Art Of Living

The Ritchie Boys, Nisei, and WWII: The Language of War

The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series

Welcome to the Not Old Better Show on radio and podcast.  You’re listening to our award-winning Smithsonian Associates Interview Series.  I’m Paul Vogelzang, and our guest today is Dr. David Frey, who’s written and researched and will be telling us all about his subject, The Richie Boys.

Between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. military established the Military Intelligence Training Center (MITC), which recruited an unusual group of soldiers: refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe, Japanese Americans, Native Americans, African Americans, women, artists, intellectuals, and others.

Our guest today, Dr. David Frey, a professor of history and director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at West Point, spotlights two groups that possessed invaluable linguistic skills and who could pull off an amazing transformation to aid the US war effort. 

Among the “Ritchie Boys,” named for the secret Camp Ritchie facility in Maryland, were young Jewish refugees mostly from Nazi Germany and Austria. They returned to Europe after being trained in how to gather battlefield intelligence. Second-generation Japanese Americans or Nisei also trained at the camp, serving as translators, interpreters, and interrogators.

Dr. David Frey tells us the story of the recruits’ wartime contributions and their enduring effects on the culture and politics of the Cold War era—and on what it meant to be an American.  This story is amazing and The Ritchie Boys were young men, many of them German-born Jews, who fled Nazi Germany to the US. They were trained in intelligence and psychological warfare and returned to Germany as soldiers in the US army.

Join me for a fascinating story you have to hear to believe, and let’s welcome to The Not Old Better Show on radio and podcast, Smithsonian Associate, Dr. David Frey.

My thanks to Dr. David Frey for his generous time today, as well as this fascinating Smithsonian Associates story of The Ritchie Boys.  My thanks to the Smithsonian Associates for their ongoing support of the show.  My thanks to you my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience here on the radio and on the podcast.  Please be well, be safe, and let’s eliminate assault rifles.  Assault rifles are not needed and our wonderful children and grandchildren are frightened in the very place they do their learning: schools.  Let’s do this together and let’s talk about better.  The Not Old Better Show.  I’ll see you next week…thanks, everybody.

#642 The Ritchie Boys, Nisei, and WWII: The Language of War

Dr. Arthur Lupia, Author Intervew: Uniformed:&nbsp;WHY PEOPLE KNOW SO LITTLE ABOUT POLITICS AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT “Voter ignorance is notorious and well-documented, but merely throwing more facts at voters is not enough. In this capstone work, political scientist Arthur Lupia synthesizes years of work with scientists and educators in all arenas to figure out how to&nbsp;increase issue competence among voters.” Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, I’m your host, Paul Vogelzang. Citizens appear to know very little about politics and government. When asked simple questions on these topics, millions of people give incorrect answers. “Who is your US senator, or, who holds the majority in the house of representatives.” Often voters give no answers at all to these and other civics questions. Given this state of affairs, it is not surprising that experts often deride the public for its ignorance and low voter turnout. Our guest expert today is Dr. Arthur Lupia is the Hal R. Varian Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan. He serves on advisory boards for several science communication endeavors, including the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academy of Science and Climate Central. He is also Chair of the American Political Science Association Task Force on Improving Public Engagement, and despite all that’s available on line and elsewhere, Dr Lupia will tell us how to cut through. We have a lagging interest in politics.&nbsp; At least some of us do. But, during this election season, it means a great deal to be informed and Dr. Lupia will share with our Not Old Better audience what’s going on and what he means by “un-informed.” Please join me in welcoming Arthur Lupia, Ph D, to the Not Old Better Show.

Dr. Arthur Lupia, Author Intervew: Uniformed book review

Heather Green, To Catch a Cat: Author Interview New Book: To Catch A Cat: &nbsp;How Three Stray Kittens Rescued Me Heather Green is a freelance writer. An award-winning journalist, she wrote about technology for&nbsp;Businessweek. Her first book, To Catch a Cat, is a memoir published by Penguin (July 2016), and it's not what you think. In my interview with Heather, she says: "From saving three wild cats in my boyfriend's backyard. That experience taught me so much about connection--to a community, to myself, and to my boyfriend." Please join me and Gretchen Vogelzang, former long time MommyCast &amp; MommyCast Latina founder and podcasters, as we chat with Heather Green about her life, her redemption and what she learned about how the&nbsp;people you need find you when you’re doing something that matters to you.&nbsp;

Heather Green, To Catch a Cat: Author Interview

SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES FALL COURSES, INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA ROBERTS, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, EP 2. Welcome to our inaugural, 2 part episode of Smithsonian Associates Events, on The Not Old Better Show. &nbsp;This is part 2 of the series. &nbsp;Thank you for listening. I want to invite you to subscribe to these great, free podcasts on iTunes, Google Play, and at all the Smithsonian Associates social media sites, like Facebook, and Twitter. And, at the&nbsp;SmithsonianAssociates.org, you can find out more, become a member, and sign up for eAlerts with special offers and pre sale notices.&nbsp; Give it a try, I think you’ll love it. &nbsp; Smithsonian Associates is the largest museum-based education program in the world—and produces vibrant educational and cultural programming inspired by the Smithsonian’s research, collections and exhibitions. The programs are designed to be entertaining, informative, eclectic, and insightful.&nbsp; Each year more than 750 individual programs are presented to spark creativity and excite learning in people of all ages in the Washington, D.C., area and across the country.&nbsp; Smithsonian Associates brings the Smithsonian to life through seminars, performances, lectures, studio arts classes and local and regional study tours, as well as many engaging programs for children, including performances, museum sleepovers and summer day camps. This fall’s program includes over 70 courses and workshops, with over 1/3 making their Smithsonian debut. &nbsp; Check it out:&nbsp;SmithsonianAssociates.org &nbsp;

Smithsonian Assoc. Rebecca Roberts, Ep. 2

SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES FALL COURSES, INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA ROBERTS, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, EP 1. Welcome to our inaugural, 2 part episode of Smithsonian Associates Events, on The Not Old Better Show. Thank you for listening. I want to invite you to subscribe to these great, free podcasts on iTunes, Google Play, and at all the Smithsonian Associates social media sites, like Facebook, and Twitter. At the&nbsp;SmithsonianAssociates.org&nbsp;web site you can find out more, become a member, and sign up for eAlerts with special offers and pre sale notices.&nbsp; Give it a try, I think you’ll love it. &nbsp; Smithsonian Associates is the largest museum-based education program in the world—and produces vibrant educational and cultural programming inspired by the Smithsonian’s research, collections and exhibitions. The programs are designed to be entertaining, informative, eclectic, and insightful.&nbsp; Each year more than 750 individual programs are presented to spark creativity and excite learning in people of all ages in the Washington, D.C., area and across the country.&nbsp; Smithsonian Associates brings the Smithsonian to life through seminars, performances, lectures, studio arts classes and local and regional study tours, as well as many engaging programs for children, including performances, museum sleepovers and summer day camps. This fall’s program includes over 70 courses and workshops, with over 1/3 making their Smithsonian debut. &nbsp; Check it out:&nbsp;SmithsonianAssociates.org

Smithsonian Assoc. Rebecca Roberts, Ep. 1

MOVIES FOR ADULTS: "SULLY" MOVIE REVIEW The new film, “Sully,” is many things. A wonderful story, for one, but also a term used to identify or describe a person who has gone beyond the impossible to save your ass, or the ass of others. According to the Urban Dictionary, a “Sully” is&nbsp;at minimum a situation so bad that a complete hat trick was never in the cards, and with an outcome or accomplishment so improbable, that it just never happens.&nbsp;&nbsp; Pilot Chesley Sullenberger's wild ride started when he landed a US Airways jet plop-solid perfect onto the icy surface of the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009 saving all 155 passengers on board. Fame has followed ever since, and Sullenberger's nickname, "Sully," is now this one-word phrase for coolness in a crisis. He's a hero to a nation in need of a hero, and taxi cab drivers, hotel managers, and bar keeps all recognize him in their midst and heap praise on him. And, just as the nation needs a hero, the real heroes in the film, and in real life are the honest, hard working Americans everywhere: the police, fire, safety, rescue and first responders, but importantly the flight crew themselves.&nbsp; In the film, “Sully,” out this week, seven and a half years after Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger successfully landed a damaged US Airways jet in the Hudson River&nbsp;shortly after takeoff from La Guardia Airport, this “Miracle on the Hudson” is retold through Captain Sullenberger’s honest, responsible, humble eyes.&nbsp; I loved this movie, and think you will, too. &nbsp;Enjoy.

"Sully" Movie Review NOB

Paul Taylor Vogelzang is an award-winning blogger, podcaster, writer, producer and style fanatic, known for his down to earth accessible reporting and advice for men and women 50 + age, and their families. Paul was one of the founding editors of MommyCast & MommyCast Latina, the wildly popular, very first mom podcasts in audio and video, and its producer from 2004 to 2009. Paul’s current, but also award winning podcast, The Not Old - Better Show launched in 2014. Paul continues to share vibrant, focused, entertaining content on the show, and writes frequently about the subjects of fashion, grooming and the “senior man.”  Paul lives just outside of Washington DC, with his lovely wife, Gretchen (also a MommyCast founder), and where the two of them are active in many arts, business and philanthrophic organizations, love to feed the Northern Wren, and are the parents of two sons.


#642 The Ritchie Boys, Nisei, and WWII: The Language of War

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