Memorial Day: Voices of Honor from Jefferson Barracks

In this special Memorial Day episode of When Does the [ __ ] End?, Todd and Kyle take a powerful detour from the usual banter to honor those who served and sacrificed. Recorded on-site at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, the episode features emotional and personal conversations with families visiting their fallen loved ones.

From Navy veterans to Vietnam heroes, each guest shares memories, reflections, and the deeper meaning behind Memorial Day. What starts as a simple visit becomes a moving tribute to those who gave everything. You'll hear stories of tradition, love, grief, and national pride—and maybe reconsider how you spend your next Memorial Day.

There are still a few laughs (and even a "Would You Rather" game), but this episode is about remembrance, not just relaxation.

📌 Trigger warning: Some emotional content related to grief and military loss.

🎧 Available now on Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Instagram:     https://www.instagram.com/whendoesthefkryend/
Twitter:    https://twitter.com/WDFKRYE
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLK1ho6AACjaEoQGWO2f_uQ

Transcript

[Music]
0:08
[Music] all right everybody Welcome back to
0:14
another episode of When Does the [ __ ] End and we got a special one for you today Uh me and Kyle just went out to
0:20
Jefferson Barracks Memorial Cemetery and uh we spent the day out there kind of talking to some people about their loved
0:27
ones And so actually let's get to what we usually do here First shot at
0:35
We're going to do a shot of screw ball Yeah you're allowed to talk now Kyle didn't talk the whole time we were at uh Jefferson Barracks I was just a sound
0:42
guy and I got fired Yeah he got fired for forgetting tissues You'll find out why later in the episode School
0:54
But uh today is Memorial Day Yes it is And so we decided to make a special
1:00
episode You're not going to hear it until about two weeks after Memorial Day I understand that But it's uh something
1:05
to keep in the back of your mind as you listen to these people's stories cuz a lot of them are very heartwarming and a
1:11
lot of them all say pretty much the same thing but in different words So if you're out there and you know you
1:18
hear this think about what you did on Memorial Day Did you take the time to um
1:23
think about the veterans that lost their lives did you take or did you just look at it as a barbecue
1:29
it's a good question I mean I was out there talking to these people or listening to these people at least So uh
1:36
I think I've upgraded from the barbecue to uh actually realizing what it what it's all about you know right And as
1:42
being a veteran you know it's near and dear to my heart Memorial Day cuz I've lost friends and buddies And so you know
1:48
I kind of went through the steps of trying to make people realize what Memorial Day is actually for So um
1:55
that's what you're going to be hearing is some testimonials from people in this upcoming episode Um it's going to be
2:01
kind of choppy a little bit of bits and pieces because we had to pause and go but you know bear with us We're not very
2:07
good with this editing thing yet Mhm And plus it it was kind of a last minute thing So we we really didn't have a big
2:15
plan this time No I mean imagine this We're in a parking lot with four folding chairs and microphones set up in the
2:22
middle of nowhere We basically looked like we were homeless people with microphones They pretty much expected Todd to ask them
2:29
for money Yeah I think that's what they thought I was doing cuz I was like walking up and trying to approach these
2:34
people and I think they thought I was going to be soliciting them for something Oh for sure I mean you look
2:40
like it You look like a car salesman You know a car salesman I I could probably sit on a [ __ ] goddamn skateboard on
2:47
the side of the highway and put a sign on that says "I have no legs need food," and probably make a [ __ ] ton of money Oh
2:52
there's no doubt about it Yeah Well we're getting off subject here Um I'm not going to run through all the
2:57
foundations because this is a pretty serious episode Um so we'll just kind of let you guys tune in and listen to that
3:03
But uh you know for shits and giggles let's do a would you rather okay Well um
3:09
hey uh does did Brian sponsor this one um I believe he did this one Uh he
3:15
sponsored three of them So Brian Jefferson is his name and he
3:20
was on episode 8 or episode 11 See now you're rehired again for being my memory But
3:27
you're definitely fired today for forgetting the tissues for that poor girl I know I felt so bad cuz she was
3:33
she was like tearing up and crying and I Yeah Well you guys you guys will hear her But uh it was it was very she
3:39
was very good sport about it Um when I approached her she started crying immediately
3:47
So ah that was my phone Damn Now I'm fired I know you're fired man All right
3:53
here's your would you rather would you rather have crimes against you be considered legal and everybody knows
3:59
it or introduce yourself to strangers by sniffing their butts like a dog oh I'm
4:05
going with sniffing the butts like a dog I'm an awkward person anyway I like to make people feel um uncomfortable cuz
4:11
they do when they stare at me So the more uncomfortable I can make you the the better it's going to be So I would
4:16
rather sniff their butts I think I'm going to go with you because if I'm reading this correctly
4:22
that means crimes against you are legal Yeah Which means they're no longer crimes right it would just be something
4:28
that people could do horribly to you Exactly Who would wants that i'd rather sniff somebody's butt I would Me too I
4:33
mean it's only going to be horrible for a minute I just stay inside and never meet new people Exactly I guess a crime
4:38
against you could be um someone [ __ ] on your face or you know stabbing you every time you walk out the door You know who cares well that's the one thing
4:44
that hasn't happened yet to me Kyle It's my stabbing Just wait But uh back to the Memorial Day thing You know think about
4:51
what you did this Memorial Weekend And you know next Memorial Weekend maybe you'll think about doing things a little
4:57
bit differently That's our aim for this episode Um we don't have a lot of funny stuff going on because it's kind of a a
5:03
day for relaxing and remembering the people who fought for this country Mhm
5:09
And I I I do firmly believe that if more people could find a reason to get
5:15
together I think getting behind veterans would be the one thing that would unite
5:20
this country Mhm Because as you listen to these people talk about their stories
5:25
they all have the same story It's family You You'll see it and I repeat myself in it a few times but if there's one thing
5:32
that could unite this country it would be the love for our veterans and this
5:38
country itself Really I I would completely agree with this Damon
5:43
All right Well with that being said we're going to uh lead you into some of these interviews and uh hope you enjoy
5:52
All right So we have Gan and Joyce here and um I'm going to go ahead and let them tell their stories but it's another
5:59
opportunity for you guys to understand out there what Memorial Day kind of means So I'll let you ladies kick it off
6:05
Whoever wants to go first Well I can go first Uh first of all my name is
6:11
Joyce and I am current I currently live in Seattle
6:17
Washington but I'm here uh I came for a graduation but Memorial Day was added to
6:24
it because I don't get a chance to visit my loved ones cuz they're all here and
6:29
I'm so far away And um my greatuncle who that who I really
6:36
want to talk about was very near and dear to me He was in the Navy Uncle Charles And um I'll get a chance to
6:44
visit his grave I'll get a chance to visit my mother's grave my brother's
6:49
grave This is a time where you remember uh your loved ones and where they came
6:57
from and where they went and what they did and how they served our country and
7:03
and I'm so proud of it I'm just like bursting all over to be able to
7:09
have this opportunity to go and visit on Memorial Day as we should with my family
7:17
And I couldn't agree with you more What about you well I have um my husband Corporal James
7:26
Baitman served in Vietnam and uh a ch two children
7:33
Elellaner and Maurice are out here also in Jefferson Barracks And I'm always
7:40
glad to come on Memorial Day because that's the day that we all celebrate
7:49
them You know you don't do it every day of the year or but we we are so proud to
7:57
have them in our family and that they stood up for our country And and you
8:03
were telling me earlier that your you when your husband was still alive that you guys used to come out here all the time Yeah We've always come as I mean
8:11
we've always cuz we got a lot of family in the bar It sounds like Yeah we have a lot It's amazing And it's it's a
8:17
tradition Yes we got it's a tradition We and we we care about all of them So we
8:24
come and put flowers on all of them's grave We say prayers you know because we
8:30
thank the Lord for having them you know being with them you know for as long as
8:36
we had them right we talk about things that we did with them and you know what
8:42
we think they might be thinking We talk about that We just spend time you know
8:48
remembering It seems to be a common theme with everyone that we're interviewing is that the service members
8:53
really come out here because it's family You know it's we're all brothers and sisters who served at some point in time
9:00
No matter what we did it's family So is there anything else you ladies would
9:05
like to speak about and uh We we just thank God for this cemetery because it's
9:10
kept up so nice and uh you know at Christmas they lay reefs We lay reefs
9:19
you know it's just it's just a beautiful it's just a beautiful place to come and
9:26
reminisce you know and thank God for your care people and honor those who served really the people that served our
9:32
country People that served our country Yes Well ladies I won't keep up much more of your time but I appreciate you
9:38
sharing your story with us And um you know if there's anything else you would like to talk about feel free Um I just
9:45
want to thank you for your service Oh well thank you ma'am Um Yeah Thank you Mhm All right Take care Well thank you
9:52
ladies so much Thank you All right So next uh we have Shireina
9:57
here and um she's been so kind to come speak with us Um I guess you you told me earlier that your dad was in the Navy
10:04
correct yes My father was in the Navy served 10 years Um he left I forgot
10:10
where he was stationed at He didn't talk about the military much but he respected it very much so Um and came to St Louis
10:17
probably a year after he left the military but stayed in contact with a
10:23
lot of his other buddies who were still inside Do you know what years he was in say that one more time Do you know what years he was in oh my gosh it was before
10:31
I was born Oh okay So yes so all the pictures I have of him
10:36
pre and I was born in ' 84 Okay So me too So it was prior to that time Okay
10:43
Okay Like he went right out of high school Well and another thing we're trying to get from people is you know what does Memorial Day mean for you why
10:50
your father served So this is a very important day for a lot of people Yes And it actually was one of the things that made me kind of look into Memorial
10:57
Day a little bit more because I'm sad to say I was one of those people who looked at it as a day off But um and speaking
11:03
to him and speaking to other veterans and then after he passed really speaking to other veterans it's like you know we
11:10
we have to honor those who help us without asking for help Yeah So we have
11:15
a lot of people out here still living and those who have passed away protecting us So I use Memorial Day as a
11:22
day to come honor my father Actually have a couple of uh family members that are buried here in Jefferson barracks My
11:27
grandfather two of my uncles and my father And I make sure that I come out here on those days speak with them thank
11:35
them and let them know that I appreciate everything that they did for us And and there's you're like the third one We
11:41
seem to get be getting a lot of people that have strong military ties that are the only ones who really are realize
11:48
what Memorial Day is for because you know they have a generation after generation of military service members
11:54
And it seems like like I said it's a common theme now that we're getting with most of the people we've been speaking with that they have multiple
12:01
um military members in their family So well we won't keep much of your time unless there's anything else you would
12:08
like to tell us Sharina Um thank you guys for pulling me to the side This is really great what you're doing and I
12:14
hope more people do get a chance to hear it and realize what you know the military does for people And I get that
12:20
at times it can be a little commercialized and but you guys do a great job and you do it without asking
12:26
for anything in return I just hope that at some point in the future we can do better for you all especially for the
12:33
ones that come home after Well very well said ma'am Very well said Okay with that
12:38
we're going to let Shireena go do what she needed to do today and uh we'll be back with our next guest here shortly
12:47
All right we're back and now we have um Phyllis and Katie with us and they're going to go ahead and tell us their
12:53
story and why they're here and um I'm going to let them take it from there Hi my name is Phyllis and my husband was
13:01
career military Um he uh served in both Vietnam and
13:07
Desert Storm and he passed away uh about what six years ago
13:13
But uh yeah I met him while we were in college and he he was already a Vietnam
13:20
vet by that time He had come home and then he decided to go back in as an
13:26
officer and just the rest is history But uh this
13:32
day is particularly special to us because we still value the real meaning
13:38
of Memorial Day to honor those who have served because it's no easy task being
13:46
in the military War is ugly Nobody likes it Um but we need people to defend our
13:53
freedoms and our country and we respect that And so we come every Memorial Day
14:00
to pay tribute to not just him but all soldiers who have served It's easy to
14:06
take it for granted um all the freedoms and liberties that we have here in
14:11
America And um you know the everyday person probably doesn't think about the people who are out there you know
14:17
actively making sure that we can keep our way of life and
14:22
um continue to prosper as a country And I agree that uh the real meaning of
14:30
Memorial Day sometimes gets lost in the days off and you know beginning of summer You know it is a fun weekend but
14:37
at the same time you have to stop and reflect and really think about those who
14:44
gave their lives or you know just spent their lives
14:49
protecting the country And um I'm going to go ahead and say this again I said it before but we're coming across a common
14:55
theme with everyone that we spoke to is that you're not here just for the loved one that you came to see You're here
15:00
because you want to give tribute to the other veterans and because it's a family And that's that's something that we keep
15:06
hearing over and over And it's amazing to me that you know the people that I am talking to that are coming here actually
15:12
get that but then there's people out there that just like like I said before don't understand that you know there
15:18
there's veterans dying every day protecting our country Exactly And you
15:24
know it's just it's a shame that everybody thinks it's a day off Yeah Yeah I agree And for your guys's loss
15:31
it's it it kind of for me it would feel like a slap in the face So that's why I'm trying to do this podcast and get
15:37
your guys' input on you know why you're here and what you do And that's good because it is kind of harder for people
15:45
who aren't directly associated with the military to grasp what all is involved M
15:52
you know they just see it as a distant thing not directly related to them but it is right you hear stories we're
15:59
fighting for their benefit yeah you hear stories about you know the soldiers that have lost their lives
16:05
but it kind of to most people becomes just a number like they don't think about each individual person you know
16:12
each one of them had a family had loved ones that's mourning their loss and um
16:18
it's really important to stop and reflect on that Uh what what branch was your husband in uh army In the army And
16:26
then air defense artillery Okay And then you said he went in a second time as an officer Was he enlisted prior to that or
16:33
yes he was Okay So he switched He was enlisted for Vietnam and then he got his
16:38
education and went back in as an officer That's interesting because I always say that uh most officers should probably be
16:45
enlisted first so that way they understand how things work Yeah it does I I believe that too you know It does
16:50
make a difference It gives them an idea They've been there Mhm You know and they understand what their men are going
16:57
through And now you said that he you met him after after he had been in Vietnam
17:02
Do you know how many tours he actually did or did he ever talk about it just one tour video
17:07
Okay Yeah Well ladies you know we won't take up much more of your time but unless there's more you would like to
17:13
say I we're here all day so we got plenty of time if you'd like to speak more about your husband and what he did
17:19
And uh he was I'll just say he was basically a
17:25
pacifist and he hated war but he recognized the need for defense and that
17:33
kind of thing Mhm So I don't want people to think that all
17:39
military are you know gung-ho war we got to get them type people you know Right
17:46
There's many reasons for being in and serving Yeah Okay And just one more
17:51
question Do you know what was do you know what his ranks were um let's see He as an enlisted he got up
18:00
to a spec four Okay And uh when he retired he was captain A captain And
18:06
that's that's a pretty hefty career there So yeah Yeah He did his 20 years Yep Well I was going to do 20 but you
18:13
know things happen Stuff happens But you know I I appreciate your husband's service and I like to always say that if
18:19
it wasn't for the Vietnam Vet guys we wouldn't have it as good as we do So yeah Yeah Yeah Thank you very much Well
18:24
all right ladies We'll let you get to what you were going to do and uh we won't take up any more of your time So thank you very much Phyllis and Katie or
18:31
Katie yeah Katie Katie Okay I got that right All right Well you guys have a lovely day Thanks for letting us share
18:37
our story Oh no Thank you for sharing No problem Kevin here with us He's decided to sit
18:43
down and tell us what Memorial Day means to him and the service members and his family and things of that nature So I'm
18:48
going to go ahead and hand it off to him and let him give us a little bit of what he knows A little bit of what I know is
18:55
my dad was in the Korean War the forgot forgotten war and uh nobody talks about that one much Uh what branch was he in
19:02
army He had some kind of He never talked about it man Never talked about it He He
19:08
always told us he peeled potatoes And all my buddies that I talked to my age
19:13
that their dads went in a Korean War they also said they peeled potatoes They
19:18
didn't talk about that war He had a I've been trying to find out what that was A little on one of his pictures he
19:25
got a little like lightning bolt or something on it It's on a hat or shoulder I forget I don't know what that
19:30
means Yeah I'm I'm uncertain He didn't go he he was he just flat out didn't tell us anything about it
19:37
Um so we go every year she usually rides up here with me and we ride her up here
19:43
and see all our friends and family Got family in here We got to pay our respects for the guys that gave up what
19:50
they gave up for us you know and and that's admirable and you know because a lot of people don't even really take the
19:56
time to do that even on a day that's supposed to be for things like this And Absolutely So I appreciate that But so
20:03
your dad was in the Korean War Yes Um you come up here and you support the
20:09
veterans every Memorial Day and also to see your father Do you do anything else with veterans or I got a buddy of mine
20:14
Craig Gall Gam Galammensi I can't really have a hard time saying his name he was my foreman when I was a kid 24 years old
20:22
he was uh probably 40 at the time he was a sergeant marine over in Vietnam and he
20:27
would tell me you want you want time for this story or yeah we got plenty of time okay I'm sorry I don't mean to be yeah you got time for here but anyway it's a
20:34
good story man not a good story I'm sorry not a good story because this guy and I'm not saying it because he died
20:40
one of the best guys ever worked for my life Nicest guy I ever met Smiled all the time lived life to the fullest He
20:46
went over there and now I'm in four years four or five years of it you know He was a sergeant and uh I'm sorry it
20:52
was Army not Marines And he said these these Marines kept going up every every day for two freaking weeks And he didn't
20:59
tell me what a hill was but it sure sounds like Hamburger Hill He said for two weeks these Marines kept going up eating bullets and coming back down
21:05
bringing their wounded dead They kept trying to take this but they couldn't do it cuz they had all them rats down in the holes
21:10
right and uh they just kept getting it was it was a waste It was a waste of men
21:16
mankind period Anyway so they come down and then they got his CO comes over to
21:22
him He says "Look here's what we're going to do today We're going to uh
21:28
Okay Hey uh well we just had someone walk up When you're done would you like to do an interview with us?" We're going
21:34
to come back around the Well when you come back around would you would you mind sure For sure All right
21:42
All right Perfect Sorry about that That's all right So anyway yeah you got a lot of traffic here man It's great I love it Oh I
21:48
usually can't hardly get in there during this time of day It's not that packed right now and I must have missed the big traffic I guess But anyway uh he said
21:57
they kept trying to take that hill for two weeks straight He says they come down and wounded the dead And he says "I'm Sergeant I got 20 guys in my
22:03
platoon." And he says I think he said 20 guys something like that And he says my co comes over He goes "Uh get your men
22:09
ready tomorrow Marines are dropping off that hill We're going to take it tomorrow morning You guys get a good night's sleep Get ready for this Look
22:16
around See what you got to do You know get your men prepared period." Right He said "We were sweating bullets all
22:21
night." Nobody slept They were scared to death They just knew they were going to die if most of them weren't going to die He said "The CEO come over the next
22:28
morning comes over gets on the radio and gives them all the coordinates numbers and the bombers come in and blew the
22:33
hell out of that hill They walked up and took it He said it was the neatest thing I ever seen in my life He said "Except for when I got sprayed with Agent
22:39
Orange." Yeah And the and the and the flamethrowers And he said he had stories
22:45
that would make you probably do too It'll make you sick But those guys went through some hell Oh yeah they do still
22:53
But he he came back and he was he he says "All them guys that come back all
22:59
had excuses." I said "Because I asked him I said," he had such a good attitude about everything He says "Well just a
23:05
different person right some people can't handle some people can't." And I got to respect that But he come back he never even he talked about a little bit here
23:11
and there and he said he didn't like talking about it but once he started talking he wouldn't stop Kept going on
23:16
and on And I listened because it was interesting to find out how he made it back He don't know how he made it back
23:23
He said he took a bath for six days maybe even two weeks every day trying to get that dirt off He said it was so bad
23:32
But he said everybody in his platoon was dead Um the last guy just died when I was talking to him And I said "What do
23:38
you mean?" He goes "We got sprayed with Agent Orange." He said "I'm going to get it too." I said "How do you know that Craig?" He said "Every one of them died
23:43
Kevin some weird cancer and I'm going to get it." Said "Yeah whatever man You ain't going to You're in good shape
23:48
You're healthy." By God I went to a different company local I worked for local 36 She met a worker So when you
23:54
get laid off you go somewhere else when they got work I worked for these guys for a couple years and next thing you know I just heard Craig passed away six
24:01
months ago and I went I didn't even hear about it He kept a secret Said he laid in his bed for six months in a fetal
24:08
position He got some kind of weird cancer and down he went fast man That and that's a shame like they said with
24:13
that V Vietnam and the Agent Orange and things like that nature and it's just taking those guys down left and right
24:19
But you know that was a war and they didn't know what was going to happen I guess in our era now we got political
24:24
war The what very political war Oh yeah And now now they got something for our wars that I was in called the burn pit
24:31
lung because we were next to these large burn pits that were burning batteries and things like that So that you got to
24:37
get put on a registry in case something happens to your lungs down the road So it's it's amazing what happens in war
24:43
and that people don't understand it and that like you said you just would listen to his stories and that that's a huge
24:51
thing because a lot of these times these guys don't talk about this stuff but when they do they need to get it off their chest So you know it's it's it a
24:59
lot of people some people don't want to hear it some people do But um you know if that's my advice is that if a veteran
25:06
ever starts opening up to you you just keep your mouth shut and listen to what he has to say and make sure that he's not going to you know go crazy or
25:13
anything but let the man talk Let him let him say his piece cuz talking about it is actually healthier than most
25:18
people think And it's a lot worse than everybody thinks too because they think they go over there and it's big You know
25:24
they they they eat their dinner they go out their rifles kill people and come back and save our country No there's all
25:29
kinds of stuff that happens over there You know oh I know I can tell You know and these guys they fought and they seen
25:35
and they smelt and the I mean he told me all these things that I didn't understand Yeah Months without a shower
25:42
and Oh God But the the the smell of dead body dead parts hanging in trees all
25:47
this stuff that he took pictures of all that stuff He said I brought it all home in case anybody in the agent orange he said took pictures of that in case they
25:54
all because the government said for years that didn't it was wrong that
25:59
Agent Orange didn't hurt nobody Well here's only now doing it Here here's a fun fact about you said your dad was in
26:05
the Korean War Well I know a Korean War vet His name's Harry Hope And um they actually survived many days on Tootsie
26:13
Rolls Oh really because they didn't have they were out of sea rations And so they
26:18
actually called into the army and said "We need more Tootsie Rolls." Well that was code word for ammo Well they thought
26:24
that it really meant Tootsie Rolls so they dropped them a bunch of barrels of Tootsie Rolls And so they were shoving
26:30
them in their pockets and trying to keep them warm And but that's that's how they survived like three or four days without
26:36
on Tootsie Rolls And so now he keeps one in his pocket everywhere he goes in case he gets hungry That's pretty much what Craig was saying too about the ration
26:42
See there's things you don't we don't understand cuz we I didn't I didn't I had to sign a draft when I became of age
26:48
and tell you the truth it was the end of end of Nammoir and and they were still pulling people over there I was scared I
26:55
didn't want to go I didn't want to go to that place Well anyone who tells you that they're not But I mean if I have to
27:00
if if I had to do if I had to do it and we were being attacked like their buildings in 911 and that I mean
27:06
everybody want to do that Yeah You know what I mean right the the the differences between signing and not
27:12
signing up the the wars I'm you just I'm 58,000 on that wall 58,000 plus and
27:18
adding to it Mhm That's not everybody right oh no I can't Yeah You still got
27:24
MIA and P and Right And I appreciate what you guys done man I really do And I
27:30
appreciate what my brother Stony he's in here He just an ex-stateman motorcycle
27:36
rider Real good guy So your brother's in in Jefferson barracks as well What's that you say your brother's in Jefferson
27:43
Bracks brother in heart Oh okay Wrote with him a lot He he writes for statesman And who what branch was he in
27:50
i believe it was the army The army Stony was his name nickname but it's Richard Stone So So you know a lot of veterans
27:56
then And I got aunts and uncles down here I got all kinds of I got four or five plots to hit today And I don't even
28:02
know who's all in here and I just know a few that I know the the numbers to My mom and dad are first Yep Well it's it's
28:11
a sad sight to see but it's also one of the most beautiful sights to see It's beautiful man You're right I mean the
28:17
perfect straight line of all those stones cover and alignment Unbelievable
28:23
Well Kevin we won't take up any more of your time I appreciate you sitting down and talking with us No sweat man
28:29
Appreciate you asking me I I feel uh I feel fortunate you know Say my
28:36
piece I don't know I I didn't go to war I feel like maybe I should have done something but we didn't have war at my
28:42
time I was always in peace time I got lucky Yeah But it's the fact that you celebrate Memorial Day and look at it as
28:49
a as a holiday It should be And that's kind of what we're out here doing is trying to make people realize you know
28:55
that there's people like you that lost friends or that have been in war and your father was in war and that you know
29:02
better Memorial Day is a time to sit back and reflect on the people that were
29:08
lost fighting for this country or that have fought for this country and lost their lives
29:13
after Now we're here with Victoria Um she's decided to come talk with us so everybody bear with her Um she's got a
29:20
pretty emotional story from what I understand So we're gonna kind of give it over to her and let her tell us why
29:26
she's here and what Memorial Day means and you know what kind of veterans she has in her family and things like that
29:34
Um sorry I'm kind of emotional but um my
29:40
grandpa was a Marine and I never got to meet him
29:48
So so it's really hard Um and I've been told that we're quite a
29:56
lot alike So I just wish that I could have met him
30:03
And then my husband is also deployed right now And that's been
30:09
really hard for me and my kids and
30:14
um cuz he won't be around for at least 13 months So
30:22
oh so uh where's your husband deployed um well right now he's at the border um
30:29
El Paso so at least he's still stateside this time But the first time uh he was
30:35
in Afghanistan so that was that was worse But um so
30:41
being states st state side gives you that little sense of security huh Yeah Well um what your grandpa was in
30:49
the Marine Corps was he in World War II vietnam um Vietnam Vietnam And so did he
30:56
come back from Vietnam or He did Um and then
31:03
he and his health failed him before I could meet him So Oh well we're sorry to
31:10
hear that but So Memorial Day holds a very special place in your heart for him then Yeah Yeah And see that's what we're
31:17
trying to get across to everyone that's listening and will listen to this podcast is you know Memorial Day means
31:23
more than just barbecues and things of that nature So um is there anything else you'd like to say i know that was pretty
31:30
hard for you Um um what branch is your husband in um he's National Guard but um
31:39
he's active right now so Army Yeah So he's still deployable then at any moment
31:44
Yeah And and that's hard on military families I you know I never personally
31:51
well me and my wife were both in the Marine Corps but my ex-wife but it's hard on families when loved ones are
31:58
deployed You know you don't know if they're going to come home or not So that's another thing that people need to start thinking about Mhm
32:06
Yeah When when does he expected home he should be back in November So that's
32:11
pretty exciting then huh Yeah Yeah we're excited We're planning
32:16
on going on a trip to celebrate when he comes back So So you said your grandpa
32:22
was a Marine Sorry but you said your grandpa was a Marine Yeah Um Yeah Yeah I
32:30
have pictures of him Okay Or we won't keep you very much longer I'm just happy
32:35
that you came down and Sorry Yeah It's hard to hear with the motorcycle We're sitting out in a parking lot in case
32:41
people don't know this already but it's very hard to hear sometimes But I'm I'm
32:46
very happy that you came and told your story and you know you showed some emotion because that lets people know that you know this this day means a lot
32:54
to people and to some people it may not You may not have a veteran in your family so it may not mean as much to you
32:59
but to everyone else it should It should mean a lot to everyone Yeah
33:05
because people got to fight for their freedoms and sometimes people don't get to see their loved one come back and
33:10
that's that's it's a sad thing and so memorializing these men and women who
33:16
fought for us is a huge part and I'm glad to see you come out here to do that for your grandpa today Yeah
33:23
All right Victoria we'll let you get to what you needed to do I thank you so much for coming over and having a moment
33:28
with us Yeah Thank you Thank you Okay so we're sitting out in front of
33:34
Jefferson barracks and we have what's your name you call me Diane Diane We have Diane with us and today we're
33:41
trying to do a little bit of something for you guys out there that are listening um to remind people about what
33:46
Memorial Day is actually about So we're sitting out in front of Jefferson Barracks and trying to get people's stories So Diane's going to tell us a
33:52
little bit about her family member service and things of that nature And uh so here you go Hi Um
34:00
Hi Hi everybody Um my family and I we come out to Jefferson Barracks every
34:05
year We live on the Illinois side and um it's always really important for us to come out here and pay our respects to
34:12
everybody Um currently we don't have any family members buried out here but I I
34:18
consider everybody family out here because I have a husband who's prior Marines and Navy and still serving
34:26
And we have family members who are still alive who have served And I'm just forever grateful to them because I feel
34:34
like having these people in our lives it means so much because they give the
34:39
sacrifice and some gave the ultimate sacrifice which means everything And that's why we should respect our flag
34:45
and our veterans and help them as much as we can Um we have um I had a
34:52
grandfather who was in the ar armed army air force was back in the Korean era and
34:59
um he served for many years there till he retired and he was um ended up being
35:06
a farmer when he got out and raised eight kids see that one of his sons was
35:11
an army veteran and he was in the Vietnam and when he came back home he
35:16
never talked about it much obviously um a lot of stuff he didn't want to see or
35:22
you know obviously or talk about so um after he passed away um I know that
35:30
was really hard on his daughter because he was never the same and then I had a stepfather who was
35:37
a military police and he he he served during the Vietnam era and um he was
35:43
always proud to serve his country always respected his flag and couldn't stand anybody who didn't support their
35:50
veterans Well and um I I find this very interesting that you you know you had
35:56
people in your family that served but you said that you come out here to pay your respects And see that that's
36:01
interesting to me because a lot of people don't even do that They think that they have to have a loved one here
36:07
to come pay their respects So um my husband tells me that there we're all
36:13
brothers and sisters regardless of what branch we served in they served in Um
36:19
like the fellow chief's wives that I get to associate with now online because of
36:24
my husband Um we're family We're sisters It's you don't have to be blood related
36:30
to be family And I I just feel it's so important to show that respect and pay it forward and teach my children about
36:38
it Like we just went out there today and my daughter found the oldest grave out
36:43
there which was really cool And she's all excited and I was trying to teach her about how important is to be out
36:51
there and to show them that we care Yep Because so many don't know Right And
36:57
exactly That's why we're kind of doing this today is we're trying to get as many stories as we can out for these people because as I said earlier you
37:04
know a lot of people they think it's just a day off of work and it's a barbecue time But there's people like
37:09
you who take your your Memorial Day off to go actually visit these people that you well as you said our family but a
37:17
lot of people wouldn't look at it that way So we are we we applaud you for that Um I appreciate it I I really don't know
37:23
what else to say besides that because like you said you didn't have anyone in there that you were supposed to go see
37:29
You just kind of went and did your own thing I I appreciate it because I know
37:34
someday um my husband and I are going to be out there Um cuz I told my husband I
37:40
couldn't think of a better place to be Yeah we couldn't find better company Well I'll be out there with you guys
37:48
But Well thank you ma'am for your time I appreciate it Is there anything else that you want to talk about or um I just
37:54
like to tell everybody um remember your veterans past and present Support them
38:01
Do what you can for them because I know there's a lot of them coming
38:07
back including my husband They don't come back the same It might be physical
38:12
It might be emotional It could be mental Like the whole mental health thing right
38:17
now I was watching this thing last night on PBS and they talking about this family This they had a son who was a
38:24
veteran and he committed suicide and they just didn't know it They didn't quite see the signs and they felt guilty
38:30
for it Mhm And so um watch out for your veterans Watch out for your family Um
38:36
anybody that you might see that might might need help because just because
38:41
somebody served and maybe they didn't die over there doesn't mean that something can't happen on this side And
38:47
then that is you you hit the the nail right on the head there It is a big uh issue with the veteran community which
38:53
we talk about on the podcast a lot Um but uh I just want to thank you for your
38:58
time ma'am And you were our very first uh person to come up and speak with us So you got the honor of that today No
39:05
thank you for doing it I really appreciate it Always it always makes me want to tear
39:10
up All right we're good Thank you Yep Thank you I think we might get in trouble by AutoZone for doing this
39:17
You think they're going to come out here and tell you that you can't be here yeah that's the second time that guy's came out with his cell phone
39:25
So that's the second time that guy's come out here and looked out here with his cell phone He was like "Oh whatever man I'm just doing what I
39:31
can Tell him to put the sun don't shine." I mean even even if they call the cops the cops are going to come and be like "Hey you guys can't do that."
39:37
We'll be like "Okay all right See you." Yeah We'll go find a new spot to pitch tent I don't see anything wrong with
39:43
what you're doing I I don't think there's anything I mean at first I thought it might be too
39:48
invasive but you know some people like to talk about it some people don't So I
39:54
I think people need to hear stuff All right Well thank you so much ma'am It was very nice to meet you Thank you I
40:00
appreciate it Yep Thank you for giving us the time Yeah
40:06
So uh we're sitting out here once again and uh we're getting people to tell their stories about why they're here and
40:13
whatnot but usually we're trying to get the families of loved ones that have deceased ones here But I have a World
40:19
War II veteran with me and I I can't pass up the opportunity So I'm going to let him tell his story He's actually
40:24
coming to see his wife on Memorial Day So uh we have Joe Miles with us Hey Joe How are you doing today
40:31
how you doing Joe i'm doing pretty good Good Good So I was wondering if you
40:36
would tell us a little bit about your service Sure Well I was in the Navy for four
40:44
years and three months It served on the battleship Iowa the heavy cruiser
40:52
Breton and the light cruiser Atlanta The Atlanta was in after everything was
41:00
over They was out of the war zones and everything on the Breton on the Atlanta
41:07
I mean the Breton and the Iowa We were into the war zones you know and you can
41:14
see what I got up here I can tell you what they are Yeah So what why don't you
41:20
go ahead and tell us about that Joe what what is all that so he's got a World War II veteran Navy
41:26
hat on First one is World War II victory
41:32
medal Then it was the American
41:37
theater Asiatic Pacific
41:44
Chapanese Tokyo and all over and China I
41:49
was in China for about 11 months And then that's the
41:59
Philippines That's the one that they put on as far as medals is concerned But I
42:06
didn't put any bars on cuz I've been almost every island over there You
42:12
know I there for Guam
42:18
Saipan Taro That's amazing Yeah this is a great story How old are you Joe 94 94 years
42:26
old ladies and gentlemen 94 years old Served in World War II and now he's out here paying his respects to other
42:32
veterans and his wife as well So you know that's kind of what this is about That's what this day is about is
42:38
remembering all of our veterans and people that uh served our country I was
42:44
where they dropped the second bomb Nakasaki
42:49
uh about three months I guess it was after before we could get in But I have
42:56
a picture at home where a group of us is standing around
43:02
and the arrow says ground zero Wow You know that I bet you have tons of amazing
43:10
stories don't you Joe well I a lot of good stories up there and there's a lot of bad ones Yeah Well I know that
43:17
feeling You know there's there's the good times and the bad times when you serve you know Well there's never really
43:22
a good time It's just what you make of it while you're there with your buddies you know Well I tell you what the Navy
43:30
was was a good place and I had a lot of good buddies that was
43:35
Marines and I used to get them mad at me all the time cuz in order to take and
43:42
get to my compartment I had to go through the Marines and I'd go through and I'd get
43:48
halfway through and I'd holler out "What the hell's a marine?" Well then I could hear some my
43:54
buddy say "We'll get that little sound."
43:59
Oh man I have to watch my language No you don't have to watch your language You can say whatever you want on this podcast Joe You say whatever you want to
44:07
man Yeah And I lost uh uh two buddies in
44:12
that was in Korea you know They were Marines Uh good buddies They went in at
44:20
the same time And one got it uh on
44:27
Terawa and the other one he got it right after that And
44:33
uh we had a lot of good buddies I had a lot of friend and back in them days
44:39
people guys have talk about not women by guys cuz women was
44:45
only waves or something like that you know but uh buddies would go down and
44:52
register for the draft you know and then as soon as they
44:58
got their card for registration they went downtown up on the ninth floor and
45:04
joined the Navy And they were only 15 years old Wow He
45:09
was only 15 Is that it 16 when he joined That's the way he had to eat That's the
45:16
way they done it You know they couldn't get in until they were 17 So they go
45:21
down register for the draft board and then they give it to them Well if they
45:26
take it down show them at the Navy They see it says that's him All right Take
45:33
him you know So how old were you Joe when you joined they they take them 15
45:39
16 years old but they didn't know the difference They they've caught them They've caught some of them you know and
45:45
they put him in the br on the ship and one of them he was ordered I forget what
45:53
medal it was but uh he done the same thing He joined when he was 14 but he
45:59
was a big guy and they got hit and the gunner the quad where they
46:07
got hit he run in there and he start shooting with the the 40s you know and
46:17
they got hit again threw him back Well that's when they found out how old he
46:22
was Oh man They put him in the brrig until they got back They put him in the
46:28
brrig for serving his country Then anything that he had this time served
46:34
and he would have got the Purple Heart and all that all wiped out Oh wow That's
46:40
amazing I mean I couldn't even imagine a 14-year-old nowadays going into war And back then you're telling me these guys
46:46
did it all the time That was just a whole different generation of people that served I mean they wanted to go
46:52
fight for their country They That's right You're hitting it right the smack in the head the youngest All they wanted
46:59
to do was get in there and do it take care of it Now my brother-in-law he was a Pearl and he was
47:07
hit on the West Virginia and she went down The Oklahoma got hit she went down
47:15
and the Maryland was just south of them and she got hit and just damaged
47:22
But my brother-in-law when it was on Sunday morning
47:28
uh he was a Catholic and he wanted to go to mass and they didn't have a
47:36
uh chaplain Catholic chaplain on there So they put out the word anybody who
47:43
wants to go to mass will take you over to the West Virginia So they all went
47:48
over and they were in mass when the jabs hit Wow Wow You know and the funny thing
47:55
about it was two cousins of mine and their wives
48:00
and myself was in mass here in St Louis And we come out we get in the car
48:09
and my cousin he reaches over after he got started turn the radio on And he says
48:15
"The Japanese is now bombing Pearl Harbor." And I used to always tell my brother-in-law you know I know what
48:21
saved you I said "Hell," I said "You was getting it We come to our church same time."
48:29
Well Joe I I would love to thank you for your time and um telling us a little bit about your story It was great hearing it
48:35
I I would love to get your number sometime and have you come talk on my podcast for longer than that because
48:41
like I said I'm sure you got amazing stories What I'm taking right now is for this Yeah I got a few of them myself But
48:49
this is I'm talking about buddy I'm talking about the age you there you know
48:54
and she just got picked me some up today It's my daughter-in-law
49:02
All right Joe Well thank you for your time sir We'll let you get Thank you for inviting me Oh no sir Thank you for
49:08
bracing or uh embracing us with your time because Yeah I I love hearing the
49:14
stories of older veterans and you know it's it's a history that people really
49:19
don't I belong to I belong to VFW and I also belong to the Legionnaires Okay So
49:24
where are you from Joe right I was born and raised downtown St Louis Downtown St Louis Yeah Well maybe one day I'll give
49:31
your uh daughter my number and uh we'll we'll exchange and then maybe one day you can come out to my house and we'll
49:38
just let you talk about your stories Yeah I'd like to bring something You
49:43
know do you like to drink Joe it's a good picture Yeah
49:49
A half a beer Well been good You can have a half a beer with us Joe Every porch that we hit which wasn't many but
49:57
it was something that we'd already taken back And when we went in for supplies or
50:02
something they'd say "Well there's a bar up here You guys can go up there." But
50:07
we go up and heard taught you how to drink before you went in and it made it
50:13
worse when you was in See ladies and gentlemen the name of the podcast is When does the [ __ ] end and it sounds
50:18
like it never does because it was happening and going on way back then too So then when I got
50:23
married I was married for 68 years This year here would have been our
50:31
72nd And uh my wife she didn't know I
50:37
drank I haven't drank what 50 years Oh I
50:42
I drink a a glass of beer My son will give me once in a while and I I take a
50:47
sip and I've had enough I just lost a taste of it All right sir Well like I
50:55
said once again thank you for your time and we'll let you get out to what you needed to do in the first place And thanks again No worries sir
51:03
Okay ladies and gentlemen you just got done listening to everybody from Jefferson Barracks and um it was quite
51:08
an emotional day for me and Kyle up there You know just to see the people and talk to them and listen to their
51:14
stories I don't know about you but uh I love that Joe Joe Miles Oh my go We're
51:20
going to get Joe on here Joe Joe's coming back and I think you guys should drop us a a comment on whether or not we
51:26
should bring back Joe because we could do two hours with Joe The life stories that this guy was telling us dude I mean
51:32
World War II I mean he's probably one of the very few surviving you know people from World War II at this point Yeah
51:37
there there can't be that many No I mean he's 94 and he joined when he was like 15 16 Yeah I mean 15 16 years old That
51:43
is absolutely incredible dude I agree But we also had a few short ones on
51:49
there But that that's understandable You know these people were emotional They wanted to go to the grave sites and we
51:54
were kind of catching them at a vulnerable moment which I wanted you guys to see in here And I'm very happy
51:59
that I'm going to give a large shout out to the people that did share I can't remember all their names again but um
52:06
thank you for sharing your stories with us because you could have just easily told me to go [ __ ] myself just like everybody else Like a lot of people did
52:12
Yep Of course They they said they were pressed for time Yeah They had barbecues to go to or we'll return Yeah we'll
52:19
return and then they drive right past us and I'd wave at him as they were leaving I mean the one guy gave you a salute Yeah he saluted me but he came and
52:26
interrupted the podcast You'll hear him in the You heard him in there He he came and he was like "Hey." And I'm like "Hey
52:32
you going to come back for an interview?" And he drove right by us and never came back But he waved at me like
52:38
cuz I guess he felt guilty I want to say it was his wife I I I was guessing it
52:43
was probably his wife going "We got to be here We got to be there Yep Damn wives are always nagging Always in the
52:49
way of manag man time All right ladies and gentlemen Well that's going to do it for our episode of uh When Does the
52:55
[ __ ] End catch us next Friday as they drop every Friday And uh Kyle go ahead
53:00
and tell them what platforms we're on Okay we are on platforms Instagram You don't got to do it in that voice Come on
53:06
Oh come on man I wanted to use Now you're [ __ ] fired Do your pit voice Whatever We're on Twitter Oh all right
53:12
Do professional pit voice now No it's too late Okay so we're on Instagram and Twitter and YouTube When does [ __ ]
53:18
end um [ __ ] is fry y Um follow us like comment you know emotional Please
53:25
please comment because you know guys without you this show's going to run out of topics Y this kind of like Dirty Jobs
53:32
you know we got to have people giving us ideas I mean we can come up with them ourselves but we want to hear from you
53:37
Eventually we'll run out of people to interview No we won't We never will I I mean but we still want people to you
53:43
know be like "Hey you should interview this guy." Hey how about this maybe one lucky day when we get to phone things is if you comment and we like you maybe
53:49
we'll have you on the show Oh man That would be awesome Win a prize The prize is you get to be interviewed You get to
53:56
be interviewed on or if you wanted to not just interviewed but you could sit in on an interview or a podcast Yeah Or
54:03
either one depending on what you wanted Yeah We'll figure it out Yeah All right ladies and gentlemen And you all have a
54:09
good night and I'll see you next [Music]
54:20
time [Music]
54:35
Heat Heat
54:41
[Music]



English (auto-generated)

All
From WhenDoesTheFKRYEnd
Related
For you
Recently uploaded
Watched