Transcripts For FOXNEWSW The Story With Martha MacCallum 20201225

Inspired me to share his story. While writing unknown valor i got to meet charles, a veteran who had fought alongside my uncle. In fact they were foxhole buddies. Charlie was with harry during the final weeks of his life. 75 years later, he still gets choked up thinking about the day that he was injured in a japanese mortar attack in my uncle asked a few feet from him was killed. Im forever grateful to my friend charlie for all the things he taught me that i never would have learned. In case you havent seen the fox nation documentary, heres part of our unforgettable conversation. When i return from iwo jima i got a call from a researcher friend. He asked for a picture of harry gray to show his friend charlie. We knew charlie was in the 34th replacement draft and had also been wounded on march 13th. They would use us where they needed us, so my job was picking up the dead, taking off the dog tags, carrying supplies to the frontline and stuff like that. But it wasnt until charlie actually saw the picture of harry that it all came flooding back. He knew harry well. They shared a foxhole and he was there when the mortars hit and harry and another young buddy, herman greater, were killed that day. In the 34th replacement draft, is this someone that you recognize . Oh, yeah. It was my body. Gray. I think his name was gray. He was my uncle. He was her uncle . He was my uncle. Ive heard a story of that. He was my body, my foxhole buddy. He would always call me pop. I was 24 at that time and he was 18. He would always say pop. To find charlie after all these years was not something i had ever anticipated when i began writing unknown valor but his story lined up perfectly with everything we knew about that day and he was able to tell us things about harry we would have never known. We had a lot of fun. And i tell you, we would go out somehow that day, we discovered the japanese cave and they had a bunch of rifles on the walls. So gray said we are going to get souvenirs any jumped down there. Harry did . Harry gray . And we all had rifles. Japanese rifles. But then when i got wounded, id lost everything and theyd lost. Martha harry gray wrote this letter to his mother on march 12th. Dear mom, i suppose youre worried. Im really fine with the exception of a few scares. I saw george c yesterday and hes fine. Mom, will you please [indiscernible] for easter and have the tag say to my sweetheart with all my love, harry. Hope everyone and everything is fine. Love your son, harry. Martha charlie remembers the next day, march 13th. He, harry gray and herman greater were heading to the front for the very first time. They were marching on a column of 19, carrying ammunition. The mortar landed on the righthand side, about 50 feet. Nobody paid no attention. Then there was one on the lefthand side, about the same distance and we hit the deck, they got us right in the middle. Thats what killed him. I was wounded too, i was out. And then a corpsman bypassed me and he was treating some of the others and then he sees me standing up, he comes running back and says i thought you were dead. And i couldnt talk, so i saw them laying there and i was crying and then he saw that i was putting my hand over my left chest and he said saw blood coming out of my fingers so he pushed my hand down, cut my jacket open and put a compress on me and today i still have it there. But gray, they lost their lives. Martha i do think that harry gray was killed instantly . Yes. Martha im so glad that i got to meet you and that you remember him, because ive never met anyone who was with him there and its just remarkable to be able to talk to you about it. I cant even express it. Martha leaks mike weeks later i made a second visit, this time bringing my aunt nancy to meet charlie who could finally tell her a firsthand account of what happened to her 18yearold beloved brother. I want to introduce you to my aunt. This is nancy gray shade. Gray . Yes. Nancy. Can i give you a hug . Yeah. Im glad to see you. Im so delighted to meet you. Its been a long time coming. 73 years. My brother was harry gray. He was very honest about what happened after the mortars hit. They laid their dead as gray he was hit with the shrapnel right on the side of his head. A really . Yeah. By the neck. Thats what killed him. I never knew that. I also wondered, you know, really, what happened. Martha these two people, 70 years later, share a bond of the loss and horrors of war. Of friends and brothers and of some scars never heal. Going to cry. Okay. I will treasure this and treasure you. And treasure this memory. I really well. Its just wonderful meeting you. Talking with you. Okay. Thank you. Im sorry what happened. Martha we boarded an Early Morning flight from guam. About an hour later, iwo jima came slowly into view. Passengers craned their next to get a look, the caves carved into the rock and the black sand beaches. Upon landing at the veterans descended the stairs and set foot on the island once again, they were greeted by the commandant of the marine corps, all saluted and shook hands. Then we set off for the 2mile track. From the top, we looked down at the landing beaches. We saw the spot where the flag was raised. Its now just a sawedoff pipe surrounded by cement. In the u. S. Memorial were veterans and families pay their respects as they remember the nearly 7,000 marines who gave their lives to secure this island. Further down on the island, we saw whats left of the airstrips that provided a pivotal stop over for bombers on their way to the japanese mainland. I walked with ron, a vietnam veteran, historian, and my coauthor for this book. Ron had been to iwo jima multiple times for historical tours and he knows the battle well. He pointed out the beach where harry, george, charlie, and the rest of them landed back in 1945. The approach is up an incline. Up a second incline, so by the time you get there, you dont have much left. Martha then ron took me to another spot. The place where the mortars hit on march 13th. The upper part of the island, an area known as the turkey knob in the amphitheater. This is where the japanese held out for weeks, long after the flag raising on suribachi, marines were still being killed as they reined mortars and rifle fire, fighting with a vengeance before meeting their own death. I watch the field where harry died and thought about these young men. New from harrys buddy georges letters to my aunt and grandfather what had happened here all those years ago. He had written to them after harry was killed. This is about the fifth letter. I cant seem to put into writing just what i want to say. Harry and i were great buddies. I was with him up on he would jima. I was with him the day it happened. Im sure he was killed instantly and there was no pain. He was wearing [indiscernible] on his neck when it happened and im sure he went to heaven. He was a great kid. Martha 75 years have passed since the last days of world war ii. Lives have been lived, children and grandchildren born, but when the men of iwo jima reflect, they still wonder sometimes why they were spared and others were not. Why me . I dont have the answer to that. I was just a regular marine doing a regular job for which the marine corps trained me. In circumstances came into play that put me in a position at a moment in time that permitted all this to happen. Martha my aunt and i showed charlie harrys wallet. We look at the pictures he kept in the prayer he wrote. It was sent home to massachusetts along with his i. D. Bracelet from his sweetheart dot. The reunion in the memories that serve us are a mixed blessing. I just dont want to you dont get over. It will take me a couple of days to get over. Harry was the closest friend i had in the whole marine corps the whole three years. And i was kind of mad that he had left me. Flashbacks about once or twice a month, sometimes scary wife, maybe end up on the floor out of bed. Martha sharp has been back to iwo jima before and was with us on the 74th anniversary. I want to pay my respects to my buddies. So im standing over there graves and looking down at them and i say to them, you guys, ive had a chance to be married and live a good life and you guys never got a chance to enjoy that and i think, you know, what we should do is you guys come up and ill go down there and ill stay down there for a weekend and you guys get a chance to live the kind of life that i lived, you know, see what it was about, dont go awol, you come back because i dont want to stay down there. Martha Woody Williams has spent his life honoring the men were lost, spear handing the building of memorials across the country. At 96 is old he is the only living medal of honor recipient from world war ii. A lot of people wanted to get into the war to not necessarily to fight a war but to protect our country. Its a horrible thing, war. What we had to do at the time to keep our country free. Martha made a memory of these men sustain us all and remind us of their sacrifice to secure our freedoms. May we never forget their bravery and all they gave up so that we might live free. We are forever indebted to these heroes, whose unknown valor we are obligated to know. Martha coming up, charlie reunites with another marine for the first time in 75 years. Sofi made it so easy to pay off my student loan debt. chime they were able to give me a personal loan so i could pay off all of my credit cards. chime i got my mortgage through sofi and the whole process was so easy. Choosing sofi was literally one of the best decisions i could have ever made because it gave me peace of mind. I could have ever made may your holidays glow bright and all your dreams take flight. Visit your local mercedesbenz dealer today for exceptional lease and financing offers at the mercedesbenz winter event. Hi susan honey . Yeah . I respect that. But that cough looks pretty bad. Try this new robitussin honey severe. The real honey you love. Plus, the powerful cough relief you need. Mind if i root through your trash . New robitussin honey severe. Strong relief for your severe symptoms. And through the woods this holiday season. Remember, safe drivers save 40 with allstate. Saving is easy when youre in good hands. Call a local agent, or 1800allstate for a quote today. Martha in late february, iwo jima survivors from all over the country gathered in our Nations Capital to commemorate 75th anniversary of the battle of iwo jima. The events organized by the Iwo Jima Association of america culminated in a gala to honor these heroes and those who did not make it back home. I had the privilege of being there and of talking to these two men who served alongside my uncle, harry gray, George Coburn and charlie gubich. The two had not seen each other since they were on the island 75 years before. Watch this. Do you remember him . This is my uncle charlie. You havent seen him in 75 yea years. We were all in that area together. We were getting pinned down all the time. Good to see you. Good to see you george, remember you told me that you called charlie pops . You were a little older than i was. Holy mackerel. Youre doing all right . Hanging right in there. We were on iwo. We were in the same everything. We were with each other all the time. Called him pops. He was the greatest marine. And we just we devoted to each other so well. We didnt shake hands with him. Why me, why them, not me, you know. Or why something that goes with being [indiscernible]. How come i have the closest guys. Theres nothing closer than two guys in the marine corps in combat. They both depend on each other for their very lives. Tonight is really about camaraderie. Its about remembrance, its about thinking of those who didnt make it back. Tonight we called off all the names. Martha George Coburn. Charles gubich. But as someone pointed out, theres a lot who did not make it back. That battle came to define sacrifice, tenacity, human courage, uncommon valor was a common virtue. Your legacy is the Young Marines who proudly following your footsteps. The marines who were deployed tonight while we are in this room. This all comes from you. Thats the legacy of iwo jima. Bold shifts roundtheclock on the you know . And snipers used to come out and shoot at us at night and luckily we never got hit on that. A little bit nerveracking. Im 98. Im looking pretty good. Ive met a couple of them that our characters kind of like me i guess, but anyway, had a good time. Want to start jumping around a little bit. I danced with my daughter a little bit. I said im the old guy. Im 94, shes 84. So we dont do a lot of dancing now. I love it. I love the music. Im a big fan of music from years ago and its my kind of music. We had our ups and downs like anyone else. But the love was there. I think the basic love is the important thing. The matter what i do. I couldnt think of [indiscernible]. Martha coming up next, 100yearold sam olson shares his story as the last living world war ii marine combat pil pilot. If you have moderate to severe psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, Little Things can become your big moment. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. 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Now, he uses therabreath healthy gums oral rinse with clinicallyproven ingredients and his gum problems have vanished. crowd applauding therabreath, its a better mouthwash. At walmart, target and other fine stores. Live from americas news head quarters, im ashley strohmier. From coasttocoast americans hit the road to join their loved ones for christmas. This despite dire warnings from health officials, many of those travelers going by air, the nations airports report millions are ignoring pleased by the cities to stay home as we continue to see a deadly surge in the crisis. All the officials tell us hospitals are maxed out in some cities and they protect it will only get worse after the holidays. And if the virus doesnt detour your Holiday Travel plans, this might. A storm that began with snow, strong winds and bitter cold in the midwest is now creeping into the northeast. Its expected to drench the region with heavy rain and powerful winds tonight and well into christmas morning. Be safe out there. Im ashley strohmier, now back to the story special unknown valor for all your headlines, go to foxnews. Com. His ago martha while researching my book, unknown valor, i was humbled to read so many stories of sacrifice during world war ii. Many young men volunteered to serve in the war with little to no experience, including sam, who as far as he knows is the last living world war ii marine combat pilot. Sam is now 100 years old. And he says he remembers every detail of those flights. Watch this. I was honored to be able to serve at okinawa and in korea. And to fly test airplanes. I was a test pilot for two and a half years. I was in the navy on active duty, resigned my commission, went to flight school, and came out as a marine. Flight training was not available. Airplanes were constantly being rebuilt to be sent overseas, so the pilots got Flight Training once in a while. I was sent overseas as a Fighter Pilot with no experience. None of us had any experience at that time. When i say no experience. I had a total of Something Like 15 hours in the airplane when i went overseas. Over a period of three months. So thats nothing. I first got into combat, i flew my First Mission with [indiscernible] at 28 or 29,000 feet. Never having worn one before, never, ever fired my gun in the air and with a total of someplace between 13 and 14 hours Flight Training. No time to be scared. That doesnt mean that down deep inside i wasnt jumpy, but no, i had no real knowledge of flight. I was so busy saving my own hide. I think im safe in saying none of us had any gunnery training in the air. We had all fired our guns at ground targets, but we had never flown in combat, we had never fired our guns in the air. I got shot at several times and when i say shot at, i was flying around in the japanese shot me in my airplane. We didnt know what we were doing. None of us had ever fired at an aerial target. None of us had fired our guns at another target until we fired at japanese planes at high altitude. We simply went up there, but their sights on something and fired. In all my flights were i was in combat are used up every bit of my ammunition. There was none of this sitting and shooting them down, you get up there and you fire. So on several occasions i got with the japanese on my tail shooting me up and i had no ammunition, all i could do was dodge. Some of the war is still right there. I can remember distinctly being shot up and shot down. Terrible things that happened. And i was in combat long before i should have been. If one lived long without having been in the service, one becomes a hero. I was certainly in some very hot spots. I can remember every detail of every one of those flights. I was happy to have had in retrospect, happier to have the experience and i was honored to be able to serve. I had innumerable, wonderful experiences that stay with me. Martha coming up, world war ii veterans reflect on storming the beaches of normandy 76 years later. I am totally blind. And non24 can make me show up too early. Or too late. Or make me feel like im not really there. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442342424. Who invented were car vending machines and buying a car 100 online. Now weve created a brandnew way for you to sell your car. Whether its a year old or a few years old. We wanna buy your car. So go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. And our techno wizardry calculates your cars value and gives you a real offer in seconds. When youre ready, well come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, thats it. So ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana. betsy quarter mile of tinsel. Of lights. harold and real snow all the way from switzerland. betsy hmmhm. Gonna be tough to top. Well played. vo add some thrill to your wish list. At the season of audi sales event. Get exceptional offers now. Martha in 2019, we had the great honor of being in normandy to commemorate 75 years since dday where we met some of the heroes who stormed those beaches. This year the pandemic of course has changed so many things, so we caught up with many of those brave men virtually this time and their messages are nothing short of inspiring. My body was in one place. My mind was in another place and i didnt get them both together until i left the aircraft. It was a beautiful fall at about 128 miles an hour. And it was a little cold too. Martha talk to me about the first time that you made that jump and did you think about that at all as you are heading up there today . This is one of the closures for that jump and im going to keep on going as long as im martha keep on going thank you, tom. Im not a dead man walking at. Martha far from it, far from it. Dday today, a very difficult time. Not as seems in the night but for the most part rescuers or helpers or those who we can give aid in the form of returning you to your life, your liberty. Musical emotion took over and i ket thinking in my heart there are some men out there that i actually took care of and i saw die on the beach and i kept hearing everything and just overtook me and i just kind of broke down, but i said when i get there im going to salute them, pray for them and i cried. I had to cry, but i did do all of those things that i promised i would do. They will never be forgotten as long as jack gutman is alive. Is it worth it . I will tell you this from the bottom of my heart, you young people, ive watched you and my children, seeing what you have done and i say this we serve one of the greatest countries in the world, the United States of america. When youre young guy, boy, youre not afraid of nothing, you go. Lets go, go, go when i got home there was a Beautiful Church Still Standing and it had parachutes all over it but no people in it. And i always talk about that church. It was very sad, but it was necessary and it means at the end of the war will eventually be coming. Saving the world dday is very, very important to me on that. And of course we have to remember all the sailors and soldiers that died there. It was amazing the courage they showed and kept on going. Love and live and be happy for each day, god bless america. Be proud of yourselves for displaying true grit, toughness, prayer fullness, bravery, and hope. May god bless america. Within to stuff like this before, but we will come out again on top and shine like a diamond ring. So just give us time and prayer and we will come ahead. Martha up next, a 95yearold world war ii paratrooper makes one more jump. Liberty mutual. They customize your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. Wow. That will save me lots of money. This games boring. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Martha is a paratrooper with the 101st airborne divisi division, Vince Speranza spent 144 days in combat during world war ii. Hes a survivor survivor of the long and bloody battle of the bulge. Now at age 95 he decided it was time for one more jump. Joining the armys Golden Knights Airborne Team on a tandem jump in california, heres how it went. Look at that martha he joins me know, bronze star and purple heart, thank you for your service in world war ii. Its a real honor to talk to you. What was that jump like for you and why did you decide to jump again after all these years . I was telling somebody else today that you never get use to parachute jumping. Its the same exhilaration and thrill that you had with the first one. The first one as soon as you get by the moment of truth where youre asked to step out the door, you conquer that moment, the rest of it is pure joy. The silence as the shoot opens, the gentle breeze as you go down and youve been taught to land properly so you dont get hurt and theres just nothing but a pure exhilarating experience. Martha well, thats what we feel when we watch you on this video as you go through the sky. Its an amazing video in an amazing experience. I want to ask you a little bit just for a moment, maybe a memory or two about what it was like when you were fighting in the battle of the bulge. Wow. The battle of the bulge was the most uneven fight in the history as far as we were concerned. Here we were, 12,000 american troops 9,000 of them paratroopers and the other 3,000 were from the 705 and 25 german divisions. Nine of the divisions were [indiscernible] and we had 73 tanks. They had over a thousand. They were fully equipped. We had no winter clothes. We were low on food, ammunition, so on. But one more time, one more ti time. Battles are not necessarily won by who has the most men, who has the most equipment, who has air coverage and so on, its whats in the heart of the individual soldiers. The man who digs a hole in the ground, puts a bayonet on the end of his rifle and says i dont care what you throw at me, im not getting youre not getting through my foxhole. And that kind of spirit is what throughout that battle, the odds were seven to one. I never felt or even sign of my buddies anything but high morale. We are going to like them no matter what they do. Martha its remarkable. What do you say to americans today, some of whom are not as familiar with the stories. What you want them to understand about the sacrifice and the mission . Well, that you know, todays troops in todays battles are different from what we were facing, you know, allout war and the motivation for the soldiers are different and we were fighting for the defense of our country. At that time america was really in danger. And so our attitude was simply, hey, were going to to keep you guys from getting to where my family is and so on. In todays troops. I think they are much more focused. From what i can tell about them, i visited with a lot of them and weve got the finest bunch of guys and gals that you ever saw. They are dedicated. They know their job, they are welltrained and so on and as you can tell, hands full of our troops overseas take on greater numbers and so on and now, you know, we are fully equipped and so on, so i i tell them when i speak to them. I say, you know, so long as we still have people like you out there, america is not in danger of losing anymore. Martha vincent, you are really an inspiring individual. We thank you so much for your service in world war ii and for the continuing example that you set for all americans. Thank you so much, vincent. Its an honor to speak with you, sir. Youre quite welcome, martha, and i look forward to watching your Program Every night. I have fox news on almost all day most of the time. And im delighted to have had the opportunity to speak with you. Martha thank you. Thank you. Well, the feeling is ritual. Thank you so much and im honored that you are watching every night. Thank you, vincent, be well, take care, sir. Coming up, the heroic stories of a world war ii veteran who marched with general patton, fought in the battle of the bulge, and liberated the [indiscernible] concentration camp. Next. Some hot cocoa . Mom, look are you okay . Head home this holiday with the one you love. Visit your local mercedesbenz dealer today for exceptional lease and financing offers at the mercedesbenz winter event. Theres an art to listening. Its the ability to hear more than whats being said. To understand the meaning in every pause. And to be able to offer the answers that make someone feel truly heard. I understand, lets get started. Thats what you get when you talk to a Dell Technologies advisor. I had this hundred thousand dollar student debt. Two hundred and twentyfive thousand dollars in debt. Ah, sofi literally changed my life. It was the easiest application process. Sofi made it so theres no tradeoff between my dreams and paying student loans. Student loans dont have to take over for the rest of your life. Thank you for allowing me to get my money right. Tmoat a record pace. Itsg me network get my money right. We were the first to bring 5g nationwide. And now that sprint is a part of tmobile were turning up the speed. Upgrading over a thousand towers a month with ultra capacity 5g. To bring speeds as fast as wifi to cities and towns across america. And were adding more every week. Coverage and speed. Who says you cant have it all . Were going to find the perfect tree. Were going skating. Were going to nanas. Wherever you go this holiday, chevy can help you get there. Which is why were making our chevy. Employee discount available to everyone. The chevy price you pay. Is what we pay. Not a cent more. So wherever you go, happy holidays from chevy. Use the chevy employee discount for everyone to get over six thousand eight hundred dollars below msrp on this equinox. Get the chevy employee discount for everyone today. Martha ive had the opportunity to meet so many world war ii heroes this year. If many of them are in their late 90s. If he had, each one was able to remember their war story as if they were yesterday. My next guest is a 95yearold world war ii veteran sharing his experiences in the new book i marched with patton. Frank told his e incredible sto, fighting in the battle of the bulge, he described patton as one of the of the greatest generals weve ever had. His mouth got him in a lot of trouble but his results overshadowed his faults. Id follow him to the ends of the earth. Frank joins me for the untold story podcast along with his coauthor robert wise. Explain for folks at home what its Like Fighting in the battle of the bulge against the germans. Every day was a serious day. We spent a lot of time trying to protect ourselves from the cold weather, knowing the germans had to put up with the same problems we did. That was the only thing, for two days. If i were every close, every piece of close i could find and wear. I was so uncomfortable with the close that i could hardly do my job. Its either that or freeze to death. Tucker martha that since coronary, daily courage it took for you to make it through it and then you were there when the liberation of dachau cencentration camp began. Tell me about that. We were gunning up the hill, making way for the artillery and we saw some action. Down the hill from where we we were, and the driver said frank, i think we need to go check that out. Sure enough, the skeletons of people in the ground and taking them to an ambulance, an old beat up school bus it look like. Taking them to the hospital and the people there said, dont let them we dont want them to eat anything because anything in their stomach could kill them real quick. We are going to feed them very slowly on a very fixed diet. I remember them falling down and trying to catch their feet. You couldnt help but just cry when you see Something Like that. Just unbelievable how awful it looked. Six what men about 85 pounds. Martha god bless them is right, and god bless all of you for fighting these battles. You say in your story that you didnt talk to your family much about your experiences in europe, but your sons watchful band of brothers. That brought it all home for them. Tell me what happened when they saw that. I was in the kitchen, i was fixing an evening meal. Of my three boys wear around the dining room table watching their brothers. And i didnt realize what theyre watching and as soon as the movie was over, all three of them ran into the kitchen where i was and started hugging me. Saying, papa, im so sorry. That you had to put up with th that. They were weeping and i was weeping. Martha you know, im sure that they were so moved to see those stories come to life and to realize more of what youve been through. Did that start a conversation with them about your stories . Oh, yeah, more and more and more. Essentially i started telling them about it. Martha i just really am honored to hear your story, sir, and im so grateful to you. Frank, many thanks to you, robert, thank you, sir, as well. The book is called i marched with patton. Thank you, sirs. We think frank and all of our world war ii heroes for their bravery and sacrifice. You can read more about the stories in my book unknown valor. Thank you for watching and dont miss weeknights 7 00 p. M. , have a good night, everybody. Tucker good evening, welcome to a special edition of Tucker Carlson tonight. Merry christmas. If youre spending the final days of 2020 with the ones you love, congratulations. That wasnt easy. A lot of powerful people tried to force you to remain cut off from your family, unable to worship, sad and solitary state. They told you we had to be alone because the other coronavirus. Of course, its more than that. Theres something about christmas that drives a certain sort of bureaucrat completely nuts. Maybe its all the unregulated joy. Maybe the i