Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
Untold Stories | Memories and Stories of Minnesota Veterans from many era’s of service
Veterans' Voices: Leech Lake | Memories and stories of military veterans from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
The Secret War | Featuring the some of the stories of Minnesota Hmong Veterans in the Secret War of Laos
Minnesota in the Vietnam War | Stories of Minnesotans in the Vietnam War
Minnesota in World War I | Stories of Minnesotans in World War I
Minnesota in World War II | Stories of Minnesotans in World War II
Veterans' Voices: Rochester | Veterans’ Voices is a radio series exploring the knowledge, experience and leadership of Rochester service members. Veterans’ Voices is a radio series exploring the knowledge, experience and leadership of Rochester service members. Hosted by Britt Aamodt Veteran’ Voices is produced by KRPR and Ampers.
Korea | Memories and stories from Minnesota’s Korean War Veterans
Veterans' Voices Korea Podcast | Extended podcast versions of interviews with some of the Minnesota Veterans of the Korean War featured in our radio series Veteran’s Voices Korea. Made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.
World War II | first-hand accounts of what it was like to serve in WWII
Native Warriors | Native American veterans explain why protecting our land and resources is an important part of Native culture and traditions
Vietnam | Stories and memories of Minnesota’s Vietnam veterans
Veterans' Voices Vietnam Podcast | Extended podcast versions of Kevyn Burger’s interviews with some of the Minnesota Vietnam Veterans featured in our radio series
When Minnesota’s Greatest Generation marched off to war, they had no idea the trials and trauma that awaited them in combat missions. In this episode, we hear from three Minnesota veterans who were stationed in England and flew bombing missions targeting the Nazis when they were shot down and put into harsh Prisoner of War camps. We also hear from a veteran who was serving in Europe at the end of the war as labor and concentration camps there were liberated.
This episode features Minnesota veterans Lester Schrenck, Walter Grotz, Claude Williams and his sister Lois and Bernie Lieder.
The day of the Pearl Harbor attack, what FDR memorably called ‘the day that will live in infamy,’ struck a nerve with a generation of patriotic Americans and motivated them to serve. In this episode, we hear from two Minnesota GI’s who signed up at recruiting stations in the aftermath of the surprise attack. There’s also the eyewitness account of a third Minnesota veteran who was there, aboard ship at the time the swarm of Japanese planes took aim at the US fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor.
This episode features Minnesota veterans Bill Olson, Herbert Gager and George Vandersluis.
Veterans returning from World War 2 were the first servicemen and women to be able to access the benefits of the GI Bill, officially known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. Far more GI’s than expected took advantage of the opportunity to have Uncle Sam pay for their education. The University of Minnesota was a leader in welcoming the veterans to campus. The college degrees they earned lifted thousands of those who served into the middle and professional class and gave them the knowledge and skills that fueled the post-War economy.
This episode features Minnesota veterans Jeanne Bearmon and Sherman Garon.
Army veteran Don Wickstrom recalls his military service on the front lines in Europe and his training and use of the Browning Automatic Rifle. The B.A.R, as it was known, was an effective and innovative weapon used in combat in World War 2, but it was also heavy, hot, cumbersome–and dangerous.
A program launched by the armed services identified promising young men and sent them to college for specialized training for the war. Minnesotans Bernie Lieder and Sherman Garon were two student soldiers who the Army sent to college. But urgent manpower needs ended the wartime higher education program.
Lester Schrenk, pictured in 2014, and Claude Williams were both stationed in England, where they were assigned to fly bombing missions to Germany and German-occupied parts of Europe. They were part of the determined but dangerous effort by the Allies to destroy the industrial power of the Nazis.
A number of relatives in Minnesotan Bill Olson’s family joined the Navy during World War 2, including an uncle who died while serving. When it came time for Olson to join the military, he chose the Navy, too. His assignment was working on the relief crew of a submarine tender to help keep U.S. submarines in tip-top shape during the war.
When Bruce Cottington enlisted in 1942, he joined the Navy, but was later assigned to a new Marine Corps unit called the Amphibians. The unit fought on land and sea, and Cottington prepared battle sites in the Pacific during World War 2. (The amphibian unit was the precursor to the Navy SEALS.)
