Episodes

  • Cpl James Edwin Gledhill, US Army AirCorp, 21st Weather Squadron

    Cpl James Edwin Gledhill, US Army AirCorp, 21st Weather Squadron
    Jun 27 2026
    Welcome to War and Family Letters Home.
    For most people, the weather is simply something we complain about. For Corporal James Gledhill and the men of the 21st Weather Squadron, it was a weapon, a lifesaving tool, and sometimes the deciding factor in history itself. Their forecasts helped determine when armies would move, when aircraft would fly, and ultimately when the liberation of Europe could begin. And thanks to one simple V-mail letter, we have the opportunity to remember not only the man who wrote it, but the remarkable—and often overlooked—unit in which he served.

    More than eighty years ago, members of the Greatest Generation sat down with pen and paper to write home from training camps, ships at sea, foxholes, air bases, and distant battlefields. Most never imagined those letters would survive long after the war ended. But some did. They surface today in antique stores, estate sales, and auctions—small pieces of history separated from the families who once treasured them. They are personal stories of the men and women of WW2, whose words somehow survived the decades. These letters belong back to their families and that is what this podcast is about! – maybe this letter was meant for you!
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    15 mins
  • Sgt Norman E Beck, US Army, 195th Truck Company China-Burma-India

    Sgt Norman E Beck, US Army, 195th Truck Company China-Burma-India
    Jun 7 2026
    Sergeant Norman E. Beck. From a boy growing up in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania… to a National Guardsman called into federal service… to a soldier living in bamboo huts deep in the jungles of Assam, helping build one of the most important supply routes of World War II.

    Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home. I am your Podcast Host/ Lauren Muise More than eighty years ago, members of the Greatest Generation sat down with pen and paper to write home from training camps, ships at sea, foxholes, air bases, and distant battlefields. Most never imagined those letters would survive long after the war ended. But some did. They surface today in antique stores, estate sales, and auctions—small pieces of history separated from the families who once treasured them. These are not just military records or casualty statistics. They are personal stories of the men and women of WW2, whose words somehow survived the decades. These letters belong back to their families – maybe this letter was meant for you!
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    17 mins
  • PFC Arnold John Nerthling Jr., US Army, 232nd Port Company

    PFC Arnold John Nerthling Jr., US Army, 232nd Port Company
    May 24 2026
    Arnold John Nerthling, A young man from Buffalo, with roots reaching back to the Seneca people of the Tonawanda Reservation, Arnold carried out the unglamorous but essential work that kept the Allied advance moving across the Pacific. His words—written between cargo ships, tropical rain, mosquito nets, and distant islands—remind us that victory in World War II depended not only on the men in the headlines, but also on those whose names rarely appeared in history books.

    Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home. I am your Podcast Host/ Lauren Muise More than eighty years ago, members of the Greatest Generation sat down with pen and paper to write home from training camps, ships at sea, foxholes, air bases, and distant battlefields. Most never imagined those letters would survive long after the war ended. But some did. They surface today in antique stores, estate sales, and auctions—small pieces of history separated from the families who once treasured them. These are not just military records or casualty statistics. They are personal stories of the men and women of WW2, whose words somehow survived the decades. These letters belong back to their families – maybe this letter was meant for you!
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    16 mins
  • RDM 3/C Luther P Miller US Navy, PC-1187 and the USS Oberon - Letters Sent Home !

    RDM 3/C Luther P Miller US Navy, PC-1187 and the USS Oberon - Letters Sent Home !
    May 16 2026
    Please join me to hear the story and letters of Luther Patterson Miller of Somerset Pennsylvania.
    Navy radioman Miller witnessed a world at war. Yet perhaps his greatest contribution came after the fighting had ended — returning home to his wife and son, working long hours to provide for his family, and eventually building a company that would continue serving Appalachian communities for generations to come. In many ways, the story of Luther Patterson Miller is the story of so many Americans of the World War II generation — ordinary people who answered the call to serve, then came home and quietly helped build the communities that carried the country forward in the years after the war.

    Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home. I am your Podcast Host/ Lauren Muise This podcast shares letters written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. I find these letters in antique stores and auctions, research the letter writer and tell their story before, during and after the war. My mission is simple: to return World War II history to families—one letter, and one story at a time.
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    19 mins
  • CPL Julian A. Nichols, U.S. Army, 483rd Engineering Maintenance Co - Letters Sent Home !

    CPL Julian A. Nichols, U.S. Army, 483rd Engineering Maintenance Co - Letters Sent Home !
    May 1 2026
    Welcome to the 100th episode War and Family Letters Home! This episode is about Cpl. Julian Andrew Nichols of the 483rd Engineering Maintenance Co. Cpl Nichols served in both the European and Pacific theatre of war. Join me to hear his letters and his activities before, during and after the war! The best part? Cpl Nichols letters are going home to his Granddaughter!

    This podcast shares letters written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. My mission is simple: to return World War II history to families—one letter, and one story at a time.
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    19 mins
  • Pvt. Martin Leroy Phy., 424th Anti Tank, 106th Infantry Division, US Army

    Pvt. Martin Leroy Phy., 424th Anti Tank, 106th Infantry Division, US Army
    Apr 19 2026
    Welcome to War and Family: Letters Home. I’m your host, Lauren Muise. This podcast is built around letters — real letters — written home by U.S. servicemen and women during World War II. My mission is simple: to return that history to families, one letter and one story at a time. Each letter is a time capsule — a voice carried forward from a foxhole, a barracks bunk, a ship at sea, or a field hospital half a world away. And I hope that someone listening today will hear a familiar name…
    Or recognize a hometown… and reach out. Because these letters belong home. Maybe this letter… is meant for you.

    Pvt Phy served bravely in the 424th anti-tank battalion – the type of unit often overlooked in WW2 history. They were specialized, supporting and rarely in the spotlight unless something went terribly wrong. The battalion’s story is not one of sweeping victory, but of duty under impossible conditions. Anti-tank units were the last line between advancing armor and vulnerable infantry. In the Ardennes, that line bent and in many places it broke – but not without resistance. Their experience is a reminder that history is often shaped not just by triumphs, but by moments of shock, endurance, and survival.
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    17 mins
  • S/Sgt Victor Pettus Miles, US Army, 315th Combat Engineers

    S/Sgt Victor Pettus Miles, US Army, 315th Combat Engineers
    Mar 28 2026
    Victory Pettus Miles was born in Gray Summit Missouri. he served in the 315th Engineer combat Battalion, it's motto: "We Make" S/Sgt Miles served in the European theatre and was part of the first wave of landings at Omaha Beach.

    During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War.

    Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. It is my hope that All letters in these podcasts will return to family. If you recognize the soldiers or families, please reach out to me at and help me get the letters home
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    16 mins
  • PH M/1 James Frances Murphy, U.S. Navy, USS Piedmont

    PH M/1 James Frances Murphy, U.S. Navy, USS Piedmont
    Feb 23 2026
    Pharmacist’s Mate First Class James Francis Murphy served where he was needed most—aboard the USS Piedmont, standing ready to save lives in the shadow of war. He survived the dangers of the Pacific, returned home, and now rests among heroes in Arlington National Cemetery.

    During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War.

    Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. It is my hope that All letters in these podcasts will return to family. If you recognize the soldiers or families, please reach out to me at and help me get the letters home
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    14 mins