohol. Explore the disconnect between her aspirations and the reality of her drinking habits.Attempts at Curbing Drinking: Explore Cait's efforts to curb her drinking, each attempt followed by a return to alcohol. Witness the turning point in her journey that led to lasting sobriety, triggered by a Thanksgiving blowout with her girlfriend.Relationship with Alcohol Ends: Learn about the transformative decision Cait and her girlfriend made to end their relationship with alcohol in the aftermath of the Thanksgiving incident. Understand the mutual commitment to sobriety that emerged from this challenging experience.To find other similar episodes by topic, click here.Connect with CaitInstagram | @caitmadryTikTok | @caitmadryReady to Begin Your Recovery Journey?Complete this form to speak confidentially with an admissions counselor for help and guidance or take the self assessment to evaluate your own substance use.Already in recovery, find an online support community.Connect with The Courage to ChangePodcast Website | lionrock.life/couragetochangepodcastPodcast Instagram | @couragetochange_podcastYouTube | The Courage to Change PodcastTikTok | @ashleyloebblassingamePodcast Facebook | @thecouragetochangepodcastLionrock ResourcesNurses Program | lionrockrecovery.com/programs/nursesLionrock Recovery | lionrockrecovery.comSupport Group Meeting Schedule | lionrock.life/meetings

Dating can feel like a rollercoaster; The butterflies, worrying if they're into you, if you're both on the same page, and all the heavy lifting of truly connecting. Now imagine dating without any help… No liquid courage to numb the big emotions. It can feel like walking a tightrope without a net!   In today's episode, I chat with Shaun Galanos on his journey of kicking alcohol to the curb. He talks about why he quit drinking and how it affected his relationships. We dive into the nitty-gritty of dating, the real talk on building connections that aren't just skin deep, and the art of connecting with someone, without that safety net of a glass in your hand.   Imagine sitting across from someone, feeling all those big emotions (the good, the bad, the awkward), and doing it stone-cold sober. We tackle all the hot topics and even give some hot takes.   Shaun Galanos is a renowned love coach, host of The Love Drive podcast, and an expert in teaching intimacy and communication skills. He got his Bachelor's Degree in Interpersonal Communication from UC Santa Barbara and certifications in Personal and Professional Coaching and Rape Crisis Counseling. Shaun has a well-rounded and empathetic approach to relationship coaching. His podcast, The Love Drive, is a treasure trove of insights into love, relationships, and personal growth. In addition to his podcast, Shaun also creates online courses focused on improving relationships through better communication and intimacy skills. When he's not teaching courses on intimacy and communication or recording his podcast, he's continuing to learn about love, working on this relationship with his partner, and building community in Montreal.   [00:01 - 12:20] Shaun's Journey to Sobriety and Self-Discovery   Shaun shares his early struggles with emotional regulation, leading to substance use and ultimately a high-functioning alcoholic lifestyle.  Shaun's turning point came with the realization that alcohol stunted his growth in all life aspects. Shaun Sought therapy and joined AA at the age of 25.  It's easier to stop and stay stopped than it is to stop, start, and stop again    [12:21 - 27:16] Awkward or Natural? Embracing Authentic Connections in Sober Dating Shaun's transition to sobriety wasn't a magic solution. Instead, it was a starting point for genuine self-discovery.  Shaun talks about how he dealt with his big emotions by confiding in many people and dispersing the heaviness of his life transformation. Shaun and Amanda discuss dating sober; their experiences and advice for connecting with aligned people.   Dating sober can feel awkward because we are rewiring our brains to embrace natural experiences.     [27:17 - 33:34] How to Overcome Anxiety When Dating Sober  Anxiety in dating without alcohol is inevitable, confronting it head-on is key.  For most the anxiety doesn't go away so just embrace the awkwardness. It becomes more manageable over time As you date more, your confidence increases, and your reliance on others' opinions decreases. Look for partners who respect and appreciate your sobriety. They should view it as an advantage rather than a drawback.   [33:35 - 44:02] Sober Sex, Hot Takes, Figuring Out Your Values, and Dating App Tips  Shaun stresses the importance of confronting and communicating anxieties, especially in intimate settings.  Sex especially when sober is going to be awkward – That's ok! That's what makes it exciting and special. If you feel anxious about having sex sober, especially if it's new to you, it's ok to communicate that.  Don't get too hung up on attachment styles. Relationships are about growing together. Figure out what values are important to you and then allow both of you to grow together.  Shaun shares his advice on how to get more aligned matches on dating apps by adjusting your profile to be more honest about your lifestyle.     [44:03 - 49:00] Can You Get Sober with a Non-Sober Partner? Choosing sobriety will significantly affect your relationship, especially if you used to drink with your partner. Any huge life change requires an adjustment period  Your decision to go sober can reveal a lot about your partner; It can show you how supportive they are of your wellness or how insecure they might be about their lifestyle. It's important to assess whether a relationship can withstand and support sobriety.   Follow Shaun Galanos! Follow him on Instagram and listen to his podcast The Love Drive  Visit his website: https://www.shaungalanos.com  Join his Love Camp Retreat Check out his Courses     Resources Mentioned:  Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin   Key Quotes:   "Alcohol was preventing the progress of any growth in all aspects of my life. Physically, professionally, mentally, emotionally, I was stunted, and alcohol was the devil." – Shaun Galanos   "It's easier to stay stopped than it is for me to go back out there and see what it's like again." – Shaun Galanos   “I don't think you realize what drinking is doing to you until it's gone. And then you're like, holy sh*t, that was my solution to a lot of problems that I have, and the problems now are still here. So how are we going to deal with these problems?” – Shaun Galanos   "I don't think that you are going to be able to get rid of the anxiety. You're going to have to do it anxious; Do it scared." – Shaun Galanos   "Don't get too attached to your attachment style.” – Shaun Galanos   Learn more by connecting with Amanda through Instagram or visit AmandaKuda.com.    It's time to unbottle your potential! Join the Awaken without Alcohol Program, where you'll learn the combined power of elective sobriety, spirituality & manifestation.  

Theresa F sober in 1990 is from Los Angeles California, she is sharing on the topic of dealing with rejection, Theresa has also been an Al-Anon member for 33 years. Recorded at the UK Open Lounge meeting in July of 2022. Zoom Repost Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Episode 459 – Let's Smile     Today we have Spencer. He's 44 years old from Minneapolis, MN and took his last drink on September 23rd, 2023.   Registration for RESTORE is no open!  If you want to take a break for a month, or say adios for good, this course is for you. You're going to learn all about alcohol addiction, what it is, what it isn't, how to beat cravings, you'll learn about many different recovery pathways, and the best part is you won't be doing this alone.   Exact Nature: https://exactnature.com/RE20   [02:04] Highlights from Paul:   Start your day with a smile. It doesn't matter if the smile is fake or real. The body doesn't know the difference and the nervous system always responds positively with a smile.   Smiling increases mood-enhancing hormones. Smiling releases endorphins, natural painkillers, and serotonin, while decreasing stress-enhancing hormones, including cortisol, and adrenaline. It also reduces overall blood pressure.   Another reason to smile is that research shows that smiles are contagious. Most people will find a way to reciprocate in a friendly manner. Smiling is a way to be of service because it makes other people's days better.   Spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has said “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."    Start your day with a 30 -second smile. And not for just one day or two, but rock that smile every morning for the rest of this year and hopefully beyond. And don't forget to keep that smile going throughout the day.   Paul shares some dad jokes to help get us started.   Better Help:  www.betterhelp.com/elevator - 10% off your first month. #sponsored   [08:04] Paul introduces Spencer:   Spencer grew up in Minneapolis area. He is married with two kids. He enjoys playing blues and rock on his guitar and spending time on the river with his family. Spencer has been an electrician for 23 years.   Spencer says that alcohol was a big part of his family's life while he was growing up. Both of his parents drank, and every event was centered around alcohol. Spencer didn't try alcohol until he was around 15. He had a friend who's parent worked nights, so their house became a party house and drinking happened frequently.   Spencer got married young and they both drank heavily. They had a daughter together and eventually they ended up getting a divorce. At the time Spencer blamed a lot of the issues on his ex. Once she moved out Spencer had some friends move in and says the drinking became daily and he was losing jobs. He eventually started having financial issues and lost his house.   It was shortly after he started dating a woman that didn't drink like him that he realized that drinking might be a problem for him. He didn't really make any changes until the birth of his son when he began to try moderating and added rules around his drinking.   Things were going well for Spencer and then he got a call from his son's mother that she was a heroin addict. He ended up having to get custody of him and knew he had to stop drinking for his son. He was able to quit for a while but gradually let drinking slip back in.   Spencer was able to quit for a few years and started recognizing how big of an issue alcohol had been for him. He knew he wanted to quit but wasn't sure how he was going to be able to do it.   New activities have replaced drinking for Spencer. He is working on his relationships with his kids and has been talking to them about alcohol and the issues within the family. Spencer is open about his sobriety with others. He listens to a lot of podcasts about addiction and enjoys online AA meetings and has plans to do the steps. Spencer knows how important connection will be going forward.   Spencer's parting piece of guidance: If you think you have a problem, find someone that's sober to talk about it, listen to podcasts, get connected.   Instagram   Recovery Elevator YouTube Sobriety Tracker iTunes    Recovery Elevator Remember Rule 22, keep those smiles going. Lighten up. I love you guys.    

Mike L., the Interim Chair of the General Service Board, shares about his service role and about his recovery from alcoholism. A print interview with Mike also appears in the December issue of Grapevine magazine. In "Listener Feedback" Spencer has a question about the Big Book, and Tim shares gratitude for the sharing of one of our podcast guests.While we provide the podcast at no charge, we do have expenses. Grapevine is the only AA entity that does not accept contributions, so to support the AA Grapevine Podcast, please subscribe to Grapevine Magazine in print, online, or on the new Grapevine app. You can also provide a subscription to someone in need through our "Carry the Message" program or purchase books or other items at aagrapevine.org/storeYou can email us at podcast@aagrapevine.org. To record an Ask-It-Basket question or a recovery-related joke, call 212-870-3418 or email a voice recording to podcast@aagrapevine.org

In this episode I read from various pages in the Big Book,  and then I read something from Emmet Fox. All of which speaks to simply focusing on love. Get my books right here!Get mugs and other things here!Follow me on Instagram right here!

In this classic episode, Fr. Bill visits with Yisrael C. to discuss the age-old question, "Are you spiritual or religous?" The discussion provides perspective and a deeper understanding of what it all means in relationship to recovery. Yisrael C. has over 40 years in AA journeying from a Catholic kid in Philadelphia to an Orthodox Jew and stand-up comedian in Israel. Balancing tragedy and comedy, he works at the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem and takes great joy helping newcomers find both sobriety and fun in recovery. Here's a ⁠link⁠ to his full AA story. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fatherbillw/support

Joshua H of Toronto Canada telling his story at the 10th Western Area Young Peoples of Alcoholics Anonymous Conference held in Seattle in 2006. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

El responsable de relaciones internacionales de la Unión de Pequeños Agricultores (UPA) y también secretario general de UPA Aragón, José Manuel Roche, ha advertido este jueves en el encuentro del Presidium COPA-COGECA del olvido y la falta de apoyos al que están sometidos los jóvenes del medio rural, así como del perjuicio que esto supone para el conjunto de la sociedad europea.Aragón y otras CC.AA. se plantean un plan nacional de actuación ante la situación crítica de la ganadería extensiva. Las ventas de antibióticos veterinarios de los 31 países que proporcionaron datos en 2022 registraron una disminución del 12,7% con respecto a 2021 (hasta los 73,9 mg. por unidad de producción), según el balance publicado a mediados de noviembre por el proyecto de vigilancia europea del consumo de antibióticos veterinarios.Ignacio Ruiz, secretario general de la patronal de maquinaria agrícola, ANSEMAT, nos ha explicado cómo la inversión tradicional en la agricultura se ha trasladado a los cultivos de alto valor, que viven el mejor momento de su expansión. El objetivo principal de ANSEMAT era constatar el cambio estructural que se está produciendo en la agricultura española.Repasamos las novedades del boletín fitosanitario de Aragón y, antes de alcanzar la merindad de las nueve de la mañana, contamos que la producción mundial de aceite oliva podría incrementarse un 3% y en 84.000 t en la actual campaña 2023/24 respecto a la anterior y alcanzar las 2.594.000 toneladas, según los últimos datos de la Comisión Europea, en base a las aportaciones estadísticas provisionales de los Estados miembros productores y del Consejo Oleícola Internacional (COI).Tras el boletín informativo de las nueve, en ‘La traza' seguimos hablando de aceite; haremos balance del final de la campaña de Tomate Rosa de Barbastro y nos acercaremos hasta la Feria de la Trufa de Graus.

In this episode I catch up with sober coach, author and mentor Sarah Rusbatch. We talk about how insecurities from her early childhood fed into a need to be accepted and liked and how alcohol fulled that desire to be accepted and loved. From an early age Sarah had no off switch with alcohol and would have big binge drinking sessions and lots of partying. Fast forward to pregnancies and motherhood with a fairly controlled relationship with alcohol until the family moved to Australia. Confronted with feelings of loneliness, melancholy, and the tedium of parenting in a new country, Sarah found her drinking escalating.We chat about dealing with family and triggers over the holiday season. To reach out to Sarah.Link to the book and 5 free coaching videos: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-boozeSarah's website - www.sarahrusbatch.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=enNot sure if you will do the show notes or if I will, but here is what I put at the end of the speel about each episode. You could even add that in when you upload to Acast (which I can talk you through). and I could write show notes for each ep if you aren't comfortable with that. This episode was brought to you by Monday Distillery. To check them out go to www.mondaydistillery.com For more resources such as coaching or to join the next HIQA challenge go towww.iquitalcohol.com.auFollow HIQA insta @howiquitalcohol Music for Monday Distillery ads by Ash Grunwaldwww.ashgrunwald.comMusic for Podcast intro and outro written by Danni Carr performed by Mr CassidyIf you are struggling with physical dependancy on alcohol consider contacting a local AA meeting or a drug and alcohol therapist. Always consult a GP before stopping alcohol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Peter 1:2 This short prayer takes us to the heart of what it means to be a Christian. It makes it clear that Christian faith is about a relationship and, in common with every other relationship, it is dynamic. It is impossible for a relationship to stand still. It is either growing or declining, and Peter's longing was that his readers should have a deepening relationship with God. The problem with many people's understanding of Christianity is that they see it in terms of membership. They belong to a church, and they have no more expectation of a growing relationship with the church than they have of a growing relationship with the National Trust, the AA or any other organisation of which they happen to be a member. But that way of understanding the Christian faith is completely different from what we see in the New Testament, which reveals a dynamic personal relationship. Peter was speaking about a deepening of our understanding of God through living the Christian life. When Sue and I got married the way in which our relationship grew was through living together. We were given all sorts of wise advice and did some reading on the subject, but it was as we shared life together that we deepened our love and understanding of one another. It is just the same in the Christian life. It is important to read the Bible, hear sermons, read books and listen to other people's advice, but the fundamental need is for us to live day by day with God and deepen our relationship with him. As we do so, we receive more and more of God's grace and peace. Question In what specific ways has your relationship with God grown over the past year? Prayer Lord God, thank you that you want to share every part of life with me. Thank you for giving me more of your grace and peace; I long for more. Amen

Peter M from Primary Purpose Group in Cannes France leads this Big Book Study Session on The Family Afterwards from page 122 to end of chapter. This was recorded in August of 2022 at The Global Lock-down Group in India. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

In Episode 184 I look at old rock and metal bands re-animating old albums and reaching back into their youth for inspiration, is it a simply cash grab to sell some merch and a reason to tour or a genuine attempt to rediscover their mojo? or both, or....who the hell cares and any musician can do as they please with what they create....that and some random social commentary, the othering of those you disagree with, the Cavalera brothers, hate speech and is it the end of the humble rock bar? to be continued.....my youtube channelhttps://youtu.be/dumRwP2Euos?si=36hbYJ4DHppu3kbQsupport the band sponsoring todays podcast! :Bandcamp: beithioch.bandcamp.com Instagram: @beithiochmusic support the show over athttp://www.patreon.com/AlanAverillsponsored byMetal Blade recordshttps://metalblade.indiemerch.com/promo code AA 2023 for 10% off your orderships worldwidefor professional band backdrops or other requests contact :alan.averill@gmail.comPrimordial on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0BZr6...Verminous Serpenthttps://open.spotify.com/artist/54Wpl...Dread Sovereignhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/60HY4...Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/agitators-anonymous-the-alan-averill-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Renne B leads this meeting on the topic of, Why Is It That We Take The First Drink at the Belfast Recover Group Saturday Night Workshop held in August of 2022. Zoom Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

In this compelling episode, we unravel the backstory before the 12 steps were formulated and how Bill's four years of helping other alcoholics shaped AA's foundational principles. Bill's relentless dedication, even during his shaky moments, led to a chance encounter that changed the course of history.Join us as we dissect Bill's sales approach, where helping another alcoholic became the linchpin of his sobriety. Discover how Bill's experience influenced his strategic tactics, from understanding prospects to navigating the delicate art of intervention. His insight into the mental twist that leads to the first drink provides a gripping narrative of overcoming personal struggles.We'll explore Bill's compelling argument that sharing one's own path to recovery, without zealotry, holds the key to capturing a prospect's attention. His emphasis on finding common ground, irrespective of religious beliefs, offers a timeless lesson in compassionate outreach.Unveiling Bill's step-by-step guide to engaging with a prospect, we'll discuss the intricate balance between passion for reform and conveying personal experiences. We'll shed light on Bill's cautionary tales, urging sobriety champions to tell their stories in relatable terms, avoiding pitfalls that hinder effective communication.Tune in as we transport you to a time when Alcoholics Anonymous was in its infancy, revealing how Bill's unwavering commitment to helping others revolutionized the approach to addiction recovery. Explore the nuances of empathy, guidance, and hope that continue to shape countless lives today.Join us on this illuminating journey into the heart of Bill Wilson's mission, showcasing how one man's struggle transformed into a beacon of hope for millions battling addiction worldwide.Listen and discover the power of connection, empathy, and selling the promise of sobriety through genuine human experiences. This is a story of resilience, compassion, and the unwavering belief that helping others leads to personal salvation.I have a quick favor to ask you. If you enjoy this podcast and want to support it, please go to soberfriendspod.com and sign up for the weekly newsletter. It's free, it's fun, and it's full of sober news, tips, resources, and the latest episode of the show. So don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to stay connected with the show and get the most out of this podcast. Go to soberfriendspod.com and sign up for the newsletter today. Trust me, you won't regret it. Do you find value in what the Sober Friends Podcast does? Consider buying us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/soberfriendspod. Your donation helps us with hosting and website fees and allows up to maintain our equipment. You keep us on the air for the new guy or gal.Support the show

In this episode I share about some of my experience concerning how I can engage in selfish behavior in meetings.  And why I strive to not do that. Get my books right here!Get mugs and other things here!Follow me on Instagram right here!

In the latest episode of The Courage to Change, we unravel the intricate layers of addiction recovery by exploring a pivotal question: "What made the last time I drank different?" Join Ashley as she shares a firsthand account, backed by professional insights, shedding light on the unique dynamics that make this recovery attempt stand out from the rest.Tune in to learn about:Personal Journey: Gain deep insights into a firsthand account of why the last attempt to quit alcohol was distinct, exploring the mindset, circumstances, and the key factors that set this recovery journey apart.Professional Perspective: Delve into the expert viewpoint on what happens within an addict during this critical phase. Uncover the psychological and physiological aspects that contribute to a transformative recovery experience.Family Dynamics: Understand what families should grasp when witnessing their loved ones engage in destructive behaviors, believing it will be the catalyst for change. Explore the delicate balance between support and tough love, and how to navigate these challenging moments.Moments of Clarity: Discover what families and friends should do when their loved ones experience a moment of clarity. Learn how to seize these opportunities to facilitate meaningful conversations and encourage positive steps towards recovery.To find other similar episodes by topic, click here.Ready to Begin Your Recovery Journey?Complete this form to speak confidentially with an admissions counselor for help and guidance or take the self assessment to evaluate your own substance use.Already in recovery, find an online support community.Connect with The Courage to ChangePodcast Website | lionrock.life/couragetochangepodcastPodcast Instagram | @couragetochange_podcastYouTube | The Courage to Change PodcastTikTok | @ashleyloebblassingamePodcast Facebook | @thecouragetochangepodcastLionrock ResourcesLionrock Life Mobile App | lionrock.life/mobile-appSupport Group Meeting Schedule | lionrock.life/meetings

Nate, Stacy and then Rick are our speakers today, they are sharing on the topic of Attraction vs Promotion at the 55th Annual ICYPAA held in Phoenix Arizona in 2014. I think they did a really nice job on the topic. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Steve welcomes Mark back to celebrate 18 years of recovery while chatting about overcoming negative thoughts and actions many of us refer to as 'stinking thinking!'Topics discussed include:Mark's favorite parts of being queer and sober right now.Best ways to handle life's challengesWhat happens to our thinking when we aren't doing 'the work'Mark's E-Bay and Steve's Amazon bad habitsActing out sexually,  in person or onlineHow to self-correct when you find yourself off courseThe power of sharing your struggles with someone elseAnd much more!Follow Mark @heymarko8 on IG, and follow us too @gayapodcast. Head over to the Patreon page to hear Mark and Steve talk about what life was like in our 20s!Support the show

Michelle shares her journey to and through alcoholism, which brings us to who she is today: a sober and happy woman of dignity and grace.Quotes “I always knew I wanted something better for myself, but I didn't know how to stop.”“I gave an honest prayer to God to please give me the strength to do what was in front of me.”“I've learned how to be a woman of grace and dignity in Alcoholics Anonymous.”Referred by: Michael R. (vol. 145)InstagramFacebook

Tras siete semanas de guerra, la esperada tregua entre Israel y el grupo Hamás, ha dado un respiro de alivio a la población de la Franja de Gaza. La suspensión de las hostilidades permitió la liberación de personas tomadas como rehenes durante el asalto del 7 de octubre, así como de presos palestinos, en el obligado intercambio que imponen estos conflictos. En los primeros cuatro días del acuerdo, Hamás liberó a 50 rehenes israelíes y 19 extranjeros (en su mayoría trabajadores agrícolas tailandeses). Hasta ahora, Israel liberó a 150 prisioneros. El cese temporal de la confrontación podría volver a prolongarse y permitir la liberación de más rehenes, como informó el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Catar -principal mediador- al anunciar que por la liberación de cada diez cautivos, se prolongará un día adicional la pausa en los ataques. Durante estos días, los gazatíes aprovecharon el alto al fuego para abastecerse de artículos de primera necesidad. La Oficina de Coordinación de Asuntos Humanitarios de las Naciones Unidas informó del ingreso de 137 camiones con combustible, alimentos, agua, AA medicinas y otros artículos. De igual manera, se aprovechó para evacuar a una veintena de pacientes en estado crítico. El cese limitado de los combates fue el resultado de semanas de intensas negociaciones y la esperanza es que sea posible lograr la liberación de más rehenes, pero está claro para los especialistas que no todos correrán con la misma suerte, pues algunos hombres constituirán el canje final o mejor dicho, los escudos, que asegurarán a los dirigentes de Hamás. Para poner en perspectiva este período conversamos con el relacionista internacional y Director del Observatorio del Desarrollo UCR, Carlos Murillo Zamora.

Spencer P is telling his story at an unknown Roundup, I think this was recorded around 2016. Spencer has a spiritual message and he delivers it with a great humor. LGBTQ. Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate AA Event List: https://scast.us/events If you have an AA roundup, retreat, convention or workshop coming up, we would be happy to give you a shout out here on the podcast and list the event on the Sober Cast website. Visit the link above and look for "Submit Your Event" in the blue box. Sober Cast has 2400+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search. https://sobercast.com

Karen A and  Young L walk through this Reco12 Afro-Euro Speaker Meeting and share their experience, strength, and hope.  Young's topic is "Seeking Escape with the Desperation of a Drowning Man."  Here is a little about Young:  Young found the 12 step rooms in 2010 after losing everything due to his daily heroin, crack and alcohol addiction. He didn't take any of the 12 steps and spent the next 8 years in and out of detox units and treatment centers. He was separated from all mind altering substances Christmas Eve 2018 and since that moment has thrown himself into a spiritual life and helping others.Reco12 Afro-Euro Timezone is a brand NEW Reco12 Resource in and for the Afro-Euro time zone hosted by Karen A.  We hope that you will join us and draw strength and hope from these podcasts that we will host every other Wednesday at 9AM GMT / 11AM Israel time.Reco12 is an organization with the mission of learning and sharing the similarities of addiction of all kinds and gaining and sharing tools and hope from others who are walking a similar path.  We come together from all places, faiths and backgrounds to gain tools and hope from others who are walking a similar path.Reco12 appreciates your help in keeping us working our 12th Step with these great resources and services for the addict and loved ones.  We gratefully accept contributions to help cover the costs of the Zoom platform, podcast platform, web hosting, and administrative costs.  To become a Reco12 Spearhead you can quickly and easily become a monthly donor here: https://www.reco12.com/support  or you can do one-time donations through PayPal (https://www.paypal.me/reco12)  or Venmo:  @Reco-Twelve .  Thanks for your support!If you would like to get in contact with either Karen A or Young L, please send an email to reco12@gmail.com and we will get you connected with them.Support the showPrivate Facebook GroupInstagram PageBecome a Reco12 Spearhead (Monthly Supporter)PatreonPayPalVenmo: @Reco-TwelveYouTube ChannelReco12 WebsiteEmail: reco12pod@gmail.com to join WhatsApp GroupReco12 Shares PodcastReco12 Shares Record a Share LinkReco12 Noodle It Out with Nikki M PodcastReco12 Big Book Roundtable Podcast

Archive gold!  Here is another interview from 30 years ago, with the son of the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Bob 'Smitty' Smith recalls the magical meoments in the early days of AA inclding the first time his dad, Dr. Bob Smith met Bill Wilson. And Actress Ai McGraw reflects on maturity in recovery. 

The Atlantic Group Tuesday Night Speaker Meeting November 28, 2023 Main Speaker: Matt

Sober since 2020, Kevin's backstory of drinking belied his ultimate identification as an alcoholic who needed help from AA. Raised in a successful family where neither parent was an alcoholic, various ancestors had suffered from the disease, though a few had gotten sober in AA. As alcoholism appeared to skip a generation, Kevin had managed his drinking to achieve a successful business career and active social life, as well as marriage and four children, well into his 30's. But the patience of the disease outlasted Kevin's growing use and then abuse of alcohol. Toward the end, drunken behavior and negative consequences rapidly appeared in his life, threatening his job, marriage, and physical health. By the time he asked his parents for help, his attempts to quit drinking on his own had failed miserably and culminated with admission to inpatient treatment. And though Keven often chose not to attend optional AA meetings offered by the treatment center, his exposure to the Program was enough to lead him to the doors of AA when he was finally willing to throw in the towel. That was over 3 years ago from the date of this podcast and Kevin is still sober. He got a sponsor, worked the steps, and did what AA suggests to build a solid foundation for sobriety. Kevin regularly attends meetings, sponsors other men, and clings to the inner-most regions of the Program. That his marriage and career survived is yet another one of those miracles that occur whenever sincere and active work is done in AA. If you're in early AA recovery, I feel you'll gain much from Kevin's message of hope. For those listeners with longer-term sobriety, his story provides a great pause to reflect on your own experiences in the early years of your membership in Alcoholics Anonymous. Irrespective of where you are in your own recovery, you are sure to enjoy the next hour of AA Recovery Interviews  with my friend and AA brother Kevin S. If you've enjoyed my AA Recovery Interviews series and my Big Book podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It's an engaging audiobook I narrated to bring these stories to life for AA members who've never seen them. These timeless testimonials were originally cut to make room for newer stories in the 3rd and 4th Editions. But their vitally important messages of hope are as meaningful today as when they were first published. Many listeners will hear these stories for the first time. Lost Stories of the Big Book is available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. It's also available as a Kindle book and in Paperback from Amazon if you'd like to read along with the audio. I also invite you to check out my latest audio book, “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism”. This is the word-for-word, cover-to-cover reading of the First Edition of the Big Book, published in 1939. It's a comfortable, meaningful, and engaging way to listen to the Big Book anytime, anyplace. Have a free listen at Audible, i-Tunes, or Amazon. [Disclaimer: AA Recovery Interviews podcast strictly adheres to AA's 12 Traditions and all General Service Office guidelines for safe-guarding anonymity on-line. I pay all podcast production costs and no one receives financial gain from the show. AA Recovery Interviews and my guests do not speak for or represent AA at-large. This podcast is simply my way of giving back to AA that which has been so freely given to me. - Howard L.]

Last time we spoke about the planning for operation Galvanic and the battle of Sattelberg. The Americans were finally going to make their thrust into the central pacific with operation Galvanic. Admiral Raymond Spruance was given command of the Central Pacific Force and began building his war machine. The Americans would be employing a arsenal of new toys to hit the Gilbert Islands. Meanwhile the Japanese did everything they could to fortify the Gilberts, Marshalls and Carolines for the incoming American offensives, they would make them pay with blood for every island. Over in Green Hell the Australians were advancing up the Sattelberg road seizing Green Ridge, Coconut Ridge and other features. General Katagiri was once again on the defensive and it was only a matter of time before Sattelberg was under siege. Today we are going to cover all of this and more! This episode is The Bloody Invasion of the Gilberts Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Last week we went through in depth the planning behind Operation Galvanic. The time had finally come to invade the Gilberts islands. To soften up the islands, carrier-borne airstrikes were made against the Gilberts and Marshalls. One of the major impacts of the raids in September and October was the evacuation of aircraft from Tarawa. Just before the raids there had been three air installations in the 3rd Special Base Force area; two airfields at Nauru and one at Tara, with a seaplane base at Makin. One of the duties assigned to these installations was to maintain patrols in the southeast corner of the Central Pacific. Patrols from Nauru covered the area south of the island, patrols from Kain covered the east and patrols from Tarawa the southeast between the other two. Yet after the removal of so many aircraft from Tarawa, now Makin had to assume full responsibility for patrolling the Gilberts area. By November there were only four amphibious reconnaissance planes left at Makin and even worse they had the dual mission of reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrol. Thus in other words there were not enough eyes on lookout. On November 10th, Admiral Spruance led out his Central Pacific force from Hawaii enroute for Tarawa aboard his flagship the heavy cruises Indianapolis. The Northern attack force, northern carrier group and interceptor carrier group all departed from the Hawaiian islands simultaneously, but they would not be traveling together. The two carrier groups moved in a parallel course followed by the Northern attack force at around 300 miles to their northwest. The two routes of approach would change around 800 miles east of the Gilberts with the Northern attack force turning to meet them. As the force made its way, Spruance warned “If … a major portion of the Japanese fleet were to attempt to interfere with Galvanic, it is obvious that the defeat of the enemy fleet would at once become paramount … the destruction of a considerable portion of the Japanese naval strength would … go far towards winning the war …” Even within the Navy there were critics of Operation Galvanic. While Spruance was taking the 5th fleet along with 30,000 marines, Vice Admiral John Towers grumbled “Spruance wants a sledgehammer to drive a tack.” The battle for Tarawa would be one of the most controversial engagements of the Pacific war.  Over at Efate, Admiral Hill's Southern force departed on November 13th to rendezvous with Turner by the 18th. On November 15th, the Relief carrier force consisting of two carriers, 3 cruisers and 4 destroyers departed Espirtu Santo and the New Hebrides. They were a last minute add-on, heading towards Nauru. Thus the southern carrier group and southern attack force moved parallel to another to rendezvous with the rest by the 18th. During the two days before the landings, both the navy and army aircraft delivered last minute airstrikes. At 3am on the 18th, Admiral Pownalls task force launched 18 fighters, followed 3 hour later by 20 more fighters then at intervals of 2-3 hours, dive bombers, torpedo bombers and more fighters. All day long these aircraft strafed and bombed Nauru. By the end of the day, 90 tons of bombs had been dropped. The pilots claimed the installations on the island were in ruins, a Japanese ship was a burning wreck and 3-4 medium bombers were destroyed on the ground. The next day saw the same carrier attack with the help of land based planes from the 7th air force bombers. The airfields on Nauru were hit, shipping as well and Nauru was thought to be neutralized. On the 19th, the interceptor carrier group of Admiral Pownalls task force launched a series of air strikes against Jaluit and Mille. Over 130 tons of bombs were dropped on them. Power stations at both atolls were destroyed, hangers burned down, buildings in ruins. The runways looked unserviceable at Mille and 3 vessels in her lagoon were heavily damaged, alongside 7 grounded aircraft destroyed. On that same day, 19 b-24's from Nukufetau and Funafuti dropped 10 tons of bombs on Tarawa causing fires and damaging her airfields. 12 more B-24s from Nanomea dropped 23 tons of bombs on Makin. Aircraft from the Northern and southern carrier groups added 95 tons of bombs on Makin and 69 tons on Betio island. One enemy plane was shot down and 3 were hit on the ground near Tarawa. Before noon on the 19th, Southern Carrier groups cruisers destroyers moved in closer to Tarawa to bombard the ground forces between the air strikes. One of the most important effects of the heavy air raids was getting the Japanese to waste a considerable amount of their ammunition against the aircraft. At Tarawa the Japanese expended an estimated 1437 rounds of 127mm AA, 1312 75mm, 51160 13mm, 46 8 inch and 104 14cm ammunition. At Makin it was perhaps nearly 10,000 rounds of 13mm. The loss of the 13mm machine gun ammunition would hurt the Japanese particularly hard since it was the base weapon for the ground defenses. Shortly before 11:30pm on the 19th the convoy entered the 17 mile wide channel between Maiana and Tarawa Atolls. The ships assumed positions west of Betio. Transports took up their debarkation positions and fire support ships moved into shore for another massive bombardment.  At dawn on 20 November, the USS Maryland and Colorado, sister dreadnoughts from  World War I of the Colorado Class, laid down a barrage of fire upon the defenders of Betio. It provided a measure of revenge for the USS Maryland, which had been damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Their combined fire power of sixteen 16-inch guns was able to quickly knock out three of the four 8-inch guns defending Betio both from the lagoon-side to the north and the open sea to the south and west. A fortunate hit on one of the Japanese guns' ordnance stores sent up a massive fireball. Rear Admiral Howard Kingman, responsible for planning the bombardment of Tarawa, would tell the press aboard his ship, “Gentlemen, it is not our intention to wreck the island. We do not intend to destroy it. Gentlemen … we will obliterate it.” The air and naval barrage of the island would last 3 hours. Aboard the USS Ashland an officer boasted “They'll [the Marines] go in standing up. There aren't fifty Japs left alive on the island.” Lt Colonel Herbert Amey leading the 2nd battalion, 2nd marines boasted to his staff “As we hit the beach the planes will be strafing very close in front of you to keep the Nips down until you get in there and knock off what's left of them. I think we ought to have every Jap off the island—the live ones —by the night of D-Day.” Despite the incredible firepower, Colonel David Shoup leading the assault troops shared some concerns with Robert Sherrod working for the Time and Life magazine “What worries me more than anything is that our boats may not be able to get over that coral shelf that sticks out about 500 yards. We may have to wade in.” Colonel ‘Red Mike' Edsons went on to say of the upcoming battle “The enemy must endeavor to hold it and make sure its capture is as costly to us as possible. This will be the first attempt to defend an atoll … as it is our endeavor at seizing one.”  Before dawn the Marines woke up to a last meal of steak and eggs with fried potatoes and coffee. They all gave a final check of their combat kits, their M-1 Garand's, bayonets, 3 days of rations, water, the bedding, grenades, 125 bullets, gas masks, toiletry items, 3 pairs of socks and underwear, their entrenching tool, first aid kits and the most important item, their cigarettes. As the marines moved to their debarkation stations, military chaplains passed through the troops offering last minute homilies. “God Bless you—and go out there and bring glory to our Corps,” . Father Francis Kelley from Philadelphia and veteran of Guadalcanal ended his service with, “God Bless you and God have mercy on the Japanese.” At 6:03am the transports began lowering their boats. At 6:15am the carrier borne Hellcat fighters, Avenger and Dauntless from the USS Essex and Bunker Hill began to strafed and bomb the western beaches. At 6:40 the aircraft began departing as the battleships, cruisers and destroyers opened fire. The damage from the aerial and naval bombardments was considerable. In the immediate region of the main beaches and eastward side, little real damage was inflicted. Coconut trees, native hurts and dummy gun positions took a lot of the hits. In the area of the west tank barrier, neither the ditches nor log barricades took much damage. Just east of the main tank trap was a trench system running to the beach, this area was smashed up pretty good. One trench received a direct hit from a 2000-pound bomb which, in the words of Admiral Turner, "considerably scrambled the trench, Japs and trees for some distance." 62 enemy dead were later counted in this one area, most of whom were the victims of a combination of concussion and air bursts. In the area south of Yellow Beach and east to the East Tank Barrier all buildings were reported destroyed. Three 80-mm. antiaircraft positions at the base of King's Wharf and two light tanks revetted to act as pillboxes were severely damaged. 41 enemy dead were counted, of whom 25 were apparently killed by concussion from heavy bombs. At 8:25 the naval bombardment ended and more aircraft came in strafing. While the aircraft strafed, the 165th regiment began loading onto LCVPS and amphibian tractors carried men of the 105th regiment. At 8:15 the tractors started to head for the beach while firing rockets and machine guns against what they assumed were enemy positions. At 8:31 the tractors hit the beach and the men began to scramble ashore. Beach red 1 and 2 were quickly occupied forming the first beachhead. Following the tractors were the first three waves of landing craft at about 5 minute intervals. They were met with unfriendly studded reefs and coral boulders about 40 yards offshore. Some of the landing craft were unable to slip past the larger boulders, some were broached, stranded or forced to pull back out to sea. The failures of these landings would lead Rear Admiral Richmond Turner to create the Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) a precursor to the US Navy Seals. The tanks were waterproofed for the landings, and managed to roll off the ramps into water.  The men struggled in swells sometimes over their heads and sought cover at the edge of the beach. At best, only three boats could be landed at one time, and the fifth wave was not able to get ashore until 10:00, over an hour behind schedule. Facing the marines was 798 men led by Lt Seizo Ishikawa, the commander of the 3rd Special Base force Makin detachment. 284 of his men were from his detachment, alongside them were 100 air personnel, 138 men from the 11th construction unit and 276 men of the 4th fleet construction department detachment made up mostly of Korean laborers. They had established 3 defensive areas. The aviation personnel took up the east, the 3rd special base men the middle and the Korean laborers the west. Thus only 284 combat troops with the rest being support staff would face the onslaught. Ishikawa had established a perimeter defense around the seaplane base on the lagoon shore. They had three dual purpose 8cm guns at King's wharf with a few machine guns. Running from the lagoon to the beach were two anti tank barriers. They were wide ditches with coconut log barriers going around 13 feet wide and 5 feet deep. Numerous anti tank guns were around them, behind were concrete pillboxes, machine gun positions, rifle pits and trenches. There were also trip wires with booby traps laid everywhere someone might creep up. Luckily for General Smith, Ishikawa's defensive positions were between the two tank barriers as the Japanese had predicted the invasion of the island would be made there. Over on Betio island were 4836 men led by Admiral Keiji Shibazaki. 1122 men were from the 3rd special base force, 1247 from the 111th construction unit, 970 of the 4th fleet construction department detachment and 1497 Sasebo 7th SNLF. The Sasebo 7th were known as the Rikusentai, elite marine paratroopers modeled on the German Luftwaffe paratroop brigades. During the Pacific war, 50,0000 Rikusentai troops were deployed. They work dark green uniforms modeled on the German paratrooper counterpart, dark-brown belts and harnesses with white anchor patches. Recruits were forced to learn by heart Emperor Meiji's 1882 Imperial rescript to soldiers. The war song Umi Yukaba was also their prophetic line “Across the sea, corpses in the water … I shall die for the Emperor.” As Marine historian, Colonel Joseph Alexander concluded in his work, Utmost Savagery, three days of Tarawa in 1995 “American expeditionary forces would not encounter a more sophisticated series of defensive positions on any subsequent island until they reached Iwo Jima in 1945. Yard for yard, Betio was the toughest fortified position the Marines would ever face.” The Americans were about to see Japan's “water edge” strategy. The directive was simply “concentrate all fires on the enemy's landing point and destroy him at the water's edge.” Rear Admiral Keiji Shibazai was an aggressive young officer who demanded his troops build defenses to “withstand assault by a million men for a hundred years.” Yet it was his predecessor Rear Admiral Sichero who had 50 pillboxes and bunkers constructed across an island that was just 800 yards at its widest points and two miles in length. Shibazaki added kettle mines to impede landing boats or direct them to his kill zones. Double barbed wire fences were dug into coral shallows encircling the island 50 to 100 yards from the shore. Yet as noted by Warrant Officer Kiyosha Ota the only Japanese officer to survive the battle for Tarawa, rear admiral Shibazaki could not get a cargo ship to bring over cement and steel to reinforce to build his planned 4500 tetrahedrons to surrounded the island nor reinforce countless pillboxes. Nonetheless Betio was bristling with a armada of guns. Betio held 4 8 inch guns, 4 14cm, 4 12.7cm, 6 8cm, 10 75mm mountain guns, 6 70mm howitzers, 8 7cm dual purpose guns, 9 37mm field guns, 27 12mm guns, 4 13 mm guns and 7 tanks with 37mm guns. Betio was a fortress full of steel, concrete and coconut log emplacements, the entire island was organized for battle. Within their defensive positions the Japanese had bombproof ammunition and personnel shelters in depth. The allies would be facing beach guns, anti-tank ditches, beach barrices, numerous obstacles and booby traps. Tarawa would be the most heavily defended atoll ever invaded by allied forces in the Pacific.  H hour, the landing of the first wave had been scheduled for 8am on November 20th, but Admiral Hill's transports had run into some problems. They arrived to the scene around 5:50am and began lowering their boats, but it turned out they were too far south and in range of the enemy's coastal guns. The Japanese opened fire on them forcing them back to the designated positions at the lagoon entrance. American warships meanwhile began bombarding the Japanese coastal guns and positions. The airstrikes arrived a bit late to the scene to add their payloads to the mix. Meanwhile two minesweepers the Pursuit and Requisite and two destroyers, Ringgold and Dashiell fought their way into the Tarawa lagoon to sweep for mines. The Japanese coastal guns fired upon them, seeing Ringgold suffering moderate damage from 5 inch gunfire. The choppy seas delayed the arrival of the amphibian tractors, thus H hour was moved to 9am. In the meantime at least one 8 inch coastal gun and two 120mm anti-aircraft batteries had been neutralized by the naval gunfire, and just about everything above ground or in open pits, like personnel, bombs, trucks and munitions were mostly likely destroyed. The camouflage screens over dugouts were wiped away and Shibasaki's network of telephone wire, most laid above ground was obliterated, thus his system of communication was paralyzed. Despite all of this the damage was not nearly enough. Along the beaches were rows of pillboxes, some concrete, steel and coconut made. At Red beaches 2 and 3 there were at least 5 machine guns pointing towards where the troops would land over a reef towards the shore. As Admiral Hill put it, "that was five too many."  By 8:55am the tractors were still late, but Hill ceased all naval gunfire anyway allowing them to begin their approach. The volume of intensity of fire grew as the boats motored in towards the landing beaches. Shibasaki's 75mm field guns and 37mm anti-tank guns were positioned perfectly to hit the incoming boats. Neither the amtracs nor the Higgin boats had enough armor to stop the shells. William Rogal's boat took a 37mm shell to her bow and Rogal recalled “the force of the explosion threw his body to the rear of the amtrac, showering everyone on the port side with blood and brains.” As Lt Lillibridges boat came under similar fire, the shells pierced their starboard and port sides simultaneously forcing the men to toss themselves on the flat bottom. Light mortars showered them all sending shrapnel into several marines. Most of the first wave boats headed towards Red beach 1, in a cove tucked between the pier and northwestern point of the island. The approached to red beach 1 held a significant amount of crossfire by weapons of various calibers. The men began to hit the beach at 9:10am. Landing ashore was the 3rd battalion, 2nd marines who were met with tremendous fire. The marines quickly ran into a log barricade. Some of their tractors were smashed up and burning dead in the water. If those inside them were still alive they climbed over the sides to try and wade ashore. The vehicles that made it onto land soon were halted by the log barricade seen marines jump over under machine gun fire. K Company took so many casualties they were unable to move past the log barricade and now had to lie in an exposed area under constant fire. By 11am K company would push a few men over the coconut barrier, but by this point the two leading companies had suffered 50% casualty rates. Reserve company L led by Major Michael P Ryan were just landing to the east and would lose 35% of their strength before even touching the each. A platoon of M4 Shermans attached to the 3rd battalion were tossed into the water but 4 of them got stuck in potholes in the coral reef and drowned out, only 2 tanks actually made it to the beach. Meanwhile at 9:22 the 2nd battalion, 2nd marines also landed in chaos and confusion at Red Beach 2. Company F was to hit the left while company E took the right and company G would act in support. Similar to Red Beach 1, a 4 foot high log barricade had been constructed to form a sea wall. Most of the barricade lay 20 yards from the waters edge, leaving a narrow open strip of deep coral sand for the marines to traverse. Numerous pillboxes and shelters lay around the barricade in intervals. Rogal's amtrac headed to Red beach 2 through mortar bursts that showered his men with shrapnel. When the boat grounded on the sand Rogal shouted “Lets go!” and the men went over the side through machine gun fire. Rogal rushed forward and could see above the seawall to the left a machine gun emplacement, it was one of the major strong points and it would kill roughly 300 marines that day. The amtracs drove onto the beaches and lowered their ramps with most of the first wave units making it to the seawall providing some shield from enemy fire. However going any further was near suicide, a few brave souls climbed over and were shot or wounded. Men sat crouched around the wall with their heads down waiting for tanks and air support. The volume of Japanese mortar, artillery and automatic fire was tremendous. F company was decimated, but managed to grab the left half of the beach near the pier, digging in on the coral sand. E Company suffered heavy casualties and the reserve G company landed in the center and immediately pinned down. As the men were huddled along the coconut barrier they began systematically eliminating enemy positions that jutted out onto the beach. Further to the east, at 9;17am the 2nd battalion, 8th marines of Major Henry Crowe began landing at red beach 3. They were backed up by 4 medium tanks of the 2nd tank battalion, 3 of the tanks would be put out of action within 2 hours. The marines at red beach 3 enjoyed more success than the other thanks to additional naval bombardment support that had lasted just until 7 minutes of their landing. They suffered just 25 casualties as the rapidly burst through the coconut barricade by driving LVTs through it. Company E led the way continuing as far inland as the triangle formed by the main airstrip and taxiways.    Colonel David Shoups 2nd marines were in dire trouble at Red Beach 2 and had to commit the reserve 1st battalion who landed there and were ordered to work their way west towards red beach 1in the hopes of aiding the 3rd battalion. By 11am, two companies in amphibious tractors came over and suffered the same fire that had decimated the other waves, but managed to get their men ashore. When General Smith heard about Shoups call for reinforcements he also sent the reserve 3rd battalion, 8th marines to relief their right flank. Boated over in LCVPs, the battalion were halted by the reef line and forced to wade ashore under heavy fire during the afternoon. Supply barges were unable to reach the beaches, forcing the reserve troops to carry the most vital supplies. Colonel Shoup had radioed the transported intermittently throughout the day asking for more ammunition ,water and medical supplies, but these calls just caused more confusion amongst the shipping. The transport commanders had been tossing boat after boat carrying supplies, but they had no real picture of the situation between their boats and the beach. Captain Henry Knowles would end up sending Major Ben Weatherwax ashore just to determine what the supply situation was. It would literally take until dawn to get a complete picture, that picture being that Shoup had received virtually none of the supplies supposed to be dispatched to him. Additionally two M4 shermans were brought up to help the battered 3rd battalion, 2nd marines who were driving across the island towards the south shore. The marines hit shelter to shelter making steady progress. The tanks got within 300 yards of the south shore when 40mm gunfire knocked them both out. The progress allowed Major Michael Ryan to discover that part of Green Beach, on the western coast of Betio was available for landing reserves. Unable to relay this to Shoup, he ultimately had to pull out and dig in to form a defensive position. While the Americans were suffering communication problems, the Japanese had a much worse one. The naval bombardment had destroyed their communications lines to the Japanese HQ, preventing Rear Admiral Shibazaki to lead, but that problem was soon solved. It was solved when a 5 inch air burst shell fired from either RInggold or Dashiell hit his HQ killing him and all the senior officers. The last message Shibazaki received before his death was from Emperor Hirohito “you have all fought gallantly. May you continue to fight to the death. Banzai”. Shibazaki had planned to launch a counterattack, but now his forces were for the first critical two days of the battle leaderless, demoralized and uncoordinated.  Concurrently the 8th marines were fighting to hold the triangle position they acquired under heavy attacks from the Japanese. F Company was in a brutal fight around the Burns-Philp Wharf facing a Japanese counterattack supported by tanks. The buildings were all ablaze as tanks and flamethrowers were firing upon everything they could. By nightfall the Japanese counterattack failed. To their right Shoups 2nd marines were unable to organize a proper attack because their forces were all over the place. They held a pinned down toehold around the beach, but many units had penetrated some 125 yards inland and no pockets were fighting all over. Throughout the night, men were frantically carrying supplies ashore, but few supplies were actually reaching the beaches. There was an enormous failure in communications. Aboard the USS Maryland, the only information General Julian Smith was receiving came from reports of observers in planes, intercepted radio messages and a few direct reports from Colonel Shoup. By 1:43pm Smith ordered General Hermle to go to the end of the pier and get an estimation of the situation ashore. At 3:10 Hermle tried the best he could to relay the information but couldn't get through. Hermle recommended the 1st battalion, 8th marines be committed to Red Beach 2, but this message never made it to Smith. Meanwhile Smith ordered Hermle to take command of the troops ashore, but this message never reached him. At 4:25 Smith ordered Colonel Hall, command of the 8th marines to land on the eastern beaches, but he also never received the message so most of his men spent the night floating. Luckily by 8:19pm Colonel Hall received a message and landed at Red Beach 2, whereupon he didn't receive any further orders. Over at Makin, Admiral Turner landed the 1st and 3rd battalions, 165th regiment. General Ralph Smiths plan called for the rapid capture of Flink point and Ukiangong Point, along with the occupation of the area east of Red Beaches to the first beachhead line around 1300 yards inland. The 1st battalion would hit Flink Point and the left half of the beachhead line. The 3rd battalion would hit Ukiangong village and Point and was responsible for the right half of the beachhead line. The 1st battalion advanced, overcoming some barbed wire, log barricades and an undefended observation tower. The3rd battalion made equal progress finding little resistance. By 10:30am the beachhead line was secured, Company A and Detachment Y had been dispatched northward to occupy Flink Point, L company with Detachment X were turning south to take Ukiengong Village and to clear the point beyond it. General SMith expected some resistance at Ukiangong, but it with the point were taken unopposed. Therefor Smith elected to establish artillery positions there. Flink Point was taken by 12:40, marking the operation quite an easy success. After receiving word at 8am that the Kotabu detachment had taken the island without opposition, Turner decided to go ahead with the landings on Yellow Beach. At 10:05am the landing forces advances towards Yellow Beach. The destroyers MacDonough and Phelps began a bombardment using their 5 inch guns. The first wave of 16 amphibian tractors began approaching as they fired rockets against the beach. Following up would in a minute was the second wave of 8 LCMS carrying medium tanks, followed two minutes later by the third wave, 7 LCMs carrying medium tanks, then another 2 minutes after was the fourth wave carrying two LCVPS with troops and 4 LCMS with light tanks. The next four waves would consist of LCVPS carrying the bulk of the assault troops and a bulldozer. At 10:25 the tractors were around 600 yards off the beach when the two destroyers ceased their firing to allow a last minute strafing run by carrier planes. As the approached, the men in the tractors crouched low to avoid the rain of bullets that began at around 500 yards. At 10:41 they hit the beaches and one amphtrack ran up the seaplane ramp on Kings Wharf. Enemy shellfire struck two amphtracks killing 5 men and wounding 12. One lone tractor lost control and drove straight across the island toward the ocean shore, directly through the main Japanese defenses. It ended up in a shell crater with two of its crew killed by enemy machine gun fire, but the others managed to jump into the brush. Upon jumping out of their tractors the Americans made their way inland by crawling along the western slope of the causeway. The pier was captured quickly, Detachment Z then divided into two groups, one to take King's Wharf, the other On Chong's Wharf. Kings Wharf was taken unopposed, but On Chong's Wharf would offer some tough resistance. The 105th regiment fought their way through dugouts and bomb proof shelters to get to the Wharf by dusk. They then began mass throwing grenades into the Wharf emplacements killing many Japanese. 35 Prisoners would soon be captured and by noon On Chong's Wharf was secured. Back over at the beach, 15 medium tanks landed on the beach with two becoming stuck in shell holes in the reef. The other tanks split up advancing east and west against the two tank barriers. Unfortunately they were not very well coordinated and began operating independently. Behind the tanks was the 2nd battalion, 165th regiment whose LCVPS grounded themselves on the reef. The landing troops had little to no opportunity to locate the incessant fire being poured upon them from the right flank. At the offset they believed the fire was coming from two battered and scuttled hulks resting near On Chong's Wharf. Their first effort to knock these out was made by a LCVP commanded by Joseph Kasper. The boat mounted three of its guns on the starboard side and ran for the hulks while firing all at once. Kasper was fatally wounded during the run and one of the guns jammed. The incessant fire was halting the men so at 11:25 and 12:50 carrier planes bombed and strafed the hulks. Alongside this the destroyer Dewey bombarded them scoring numerous hits, but by 12:07 was ordered to cease fire because a few hits hit friendlys. Finally at 12:57 Major Dennis Claire ordered a stop to the bombardments so he could lead E company to hit the eastern tank barrier. They met light resistance until they came to the area of Kings Wharf. There they ran into concealed pillboxes that would halt their advance for over 4 hours. The men tried rifle grenades, bazookas, artillery barrages, but the pillboxes kept returning fire. Then they tried a daring encirclement maneuver under artillery support. The men crawled and crept in a wide circle reaching the pill boxes 40 yards or so away. They attempted to use flamethrowers, but the defenders still fired back. Then some engineers brought over TNT which was tossed into the pillboxes and exploded just before some light tanks rolled up to fire using 37mm rounds. By 4pm the pill boxes finally ceased firing, 8 Americans had been killed taking them. E company advanced a bit before digging in for the night. F Company advanced across the atoll west to attack the west tank barrier. They did not encounter resistance, excluding the incredibly difficult jungle. By noon the reached the ocean shore where they reorganized their lines and made their way south alongside 5 Sherman tanks to assault the west tank barrier. F Company and the tanks ran into a tanktrap with underground shelters full of Japanese defenders. Some labor troops were also there armed with knives and a few rifles. F Company proceeded to use TNT pole charges to blow up the shelters and flame throwers which quickly became the preferred weapon to face Japanese underground defenses. During the fight F Company had 8 deaths and 6 wounded. By 1:30pm they reached the barrier. The 3rd Platoon of F Company were attacking a section due south of On Chong's Wharf where an enemy air raid shelter was. The shelter was around 30 feet long with blast proof entrances on either side. When they tossed hand grenades into the shelter the grenades were tossed right back at them. A sherman tank came up and started firing 75mm shells, but had no success. Then a flamethrower unit crept up and tried to fire, but the equipment was soaked from the landing and was not functioning. Thus they resorted to a TNT pole charge. The explosion did not collapse the shelter, but it killed all 12 Japanese inside it. Meanwhile countless units were dealing with machine gun positions aided by 3 shermans. The tanks gradually pierced the barrier and proceeded.  Meanwhile the 1st battalion was advancing from the west passing Joan Lake by 2pm. From there they ran into some strong machine gun posts 150 yards west of the barrier. B Company of the 1st battalion rushed over to help F company from the east side of the west tank barrier. At this point the regimental commander, Colonel Conroy had taken a shot to the head and was dead leaving Lt Colonel Gerard Kelley, the commander of the 1st battalion in charge. Kelley's first orders were for C company to bypass the pocket in the front, while A company would reinforce B company. The Japanese defenders were now trapped in the center being gradually eliminated by the 4 shermans. By 5:55pm F Company finally destroyed the last of the enemy in the center of the line and contact was made between the two battalions.  After suffering 25 deaths and 62 wounded, the 27th division had gained a good foothold on Butaritari; the West Tank Barrier had been reduced; but the enemy forces in the east still needed to be cleared. The night was a very uncomfortable one. Japanese snipers harassed the Americans the entire time; Japanese infiltrators were up to their old tricks calling out in english, throwing firecrackers and trying to jump into foxholes with knives in hand. Trigger happy Americans fired away indiscriminately, causing chaos. A man of the 152nd engineered ran along the lagoon shore at daybreak from the direction of On Chong's Wharf toward the 2nd battalions command post screaming “theres a hundred and fifty Japs in the trees!”. This caused a wave of hysteria. That morning Kelley ordered his 1st battalion to clear the remaining enemy pockets west of the barrier while the rear of the west tank barrier area was finally mopped up. To the east an air bombardment smashed the area before the eastward advance commenced. Supported by 10 shermans the Americans advanced slowly against stiff resistance, successfully overran every enemy position. Between 12-2pm they were fighting through one of the most heavily defended areas on the island. Machine gun emplacements supported by rifle pits with double apron barbed wire running back and forth were everywhere they looked. By 5pm they advanced 1000 yards at the cost of 18 deaths and 15 wounded. The next day starting at 6am the 3rd battalion advanced along the island highway towards Yellow Beach. As they reached Yellow Beach 13 medium and light tanks with some engineers fell in line with them and together they advanced towards Ukiangong Point. At 7am artillery bombarded Ukiangong Point, first targeting the east tank barrier. Until 8:20 the artillery fired nearly 900 rounds then the 3rd battalion began their assault upon forward defenses that had been abandoned during the night. By 9;15 the men seized the first 250 yards meeting only light resistance, after that it became fierce fighting. Meanwhile two detachments of the 105th regiment led by Major Herzog were dispatched to cut off the Japanese line of retreat. They performed an amphibious encirclement maneuver going through the lagoon. The men embarked on 6 LVTS and made a 3 mile dash across the lagoon to the northeastern point where they met up with friendly natives who notified them the Japanese were fleeing eastward across the reef to Kuma. They quickly seized Kuma and now the enemy on Butaritari was entirely cut off from their retreat. With artillery and tank support the 3rd battalion managed attacked the Stone Pier area. The tank commanders had learnt many lessons over the past two days and began using their big guns to reduce buildings ahead of them to infantry could toss grenades into the smaller shelters. Tank-infantry tactics were literally being developed ad hoc as the men learnt first hand lessons of war. Tanks opened up with 75mm shells knocking shelters and infantry stormed them with grenades. Soon the Stone Pier area was clear and now they began striking the east tank barrier. The east tank barrier was more heavily fortified than its western counterpart, yet the Japanese abandoned the barrier during the night. Only a few dead Japanese would be found, killed by earlier bombardments. The 3rd battalion continued past the barrier linking up with A company by 1:30pm finding no sign of the enemy. Together they advanced 2100 yards beyond the narrow neck of the island and dug in for the night. Each company created a separate defensive perimeter stretching across the width of the island in a line of about 300 yards in length. It was not long during the night when the Japanese got up to their old tricks. Following behind a group of friendly native guides, a group of Japanese infiltrators approached limiting the cries of babies. The ruse was recognized by a member of the engineer detachment who opened fire immediately killing 10 Japanese. For the rest of the night there was intermittent fire fights as infiltrators continuously attacked. The Japanese began to yell and sing songs, many sounding quite drunk.  It was not just there the Japanese attacked, over on Kuma Island at around midnight 10 Japanese attacked the defense line set up by Major Bradt's men. Although certainly shaken by the night terror, over 60 Japanese would be killed by the morning of the 23rd. This nearly wiped out the remaining survivors allowing the Americans to have firm control over Makin.  The Americans suffered 58 deaths, 152 wounded on Makin while the Japanese lost perhaps 800 men and the Americans captured 105 POW's. The Americans had held an unbelievable superiority during this battle. The ratio of American combat casualties to those of the Japanese though was remarkably high. With the battle concluded, most of the 27th division departed Makin on the 24th leaving Colonel CLesen Tenney to lead garrison forces. Tragedy hit that morning when the escort carrier Liscome Bay was sunk by the I-175 who had been hunting around Makin since the arrival of the Americans. This left the death toll at Makin 644, including Rear Admiral Henry Mullinnix. Back on Tarawa the marines were surprised the Japanese did not launch a major counterattack during the first night which was their typical strategy. General Smith landed his reserve 1st battalion, 8th marines on Red Beach 2, but they took some heavy casualties for this. Many of the men wading ashore were fired upon creating a scene of carnage. In central Betio Colonel Shoups marines unleashed a devastating artillery bombardment using delay fuzes in order to penetrate coral and log shelters to hit enemy positions around the triangle. A line just short of the taxiway on the airfield had formed, as the 1st battalion began to drive towards the south shore of Betio. The 1st battalion, 8th marines launched an attack against a strong defensive position at a juncture on the two right hand beaches to try and reestablish contact with the 3rd battalion 2nd marines. Other units of drove all the way across the island to secure Green Beach. The 8th marines were unable to make any progress against the strong Japanese positions. The major success of the day would be landing the reserve 1st and 2nd battalions, 6th marines at Green Beach and Bairiki island by the afternoon facing no opposition.  At this point Colonel Edson landed at Red Beach 2 and took command of the marine forces until General Smith landed. Colonel Edson spent his first night consulting with Shoup and Hall before ordering a coordinated attack the following morning. Edson noted, until then air and naval gunfire had been ineffective because they did not have acute knowledge of american and enemy positions. So Edson ordered spotters to get a better picture of the area and for the 2nd battalion, 10th marines artillery to come over. The next morning the 10th marines began an artillery bombardment to aid the attack. At 8am the 1st battalion, 6th marines advance eastwards down a narrow hundred yard strip of heavily fortified ground between the airfield and south shore. They rapidly progressed and by 11:00a would reach an area held by the 1st battalion, 2nd marines. It was estimated they killed 250 Japanese during this action. After completing this action new orders were issued to continue the advance east to the end of the airfield. They began advancing at 1pm and hit strong resistance. It would take until the late afternoon to clear the way over. During the afternoon the 3rd battalion, 6th marines landed at Green Beach and began advancing up the rear to aid in the assault. Elsewhere on Betio the 8th marines were making progress reducing the strong Burns-Philp Wharf position. The 18th marine engineers helped explode portions of steel pillboxes to let their colleagues storm them. One of the positions was a large blockhouse and when captured suddenly a large Japanese counterattack emerged to retake it. The 1st battalion, 8th marines on the western beaches proceeded slowly with fighting going on well into the night. Colonel Maurice Holmes 6th marines then relieved the 8th marines on the frontlines. By nightfall on the third day of the battle, the Americans now possessed all of the western end of Betio, going as far east as the eastern end of the airfield, except for some pockets between Red Beach 1 and 2. General Julian Smith finally came ashore on Green Beach just before noon assuming command. Despite the substantial gains, it was estimated that at least 5 more days of heavy fighting remaining before Betio was subdued. Smith gave Holmes the command for the final drive to the eastern tip of Betio. With the new daunting task at hand, Colonel Holmes prepared his forces for the brutal final drive, when all of a sudden 50 Japanese launched a counterattack. By the night of the 22nd, most of the remaining Japanese, roughly 1000 men were squeezed on the eastern narrow tail of the island. At 7:30 a group of 50 Japanese began attacking American positions recently just established. The 1st battalion, 6th marines had just assumed responsibility for the whole cross island line and the Japanese managed to find a small gap in the line. The Japanese used grenades and bayonets trying to break through, but the Americans were able to quickly encircle and annihilate them. Thus the Japanese were forced to launch a second probing attack later that night bringing their artillery 75 yards near the Marine front lines in an effort to screen their charges. The second attack was a two pronged movement hitting B company on the right and A company on the left. Both Japanese groups were obliterated in what became a wild frenzy of hand to hand fighting. Then after this the heaviest counterattack was launched at around 3am. The Japanese made a frontal assault for over an hour. 300 Japanese troops hit both A and B companies and like their other comrades were obliterated come the morning. These three attacks were in effect banzai charges, last ditch efforts to break the Americans, it cost the entire Japanese garrison. Holmes plans would be unnecessary to reach the eastern tip of Betio island as little opposition was found. By 10am the 1st battalion, 8th marines and 3rd battalion 2nd marines joined together to form a semicircular attack upon the last enemy pocket. They were supported by 75mm guns that unleashed carnage upon the pillboxes before marines grabbed prisoners through burst open holes from their shelters. Tarawa saw an estimated 4690 Japanese and Korean killed, with 17 Japanese and 129 Koreans POWs captured. The Marines suffered 1009 deaths, 2101 wounded and 191 missing in action. Vandegrift would tell the New York Times on December 27th "Tarawa was an assault from beginning to end. We must steel ourselves now to pay that price". November 24th would see the rest of the Tarawa atoll get mopped up and by the 29th, Abaiang, Marakei and the Maiana atolls were occupied. On the 21st the 5th amphibious corp reconnaissance company landed on Apamama under naval gunfire support from their submarine and escorting destroyer. They would encounter resistance from 23 Japanese whom they neutralized by the next day. With this Operation Galvanic has successfully been accomplished. The operation as we will see in the future weeks provided dire lessons to the allies about what the rest of the war would look like. As Vandegrift would later remark “Tarawa was the first example in history of a sea-borne assault against a heavily defended coral atoll … In the final analysis … success at Tarawa depended upon the discipline, courage, and fighting ability of the individual Marine. Seldom has anyone been called upon to fight a battle under more difficult circumstances.” It was under these circumstances, where the de facto practice of taking no prisoners would easily become the norm. The Japanese soldiers were faking deaths, hiding grenades to take allied men down with them. Suicide attacks were increasing exponentially. Thus the age of phrase would be adopted by the marines “shoot first and ask questions later”. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Operation Galvanic had finally been accomplished. It cost countless lives and would be one of the major bitter lessons learnt by the Americans during the Pacific War. The enemy was going to defend every single inch of their territory until the last man. Would America have the stomach to drive it home? 

Glenn and Mike welcome in CJ, the professional restaurateur/ server extraordinaire who shares up his hope one post at a time.  

Join Mike and Megan as we dive in head first to the best travel hacking content. In this episode we breakdown all things airline portals. Including what they are, how to use them, the best one out there, and if you even should be using one of these… Episode Resources:American Airlines Portal Newsletter: https://www.dailydrop.com/newsletters/let-s-talk-about-american-airlines?tid=podcastKeep Up With Daily Drop: Stay up to date with the newsletter: https://dailydrop.com/ Join the Lounge: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailydroplounge Check out our top cards: https://dailydrop.com/pages/our-top-credit-cards Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailydrop/ Hang out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyDrop Prefer a video podcast? Head over here: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyDropPodcastEpisode Time Stamps:0:35 - What are airline portals?1:35 - How does it work?2:36 - Why use airline portals?4:55 - Earn towards Elite Status5:22 - American Airlines Portal and why you should care about it7:15 - An example of the portal in action8:19 - American Airlines portal, even if you don't live in the US11:18 - What if I'm not loyal to AA or live near an AA hub? 13:20 - Mike's favorite airline portal15:37 - Why Megan's favorite airline portal is no airline portal17:11 - Bank points vs. airline miles19:32 - Cash vs. miles20:01 - The most important part 

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