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Tales from the Corps
Tales from the Corps is where military history meets the people who lived it.
Hosted by Marine Corps combat veterans Mike “Dirty Mike” Francis and Neal “Slider” Fauver, Tales from the Corps brings you unfiltered stories from military service, combat, and life after the uniform, along with conversations with veterans, historians, authors, filmmakers, and others who help preserve the stories behind the history.
From the battlefields of World War I and World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan, we dig into the moments, decisions, personalities, and experiences that shaped generations of service members.
Some episodes are hilarious. Some are brutal. Some challenge what you thought you knew about military history. All of them are about keeping these stories alive.
No war stories polished for the recruiting poster. No history stripped of the people who lived it.
Welcome to, Tales from the Corps.
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Episodes
43 episodes
He Survived Marine Corps Boot Camp: Private Santos Matos Returns From Parris Island
Three months ago, Santos Matos — better known around Tales from the Corps as “Funnel Cake” — sat down with us as a poolee preparing to leave for Marine Corps Recruit Training at Parris Island.Now he’s back as Private Santos Matos, Unite...
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Jon Parshall | 1945: Japan — Did We Need to Drop the Bombs?
Did the United States have to drop the atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II?Renowned WWII historian Jon Parshall, co-host of The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast and author of the upcoming 1...
Justin Cramer | Marine JTAC — From Iraq & Afghanistan to Former Action Guys
Marine veteran Justin Cramer joins Tales From The Corps to talk about coordinating airstrikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a JTAC evaluator, and the experiences that eventually led him to create the Former Action Guys Podcast....
Scott Gibson of HBO's The Pacific | WWII Veterans Don Graves & Allan Chatwin
Actor Scott Gibson, who appeared in HBO's The Pacific, joins Tales From The Corps to honor and preserve the stories of World War II veterans Don Graves and Allan Chatwin.Gibson joins Mike Francis and Neal Fa...
LtCol Mitch “Taco” Bell | Marine Corps Stories from Iraq, Afghanistan & Boot Camp
Retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Mitch “Taco” Bell joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver for an unfiltered session of Marine Corps stories spanning boot camp, Iraq, Afghanistan, barracks life, and the transition back home.Originally...
Matt Harper | Marine Scout Sniper — Business & Life After the Corps
Marine Scout Sniper veteran Matt Harper joins Tales From The Corps to talk about growing up in a family of Marines, his time in the Corps, sobriety, entrepreneurship, and building a new life after military service.Matt shares stor...
Tracie Hunter | Emmy-Winning Filmmaker Preserving WWII Veterans' Stories
Emmy-winning filmmaker and Beyond the Call founder Tracie Hunter joins Tales From The Corps to discuss her mission to document, preserve, and share the firsthand stories of World War II veterans before they're lost to history.Grow...
Robert Eunice & Bart Lewis | Marine Corps Pranks, Barracks Stories & Mayhem
Marine veterans Robert Eunice and Bart Lewis join Tales From The Corps for an hour of Marine Corps pranks, barracks stories, bad decisions, and the kind of chaos that somehow becomes funnier the longer you've been out.Robert retur...
Anthony Perez | Peleliu Then & Now — Exploring a WWII Pacific Battlefield
Traveler and filmmaker Anthony Perez joins Tales From The Corps to explore Peleliu—one of the Pacific War's most brutal and often overlooked battlefields—and what remains there today.Anthony's Peleliu: Then and Now projec...
James Badge Dale | Portraying Robert Leckie & Getting HBO's The Pacific Right
Actor James Badge Dale joins Tales From The Corps to discuss portraying Marine and author Robert Leckie in HBO's The Pacific and the responsibility of bringing the experiences of World War II Marines to the screen....
Zac “Doc” Frantz | Navy Corpsman — Serving with Marine Infantry
Navy Corpsman Zac “Doc” Frantz joins Tales From The Corps to talk about serving alongside Marines, the bond between Corpsmen and the infantry, and what it means to earn the trust of the Marines who simply know you as “Doc.”Zac tak...
Memorial Day | Lima 3/6 Marines Remember the Fallen
For Memorial Day, Marines from Lima Company 3/6 come together on Tales From The Corps to remember the friends and fellow Marines who never made it home—and to share the stories that keep their memories alive.Mike Francis and Jon S...
Nathan Pinto | 1944 War Museum — WWII Veterans, Band of Brothers & The Pacific
Nathan Pinto, founder and curator of the 1944 War Museum, joins Tales From The Corps to talk about preserving World War II history and creating opportunities for veterans to connect with the cast and crew of Band of Brothers<...
Freddie Joe Farnsworth & Robert Garcia | Marines in Hollywood
Marine Corps veterans Freddie Joe Farnsworth and Robert Garcia join Tales From The Corps to talk about making the jump from the military to Hollywood—and how real Marine Corps experience translates onto a film set.Freddie and Robe...
Marine Brotherhood After War | PTSD, the VA & Finding Your People
Mike Francis and Neal Fauver sit down for a personal conversation about Marine Corps brotherhood, PTSD, navigating the VA, and the relationships that continue to matter long after the uniform comes off.After building Tales From Th...
Leighton Hughes | Royal Air Force Veteran — British vs. American Military Life
Royal Air Force veteran Leighton Hughes joins the Marines of Lima Company 3/6 for a conversation about British and American military life, military history, and the shared culture that crosses national and service boundaries.Leigh...
Andrew “A Train” Alexander | Lima 3/6 — Iraq, Reunion & Life After Combat
Marine Corps combat veteran Andrew “A Train” Alexander joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver to reunite, trade stories, and reflect on their experiences serving together with Lima Company 3/6 during their 2007 deployment to Iraq.The ...
Michael Sylvester | Marine Infantry — Boot Camp, Brotherhood & Life After Service
Marine infantry veteran Michael Sylvester returns to Tales From The Corps to talk about the path that led him into the Marine Corps, the realities of Marine training, and what happens when the structure and brotherhood of military life sudde...
Juan Ramirez | Marines, Sobriety & Life After Alcohol
Marine Corps veteran Juan Ramirez joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver for an honest conversation about sobriety, life after alcohol, and the role Marine brotherhood can play when veterans decide to make a change.At the time of this...
Josh Bitton | HBO's The Pacific — Boot Camp, Marines & Hollywood
Actor Josh Bitton joins Tales From The Corps to talk about portraying Sgt. J.P. Morgan in HBO's The Pacific, preparing to play a Marine, and what happens when Hollywood attempts to recreate the culture, humor, and expe...
“The Hurricane” | Lima 3/6 Platoon Sergeant — Part II: From 2/7 to 3/6
“The Hurricane,” Mike and Neal's former platoon sergeant from Lima Company 3/6 Weapons Platoon, returns for Part II of their reunion—continuing the stories of Marine Corps leadership, deployments, brotherhood, and life after the Corps.
“The Hurricane” | Lima 3/6 Platoon Sergeant — Leadership, War & Brotherhood
Mike Francis and Neal Fauver reunite with their former platoon sergeant from Lima Company 3/6 Weapons Platoon—known to the Marines simply as “The Hurricane”—for a conversation about leadership, brotherhood, combat, and the bonds that remain ...
Matt Talbot & Jeffrey Gattis | Marine Veterans — VA Claims, Afghanistan, Iraq & 3/6 Lima Company
Marine veterans Matt Talbot and Jeffrey Gattis join Mike Francis to trade stories from their years in the Corps, deployments to Kabul, and the experiences that followed them into life after military service—including navigating the VA disabi...
Scott Garavito & Robert Eunice | 3/6 Marines — Afghanistan, Boot Camp & Marine Corps Chaos
Marine Corps combat veterans Scott Garavito and Robert Eunice return to Tales From The Corps to join Mike Francis for another round of stories from 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines—covering Afghanistan, boot camp, barracks life, and the chaos that...
Robert Eunice & Scott Garavito | 3/6 Marines — Barracks Stories, Alcohol & Marine Corps Culture
Marine Corps veterans Robert Eunice and Vito join Tales From The Corps for a conversation about 3/6, barracks life, Marine Corps humor, alcohol, and the traditions and stories that somehow survive from one generation of Marines to the next.<...