"My service wasn't going to be necessarily dedicated to a full-time career in the military. It doesn't mean that I can't continue giving back and serving my community and my country."

This week, we speak with Alexander Landry, a defence and security professional at Babcock Canada and a military engineer officer with over 14 years of leadership experience. Alexander shares his journey from the Royal Military College to NATO assignments in Turkey and Operation Unifier in Ukraine. We explore the evolution of modern warfare, the strategic importance of Arctic sovereignty, and why a commitment to public service remains the through-line of his family's long military lineage.

In this episode:
- Explore the shift in NATO’s defence posture and the importance of Article 2, known as the "Canadian Article", which emphasizes economic prosperity and shared democratic values as essential pillars of global security
- Learn about the unique role of the "Sapper" and how the Canadian Military Engineer Association provides a vital safety net for the engineer family through advocacy and programs
- Hear about the 150th anniversary of the Royal Military College and the Alumni Association’s ongoing mission to bridge the generational gap between "the old brigades" and the current generation of cadets

"This story was never lost. It was just waiting to be told."

This week, we speak with Alicia Costello, a historian with the Texas Historical Commission, and Ta'Na Alexander, a descendant of an original Choctaw Code Talker. We delve into the collaborative effort to establish a historical marker in Fort Worth that honors the Native soldiers of the 142nd Infantry who utilized a code that was never broken.

In this episode:
- Discover the significance of the Camp Bowie marker, located on the very grounds where Choctaw soldiers trained in 1917 before deploying to provide a critical advantage in the Great War
- Learn about the "Under-Told Markers" program, a special initiative by the Texas Historical Commission that funds markers for stories historically overlooked or missing from the landscape
- Understand the legacy of the Telephone Warriors, whose contributions remained a classified secret for decades until public recognition began to flourish following a 1989 visit from the French government

"Sometimes that quietness of a place is what makes it so profound."

This week, we speak with Dr. Geoffrey Bird, lead of the War Heritage Research Initiative at Royal Roads University. Dr. Bird discusses the transition of remembrance into an activity of learning, the unique resonance found only by standing on historical ground, and how we must ethically navigate the heritage dissonance that technology can bring to sacred memorial sites.

In this episode:
- Explore the power of place and why standing on the actual undulations of a battlefield allows visitors to connect with the past in a way that documents and documentaries alone cannot achieve
- Navigate the ethics of technology in commemoration, specifically the risk of heritage dissonance where digital noise or simulations might interfere with the profound, meaningful silence of a cemetery
- Discover the Story Pole project, a film highlighting the experiences of Indigenous veterans and the universal values of justice, peace, and truth anchored in our national monuments

"Remembrance has to be something that carries on no matter how many years go by."

This week, we speak with Steve Smith, a veteran battlefield guide and author who has dedicated his career to uncovering the personal stories of the Great War. Steve shares the journey of tracing his own great-grandfather’s service, the unique challenges of personalizing tours for families traveling from across the Atlantic, and the enduring power of the Menin Gate ceremony.

In this episode:
- Discover how digital trench maps and original war diaries allow Steve to guide families to a specific field and pinpoint the exact position where their relative served, transforming anonymous history into a deeply personal pilgrimage
- Explore the enduring mystery of the 5th Battalion Norfolk Regiment, a unit that disappeared from sight at Gallipoli in 1915, leading to theories ranging from wartime executions to extraterrestrial abductions
- Hear about the "torch of remembrance" and the next generation, as Steve explains how he engages school groups to ensure that the stories of the fallen continue to resonate a century later

"At the core, the goal is really just to turn records into a form of remembrance, one name at a time."

This week, we speak with Miriam Friedman, who leads the #everynamecounts project at Accenture. In partnership with the Arolsen Archives, Accenture leverages Artificial Intelligence to make Holocaust-era documentation searchable for families and researchers worldwide. Miriam explains how technology acts as a bridge to the past, allowing volunteers to restore the names and stories of individuals who were once treated as mere statistics.

In this episode:
- Discover how AI and human validation work together to process millions of documents from the Arolsen Archives, reducing the burden on manual indexing while keeping the "human pass" essential for dignity
- Understand the shift from physical to digital memorialization, enabling people without local access to a Holocaust museum to engage directly with primary historical sources
- Hear Miriam’s personal connection as a descendant of survivors, and how her work helps others find family documents they never knew existed

"I think anybody who puts on a uniform and goes to fight and defend a country, especially one they've never met, deserves our respect."

This week, we speak with John Bocskay, Director of International Affairs at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK). In today's episode, John details the cemetery’s logistical history, the moving ceremonies held for veterans returning to be buried with their comrades, and the upcoming 75th-anniversary commemorations.

In this episode:
- Discover the unique status of the UNMCK as the only United Nations cemetery in existence, a "quirk of history" resulting from the first and last time the UN fought as a unified combatant in a war
- Learn about the "Wall of Remembrance" and national monuments that honor the 22 sending states, including a special look at the humanitarian legacy of Brigadier General Richard Whitcomb
- Explore the evolving relationship between the cemetery and the city of Busan, from strict residential development limits to the powerful impact the site has on young students who see their own ages reflected on the headstones

"There is life after that knock. After the knock, there is hope, there is meaning to go find, and there are stories to share."

This week, we speak with Amy Dozier, Director of Outreach at the Woody Williams Foundation. Amy discusses the legacy of World War II Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams, the foundation's work establishing over 160 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments, and how her own experience losing her husband in the Iraq War led her to help other survivors navigate their grief journeys.

In this episode:
- Understand the significance of "the knock" and how the Woody Williams Foundation provides a village for families whose lives were permanently changed by military service
- Explore the impact of storytelling through the After the Knock podcast, which offers a safe, judgment-free space for survivors to discuss often-stigmatized topics like sibling loss and suicide
- Hear a moving story of legacy and remembrance involving a handwritten letter, a meaningful tattoo, and how a new generation is being taught the true meaning of family service and sacrifice

"You can't understand yourself unless you understand where you've come from and you can't understand the culture in which you grow up unless you understand what created that culture."

This week, we speak with Jock Phillips ONZM, author and former Chief Historian of New Zealand. Jock shares his journey from studying the culture of masculinity to uncovering the deeply personal diaries of First World War soldiers, the shifting public perception of Anzac Day, and the complex history behind New Zealand’s earliest war memorials.

In this episode:
- Hear the moving story of the Western Front involving a soldier’s letters and a nurse’s compassionate act that allowed him to die in peace, highlighting the human extremes of the Great War
- Explore the unique iconography of the New Zealand Wars, including the fascinating story of the country’s first war memorial and its role in the complex relationship between European settlers and Māori tribes
- Learn about Edith Statham, whose pioneering work across the early 20th century ensured that those who fell in the New Zealand Wars were appropriately remembered