Special Episode: The National WWII Museum's Pacific Galleries tour with Seth
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- čas přidán 1. 01. 2024
- In this special episode, Seth takes you through the National WWII Museum's Road to Tokyo Pacific galleries. Seth was a chief historian at the WWII Museum for 15 years and was one of the key contributors to the construction of the WWII Museum's campus. In this special episode, he takes you on a quick 40,000 foot view of the Pacific side of the museum.
#wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #worldwar2 #usnavy #usnavyseals #usmc #usmarines #saipan #usa #usarmy #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #battleship #battleships #ussenterprise #aircraftcarriers #museum
Imagine having Seth as your modern history teacher at high school !
I had a high school history teacher whose fingernails were all destroyed or missing, Mr. Tucker. He wore a dark suit everyday. When I was discussing getting an ROTC scholarship with friends in class, Mr. Tucker interrupted and said you might not want to be an officer. When I looked up, he continued, "They didn't last too long...". You know how it is when you're 17-18. I just stared. He smiled in his fatherly way and then continued teaching the class.
Yup, totally agree - it sure would be awesome to have Seth as your History teacher.
Also, I'm sure it must have been equally awesome to have Bill as Commanding Officer!!🫡
Much respect and appreciation to both!!
Would they let him teach as he would want? (in today's world)
Great point! Too much of our history has been turned upside down.
History it seems is not being taught. This 10th of November, I was telling my veteran's story to 5 different high school English classes in Niles, Michigan. I was a bit surprised that not one student had learned about Charles Lindberg or Jimmy Stewart. The later as either being a very famous actor or in his service where he after WWII became a Brigadier General in the USF Reserves.
Seth would have been a dream history teacher for me. I was already deeply interested in WWII history. Maybe in part because my Dad and many of his friends served. I enjoyed learning their stories.
Bill as a CO? I have served for 21+ years between the USAF and MI Army National Guard. I would have had to have served under him to give you a good answer. Only one CO that I served under was in my view excellent. Many were good. One was a complete disaster. A couple others were good at parts and terrible at others.
The heart of Seth and Bill comes through in each of their videos. We combat Marines thank you both for all that you do to keep the sacrifice of the MEN of WWII alive.
The house that Seth built. So cool guys!
As I was preparing for my third deployment to Afghanistan, mobing through Camp Shelby, I got a weekend pass. I had friends in New Orleans, and one of them invited me to the NWWIIM. I met her for lunch at the museum. She brought along a WWII vet, a docent at the museum, who had landed at Normandy on D-Day as a Staff Sergeant and received a battlefield commission, getting out after the war as a Captain.
He shared some things with me that day that I don't think he commonly shared. I don't know why he shared them with me. That has always baffled me.
I did go and see him after my return. He was the epitome of a southern gentleman, but he had a savage inside of him that he had showed me a little of. It was an honor and a privilege that he shared that with me.
He died a couple of years later.
I'll never forget meeting him, listening to him. I feel blessed. Seth has been blessed to get to know a lot more veterans, and I understand just a little bit of why that's so special.
Was his name JJ Witmeyer?
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Yes, it was JJ. I was introduced to him by Greta. Not sure if you know her. JJ was an amazing man.
@@skipdreadman8765 yes, he certainly was. He was one of my good friends there. I knew him very well for many years. And honest to God bad ass infantryman.
@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar He was the epitome of a southern gentleman; _and_ a badass infantryman. Embodying both so seamlessly is a feat not everyone can pull off. JJ did it with grace.
Remembering him made me feel humble about my CIB. His was worth more because it cost more, in my appraisal. It was an honor and a privilege to have known him for that brief time. You're lucky to have known him better.
This is absolutely epic. I hope I have the honour of visiting the premises one day.
Seth you and your former staff did a fantastic job on the exhibits and keeping the spirit of those involved alive for future generations. The museum sure has grown since 2004, (still the D-Day Museum back then) I took my Dad, who as I mentioned in previous comments was a Submariner during the War. I have fond memories of how everyone we encountered treated him with such respect.
Seth, your contribution to US history cannot be overstated. These exhibits are spectacular. Living in Baton Rouge, I can't wait to take my nine year old son on this tour. Jeff DeBlanc is a Louisiana legend. I think it was 10 pounds of rice but three bags sounds better. Thanks Seth and Bill. Another great episode.
As an Australian they do a great job of mentioning us to !
Seth - Great job on the exhibits you put together! My son and I had the opportunity to visit the museum about a year ago. It was fantastic. I'm partial to the exhibits about the Pacific war but there is so much more. I really liked that you start your visit "riding" in a railroad car like so many of our service members did who served in WWII. I would encourage everyone, especially on this channel, to plan a visit.
Thanks Seth and Bill for the nickel tour of an obviously top shelf museum complex. As amazing as the phone directory was the highlight of the video was the fleeting look on Seth's face when the couple cut right in front of the camera at the end of the intro. Great job gents.
What an honor it would have been to have played such a part in seeing the museum come to life. My brother and I were there on the 8th, and at that time you were upstairs, we were downstairs. Would have loved to have met you both and shaken your hands. Thank you for your contributions of time and expertise in putting together the museum. My brother and I spent three consecutive days there, and to be honest, neither he nor I wanted to leave. Again, many thanks to you both. That museum holds a very special place in my heart.
Excellent series. Now, let’s see a show of hands: How many of us are waiting to hear Seth interview Captain Bill for an unauthorized history of the Cold War? Focusing, in particular, on Captain Toti and his work on the SSN USS Indianapolis?
So much of that is yet to be declassified but I would love to hear those stories that have not been told. There’s so much that went on that the public has no idea about.
I met another SSN captain who commented that ‘’most’ of the Cold War stuff had been declassified. The challenge is that the submariners in particular like to keep secrets so as to preserve the mystery.
@@herbert92x Submariners are a secretive group for sure. The Silent Service goes where it wants and I hope one day we get a full picture on just how great in scale their contributions to the Cold War really were. It would certainly be a book worth reading.
Fantastic Idea.
I would enjoy hearing Captain Toti's war stories from USS Indianapolis. Sadly it could be a very short interview. They don't call it the Silent Service for nothing. All the good stuff is redacted. (Still Classified)
I served in the USAF during the Cold War. Much I can talk about. There are a very few things I won't. As far as I know that may well still be classified.
I was a computer repairman. My first system was 465L SACCS. It was a digital comm system for SAC. Its prime mission, thankfully never done, was to pass the Presidential Emergency War Order to the Bomb Wings and ICBM Launch Crew Capsules. I just called it the "OH CRAP!" message. I have been a great many times in the Wing Command Posts and a few Launch Crew Capsules.
I just got used to living life in the 10 ring of a nuclear bullseye!
Absolutely loved this tour, and hearing Seth's personal connection to the museum, and its artifacts. Such amazing treasures for future generations to see, and understand.
Seth & Bill,
Again, thank you for your hours bringing this important history to so many interested people.
The passion, expertise, and dedication to preserving the memory of those who served is truly commendable.
Thank you for the tour Seth and Bill. Great episode. As always you make my Tuesday special. Seth you said that The Night the Giants Rode was your favorite, mine too.
Thank you for another stunning presentation! The tour of this amazing museum was fantastic. So much of our history and military heritage preserved for future generations. Thank you Seth and Captain Toti.
You gentlemen are priests of our never to be forgotten hallowed past. You have my eternal gratitude.
Seth and Bill, when y'all finish 1944 and 1945, what's next?
Will y'all move on the another theater of the war? Advance the history to the Korean War? Or go back to the beginning and tell different stories?
I have been a History Geek, especially WWII History, since i was a kid. I absolutely love each and every episode.
And listening to Seth and Bill talk about all the Veterans that y'all have met and are able to tell their stories for a new generation is a precious gift that you two have received.
In my 57 years I have been lucky to have met some WWII Vets. And sadly, they are almost all gone.
Thank you, both of you, and your guests, for the incredible podcast.
No, I don't think we will. There are stories we have skipped, and topics we want to cover yet, so I'm sure we will go back and do those, but when its done, its done.
I don't know what we all are going to do when you guys are done! I'm going to have to go to rehab or something!
seeing those artifacts in person would give me serious goosebumps. wow.
The only thing that seems missing is an empty room awaiting as a mausoleum for you guys who have done such an outstanding job presenting the detailed history of the war in the Pacific. You are hugely dedicated to the task and deserve the recognition. And there are others who deserve the same.
My oldest cousin told me that when he and my dad went through the WWII Museum, that my dad, who operated Higgins boats, had the hole crowd's attention, even the guides, when he was discussing the Guadalcanal campaign. He was a very quite man, but was sharp as a tack until his death at 90 in 2012.
I was just there last week! One of my favorite museums! Wish I had a guided tour with Seth and Bill!
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."....Thus spake Thomas Jefferson. Thanks, Seth and Bill, for the tour of this museum. I hope museum patrons ask themselves if they would also be willing to risk their lives to defend this country and its ideals.
I can see the passion that the two of you have for the Pacific War. This was a great surprise. I expected to see Jon Parshel and his World War One wallpaper, just kidding one the wallpaper.. it's the War of 1812!. Great job! I expect another great episode next week. (What is next after you complete this series?)
This is a "How to museum" from a top tier professional historian & curator that is Seth. If I ever get the chance to visit Louisiana I'll make a point in visiting this museum. Splendid work!
Love you guyz 🇺🇸Go Army.
I’m addicted to your channel. I’ve always been a history buff especially WW2 but you guys provide such great insight. Thank you
Seth & Bill, you guys are doing an amazing thing bringing the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War podcast to the public. A lot of hard work I'm sure, but an immensely valuable service to posterity.
Happy New Year 2024 Cpt. Bill Totti and Seth "let's wrap this sucker!" Paridon! You guys are the best. All the best from Santiago, Chile.
Captain Toti and Seth, thank you again for your work. I appreciate you.
Excellent. I am a gun guy too. The Pacific war vets were my teachers, uncles and neighbors. As I got older, picked several Arisaka rifles that were bring backs. Even pulled a few souvenirs from the trash, including the common trench art ashtray made from the base of a Japanese shell with a US 50cal in the center. My example has 1942 dates.
Seth you seem very proud of your work here. Justifiably so. Very impressive. Hope to see it all soon.
Very cool that you two took us on this tour! Enjoyed it as always, your history walks.
WOW, Seth, and Bill, I came to this museum in 2012. I wish I had known that you worked there then so I could have met you, Seth. I owned a M-1918 BAR in the early in the 1990s. It's so marvelous that you were blessed to meet so very many superb veterans of WWII. Thank you for bringing us along today to this very one-of-a-kind American museum. What an excellent video, gentlemen, thank you.
A visit to the museum is now certainly on my list for 2024. In light of the importance of transport and supply for the landings, will you be doing an episode on that part of the campaign? My father was at sea when war broke out. He was assigned to USS PRESIDENT HAYES after Pearl Harbor. And finished the war as a Planck holder aboard the light cruiser USS PASADENA.
thanks for the podcasts
Jim
I used to work at Cradle of Aviation on Long Island, and we had a game we used to play. We had a stuffed monkey and a rubber fish, and the game was too hide them in the exhibits, and if you found it, you could hide it again.
The rules were simple: you could put it somewhere that the public couldn't get to, but they had to be visible from a place where the public was allowed. One of the curatorial guys hid it so well it took us six months to find.
I love the LM there. Have not seen it yet.
@@dks13827 it's a great museum. The LM is there, and there's an LM that was used as a test bed at Grumman. The WWII exhibit is good, too.
There's an Avenger there that flew to LI in the 80s, the inside of which still reeks of decaying fireproof coating.
Thank you to all that keeps our archives safe and observable.
Thank you
Didn't know that Seth had that on his resume. Well done.
@30:40 "Our viewers like maps." 😁 While listening to your podcasts, I typically pull up various maps and even other CZcams videos on my 2nd monitor to help me understand.
I feel like I was in the museum watching this. Thank you
That is what I like about the "Unauthorized History of the Pacific War" podcast: the few videos that are used are chronologically correct. Nothing frustrates more than watching other videos of the war when incorrect film of aircraft or ships is used. For instance a history of the F4F Wildcat will contain exclusive shots of the F6F Hellcat. That is sloppy history and editing. Keep up the great work gentlemen.
Brought this into our collective consciousness, thank you. Have visited the Alabama, USS Drum etc. Not being able to travel now (medical issues) this is as close as I will come to seeing this great exhibit. Thanks again, Bill and Seth!
I would love to see Seth and Bill put together a yearly tour, starting with the WWII Museum, then moving to the USS Alabama, and other sites and museums.
Possibly also a yearly 1 day conference at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum featuring lectures from various historians, authors, and speakers. This could be done as a benefit for the Museum or veteran organizations.
One of the main obstacles for the Japanese soldiers in Guadalcanal is the barbed wire contribution in saving a lot of gi’s either directly or indirectly via slowing ,directing or even nullify an enemy ,an often overlooked weapon.As you guys enter the Guadalcanal area,I didn’t notice any barbed wire among the coconut trees,barbed wire saved a lot of marines and killed a lot of the enemy,yet as weapon not highlighted in the gallery,maybe I missed it but need to be highlighted .
Thank you Seth & Bill for the tour. Also thank you for your outstanding podcast.
Seth, compliments on your contributions to the Museum. I was there earlier this week. It was so comprehensive. Sadly I didn't find the rubber rats that you placed at that exhibit. I hope to return after the PT Boat exhibit opens.
More! More! More! Love the museum episodes@!!!
Seth & Bill, this is absolutely incredible!!! Would you do an episode covering the significance of the coast watchers?
Thanks again,
Todd
Thanks for the tour, boys.
This is amazing! The artifacts from the soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors are awesome, but the guns alone made my day. Wow!
Seth, I truly appreciate your attention to detail. I DESPISE watching a documentary of say Midway and they show 1945 film. THANK YOU
Thanks again guys!!
It's on my bucket list. It's an amazing job; it's so important. My uncle brought home a jar of Japanese ears. He was very proud of them for some time but eventually had a burial ceremony as he came to Turms with the human cost of the war.
13:30 Bless you!
Seth and Bill, I've been awaiting your episodes with the same anticipation as the Time-Life World War II series while still a teen some 40+ years ago, and that says something... Thank you so much for your work and Happy New Year.
Great job ,Seth thank you for sharing
Thanks again for bringing history to us in a way that makes it come alive. Was supposed to go to a meeting that was scheduled a few days after Katrina. The meeting was cancelled, but I had high hopes of visiting the old museum. Will have to head that way again for the full tour.
Thank you bill and Seth.
I went to the museum fifteen years or so ago. I ended up chatting with a docent who piloted a Higgens boat in the Pacific. We chatted a long time. It was great.
Awesome episode! I'm a Charter Member and supporter. Been following the podcast for a while and have learned so much. Seth, really appreciate how you combed through all the footage and made sure it was chronologically appropriate to the time frame of the exhibits; too many WW2 docs (including one currently on Netflix) use footage willy-nilly and having studied WW2 since I was 9 (now 54) I cringe every time some narrator is talking about, for example, Midway and the footage is Hellcats taking off from a carrier in 1944. Anyway, rant over; great podcast and episode(s). Really enjoy it!
I know the doc series on Netflix that you are referring to, and yes, the footage choice is pathetic. You can tell that they did not have any type of historian on staff putting that thing together.
Seth gets to say I get PAID to do this!😂😂😂😂😂
I love your passion for the Pacific war and appreciate all you share with us, thank you!
Great show gentlemen.
Thanks as always guys. I made my bucket list trip to Nola a few years ago and this was the first place I went to the morning after I got there. This puts a fresh perspective on some of the things I saw and fills in the gaps on things that I may have passed by as I walked through.
Wow, can't wait to visit!
The Balao Class Submarine Bilge Pump Association Subcommittee on AV Fact Checking would like to point out that the background music in the "Death at Japan's Doorstep" gallery is actually "An Ending" by Brian Eno. It was indeed part of an Apollo documentary but not From the Earth to the Moon.
This was great. I went to MSI in Chicago with Steve Zaloga, and this reminded me of that.
I love Sabaton so deeply , they are the MasterPiece , seriously !!!
I knew about the WW2 museum because in 2018 I got to take a somewhat hurried walk-though of one or two wings while in New Orleans for a maritime history conference. I did not like New Orleans overall, but I might make a return visit someday to spend the better part of a day visiting the museum at a more relaxed pace. It was one of the most professional museum exhibits I've ever seen.
I did not know there was an annual WW2 conference held there.
Cool you guys did a field trip! Great job on it guys. 🇺🇸 Wwg1wga
Great venue for learning history. Did notice that Seth as a map aversion. But he's probably been to all these islands so he can picture the terrain and orient listeners to how the war rolled out in this island hopping campaign. So for those of us who are interested in the history and haven't the privilege of traveling to these destinations, maps are essential to the narrative if your goal is to educate others. I follow your channel hoping by knowing the past, one can avoid conflicts in the future.
I love the tour and of course, your CZcams podcast is something I look forward to seeing every week. Maybe you can do more WWII Museum tours in future podcasts. Most of the history of WWII I learned in school only showed the old propaganda or Hollywood films showing how wonderful we were and how bad they were. I never gave it much thought until I started watching your podcast. Thanks for pulling back the veil and showing us the real history. BTW: I wonder if we will ever see a Vet Nam museum?
I appreciate the proper timing of the videos. So often the clips are so out of sync or even showing American/Japanese aircraft as their opposites. Well done Seth. Attention to detail. SCPO T.
Brilliant episode. Thanks for the quick tour.
I saw the (then) museums back in 2002 but realise I have to go back to New Orleans to see Seth’s magnum opus.
My docent colleague and friend at a now-closed military museum was a Marine aviation ground guy in WWII, and was at Guadalcanal. One day a visitor from Louisiana came in, my friend spoke with him and Jeff DeBlanc came up - my friend had known him on the Canal, was there when he ditched and later was rescued. The visitor gave my friend DeBlanc's son's phone number, but sadly when called the son said his dad was no longer up for phone conversation. That museum also had a Riesing on display - only one I've ever seen.
Another great episode, and I have a suggestion for a future video. The war in the Pacific was largely between the US and Japan, but others were involved at both ends, and on the periphery. An episode on the British role, would be interesting. The Brits were involved early, like the US on the losing end, with the loss of Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, and Burma, the sinking of a number of ships (Prince of Wales, Repulse, and some in battles that the US Navy was part of, like the sinking of the heavy cruiser Exeter off Java). Empire forces also were involved heavily in the Solomons and New Guinea campaigns. Along the way they also pushed the Japanese back in Burma. Then at the end, after the war in Europe was over the Brits sent a fleet back to the Pacific. They attacked Japanese forces still in Sumatra and Singapore, and then came north to assist in the Okinawa campaign. Interestingly, the British fleet seems to have been handled better, and fared better in the typhoon off Okinawa. They would have also joined the US in the planned invasion of Kyushu. The US could and would have defeated Japan without allies, but the role of the Aussies, Kiwis, and Brits was not insignificant at all. It would be interesting to cover some of this in its own episode.
Thank you Seth and Bill for a great show. Seth, you did a fantastic job, i have plans to bring my grandson to see the kidd in baton Rouge, and you guys have convinced me to add the museum to the trip, btw, Basilone used the water cooled mg on the canal, to move it required a asbestos glove, the handle shown in the Pacific was on the air cooled version of the .30, water cooled, 1917, air cooled 1919? I believe that was the versions. Thank you gentlemen for such great content.
Great presentation Seth!
Looking forward, now that we've reached the Marianas, how about an episode detailing the tremendous effort of the Seabees and Engineers to transform Guam, Saipan, and Tinian into the bases from which war finally descended upon the Empire? Logistics rule!
The museum is on my bucket list, now more than ever
A really cool walk through the Museum. I'm really hoping to make it there in the near future
Great Video, guys. Appreciate the tour of Seth's professional work! You guys love detail, so here's one: the Brian Eno song is actually from a 1989 documentary on the apollo program called "For All Mankind". I think it inspired the HBO series to follow.
What an amazing tour. And what an exhibition space has been put together there. Fantasic work. Another fabulous episode
Great Tour. I have to see this museum now. Love this episode. And yes we love our maps.
Seth, maps are essential to orienting oneself to a new environment. If you have never seen the ocean you don't actually know what it's like to look out and see nothing but water all around you. Likewise, if you have never seen a jungle you have no idea how close, dark and eerie things are. It's scary as hell because you just don't know what is lying in wait for you and your buddies until it literally explodes at you. Then, in places like Guadalcanal the Japanese did not attack from a single direction. You would expect them to be coming from the northwest because that is where Rabaul is generally located. However, because of the fact that "the Canal" was an island initial attacks came from the southeast (the so-called Tenaru fight/Alligator Creek/Ilu river fight) then from the southwest and then from the northwest and north. If you include the Japanese naval bombardment the Marines and the 164 IR were catching it from all points on the compass. Maps are essential to make sense of it all. Just ask Bill if he would go to sea without harbor and deep ocean charts.
My brother in arms steve met you guys,,,following you guys in the Philippines
Kudos to you Seth. Also, thank you Commander Toti for your service(locked into a tin can under water, I cant imagine doing that). Also, Seth, you mentions of interest in guns. Do you hunt? Would be cool.
Thank you again for ALL the work you gentleman do.
I'm glad to hear y'all plan on doing some episodes of the China/Burma theater. I was wondering if y'all were going to talk about the Houston and what happened to her survivors at Java and later in Burma.
Fascinating! Thanks for this! The only time I've been in NO was in 1986, so the museum wasn't there. Just up the Mississippi in Baton Rouge is the USS Kidd. It's the only Fletcher-class DD still in WW2 configuration. It saw PTO action. The shipboard scenes of "USS Keeling" in Tom Hanks' movie _Greyhound_ were filmed on her.
Up in KC is the National WW1 Museum. Both my grandfathers were WW1 vets. Fine place. I recommend both of these.
About 1.5 hours' drive south from me is the National Museum of the USAF near Dayton at Wright-Patterson AFB. Been there many times. Lastly, at the Pensacola FL NAS is the Naval Aviation Museum. I've only been there once, but loved it!
Thanks for this. Would love to get there someday.
Considering that Nagato was used as a target at operation Crossroads everything on her was open for museum use.
I really do love your channel and programing, and hope to meet you both one day in person. Cheers! - Wright Sublette
That was the fastest hour of the week. That place looks freakin awesome !
I didn't know this place even existed... Thank ya for showin it....
Thanks Guys.👍
Going to have to visit that place.
Great Museum! I am due to go again soon. Love the podcast Seth and Bill!
I enjoy your podcast so very much and tell every veteran that I know and meet about it. I would like to suggest an episode about the role of Marine artillery and air in the liberation of the Philippines. Very few people that I know know of this history.
Seth I went to exhibits and you did an amazing job I was impressed!
"Japan is a major ally, recently agreeing to replenish the U.S. supply of Patriot missiles with ones made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries under license from Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies. " WSJ Jan 2, 2024
I found this truly bothersome.....especially in memory of these WWII vets
You run a great series..the nuts and bolts that are important to the real student of the WWII Pacific theatre. You do them honor......Thanks
Wow thanks
In my time living in Baton Rouge I was a frequent visitor. Holy ground to be sure !
Great show as always man
I hope you guys cover the Alamo scouts
These guys went on Missions Wilder than Hollywood could come up with.
And didn't lose a man Through the whole war