USM’s Dale Center, Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage Produce WWII Podcast

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 11:55am | By: Dr. David Tisdale

A collaboration between The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage (COHCH) and Dale Center for the Study of War and Society will present the consequential story of World War II through the voices of those who fought on its front lines and contributed to victory at home, along with input from internationally recognized Southern Miss faculty experts, in a special 10-week podcast series debuting Sept. 30.

Each episode in “Voices of Our People: WWII” features approximately an hour of in-depth analysis by top military historians in the Dale Center combined with the excerpts from the extensive collection of interviews in the COHCH’s archives. Dr. Kevin Greene, director of the COHCH and a Dale Center Fellow, is executive director of the project; Ross Walton, coordinator of digital production and preservation for the COHCH, serves as writer and producer, with additional assistance provided by the center’s collection specialist Isabel Loya.

Episode topics include America’s answer to the call for mobilization following the attack on Pearl Harbor; boot camp experiences that include an interview with famed Mississippi comedian Jerry Clower recounting his own military service; spotlights on the North Africa and Italy campaigns; the leadup to D-Day;  the Navy’s Seabees and the Battle for Guadalcanal; Battle of Bulge; aftermath in the occupation of Germany and Japan; PTSD and mental health issues faced by veterans; the service of women in uniform and in the home front workforce; and the experiences of Black GIs returning from the war to a still segregated America, among many other compelling topics. 

“We’re thrilled about this opportunity to work with Dale Center scholars on this platform in examining the history of WWII, while also advancing both of the centers in sharing with the university community and an even wider audience the important work we’re both doing,” Dr. Greene said.

Southern Miss faculty experts featured in the podcast include Dr. Greene; Dr. Andrew Wiest, a Southern Miss Distinguished Professor of History and founding director of the Dale Center; Dr. Heather Stur, professor of history and Dale Center Senior Fellow; Dr. Kenneth Swope, professor of history and Dale Center Senior Fellow; and Dr. Douglas Bristol, associate professor of history and a Dale Center Fellow who also serves as co-director of the USM Center for the Study of the Gulf South. All are faculty members in the Southern Miss College of Arts and Sciences School of Humanities. Southern Miss graduate students Bearington Curtis and William Browning also contributed to the development of the project.

Supported by the Mississippi Humanities Council, the podcast is the debut for its “Voices of our People” project and is narrated by Bill Ellison, narrator for Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s “Mississippi Moments” which employs the COHCH’s collection of interviews for its programming. 

“The Mississippi Humanities Council is pleased to support ‘Voices of Our People,’ which uses USM’s extensive collection of oral histories to tell some of our state’s most important stories,” said Dr. Stuart Rockoff, executive director of the MHC. “World War II changed the world, but it also transformed Mississippi. This debut podcast series tells this story by using the voices of the men and women who lived it. By mixing first-hand accounts with context from USM’s outstanding historians, this podcast will make this vital chapter in our country’s history come alive for listeners.

"The Mississippi Humanities Council has been a longtime partner of the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage and is excited to support the center’s effort to bring its extraordinary collection to a national audience.”  

”Voices of Our People: WWII” will be available across all podcast platforms.

Click here for information on the COHCH, and click here for information on the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society.