Military Historians are People, Too!

Brian Feltman and Bill Allison

Join Georgia Southern University military history professors Brian Feltman and Bill Allison as they chat with fellow military historians, public historians, scholars of war and society, and other exciting people about military history, career paths, BBQ, and life in general on Military Historians are People, Too! Recently named among the Top Military History Podcasts by Feedspot.com! Thanks for listening!

  1. S6E24 Chris Magra - University of Tennessee, Knoxville

    12h ago

    S6E24 Chris Magra - University of Tennessee, Knoxville

    Our guest today is Revolutionary War-era maritime historian Christopher P. Magra of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. At Tennessee, Chris is a Professor of Early American History and the Director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War (formerly the Center for the Study of War and Society). A native of Pennsylvania, Chris earned his BA from Grove City College and MA from Penn State University (where Carol Reardon asked him a really tough question during his thesis defense!), then earned his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. His work includes The Fisherman's Cause: Atlantic Commerce and Maritime Dimensions of the American Revolution (Cambridge), and Poseidon's Curse: British Naval Impressment and Atlantic Origins of the American Revolution (also Cambridge). His current edited volume of essays titled America's First War: The Military History of the Declaration of Independence (Tennessee) will be released to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in just a couple of weeks! Not one to rest, being a center director and all, he's got a project underway on the manufacture of chocolate- yes, chocolate - in early America. Join us for a relaxing, fun chat with Chris Magra - we'll talk orange sportcoats, maritime history, running a vaunted oral history program, ensigns, learning on the job market, Tori Amos, Knicks-Spurs, riding mowers, Hershey, PA, and OMG the return of the Pittsburgh Potty! Enjoy this one! Shoutout to Dead End BBQ and Sweet P's BBQ in Knoxville! Rec.: 06/10/2026

    1h 3m
  2. S6E23 Lucy Betteridge-Dyson

    May 26

    S6E23 Lucy Betteridge-Dyson

    Today's guest is an historian of the Burma campaign and equine experience in the World Wars - Lucy Betteridge-Dyson. Lucy is a PhD candidate and Burma Star Memorial Fund Scholar in the Department of Defence Studies at King's College, London. She didn't start out in history but instead was an audio engineer, earning a BEng (with honors!) in Audio Systems Engineering from Queen Mary University, London. Her interest in history, however, was always present and through her social media engagement she was noticed by documentary production companies, leading to several historical documentaries, including one in which she rides an unfamiliar horse at Waterloo and dresses in full Tommy kit at the Somme. She's appeared on the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are, National Geographic's World War II Secrets from Above, and PBS's Military Masterminds, among others. Like many of our UK guests, her grandfather served in the Second World War-a commando in Burma! Her first book, Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan, Burma, 1945 (Osprey) came out in 2025. Along the way, she earned an MA in First World War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, and is now working on her PhD thesis at King's titled "More than Muscle: Equines and the British Army, 1918-1945." Another fun one - We'll talk riding Western style in the UK, the difficulties of breaking into documentary TV production, raising a 9-month-old (who participates in the pod!), The Ramones, Inside No. 9, Sylvia Syms, getting your academic history chops, Paul Weller, tattoos, and the indispensable support of a spouse, and more. You'll enjoy this one! Rec.: 05/14/2026

    1h 8m
  3. S6E22 Jane Gulliford Lowes - Second World War Historian

    May 19

    S6E22 Jane Gulliford Lowes - Second World War Historian

    Our guest today has had an interesting path to becoming a historian of the RAF in the Second World War. Jane Gulliford Lowes, who many may know as "Just Curious Jane" and from her popular podcast Never Mind the Damn Busters, has been a solicitor for several years, but a few years ago decided to pursue her true calling - history! It all began with grandparents sharing their experiences growing up in post-Great War England and a grandfather and great-uncle serving in the Second World War. The latter provided the subject for her second book, Above Us the Stars: 10 Squadron Bomber Command - The Wireless Operator's Story (2020). To get her history chops in proper order, Jane took a master's degree in Second World War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, having already published two books and practiced law for let's just say "a number of years." Her most recent book, The Invisible Campaign: Bomber Command Gardening Operations, 1940-1945, grew out of her master's thesis at Wolverhampton and is out now in the UK and will soon be available in the US. Now a successful writer and established historian, Jane also has a popular podcast with co-host James Jefferies of the University of Essex - Never Mind the Damn Busters (be sure to check it out!)! She's appeared on numerous podcasts and lectured around the UK. Not bad for a coal miner's daughter from Seaham, County Durham, on the coal coast of northeast England! Join us for a really enjoyable chat with Jane Gulliford Lowes - we'll talk growing up in a coal mining family, a career (still ongoing) in law, discovering history through family stories and storytelling, the first visit to the UK National Archives at Kew, Incubus, "1101," getting a master's degree and writing while a full-time solicitor, Norwegian cinnamon buns, being a make-up artist, and more! You'll enjoy this one - Rec.: 05/12/2026

    55 min
  4. S6E21 Bill Taylor - Angelo State University

    May 12

    S6E21 Bill Taylor - Angelo State University

    Our guest today is the gracious, hardworking William A. Taylor of Angelo State University, where he is the Lee Drain Endowed University Professor of Global Security (say that fast five times!). A Naval Academy graduate and Marine veteran, Bill began life in Greenville, South Carolina, but grew up in Bowie, Maryland, and Dallas, Texas. Bill was doomed to be a historian after as a kid interloping into a 20-person wargame of the Alamo at a gaming convention, where his Mexican Army infantry unit staged a sneak attack on an unassuming Alamo wall and took out Davy Crockett, much to the surprise of the adult war gamers around him. With this tactical success and a Disneyesque coonskin hat as a trophy, Bill ultimately landed at Annapolis, followed by a stint in the Marine Corps, then earned his PhD in history at George Washington University, working under the late Ron Spector. He's authored too many books to list, but his Every Citizen a Soldier: The Campaign for University Military Training after World War II (Texas A&M) and The All-Volunteer Force: Fifty Years of Service (Kansas) are representative of his scholarship He is also the series editor for Studies in Civil-Military Relations at the University Press of Kansas and for Marine Corps History and Amphibious Warfare at the Naval Institute Press. So, school with the Navy, service with the Marines, and studying the Army - Bill now has a lot of Air Force members in his courses at Angelo State, where he chairs the Department of Security Studies and Criminal Justice. He's a busy guy. Bill is also one of the nicest guys in the military history community, as you'll hear in this delightful chat: We'll talk getting into the Naval Academy, standing up a new program in security studies, family tradition of military service, Rush, Popeye's Fried Chicken, and the value of mentors and paying it forward - join us for another good one! Shoutout to Bubba's BBQ and Armenta's Cafe, both in San Angelo, Texas! Rec.: 05/05/2026

    1h 11m
  5. S6E20 Kim Wagner - Queen Mary University, London

    May 5

    S6E20 Kim Wagner - Queen Mary University, London

    Our guest today is a scholar of the darker side of imperialism, Kim Wagner of Queen Mary University, London. Kim does intense work on atrocity and massacre, but he manages to keep a light attitude, as you will see in this episode. Born in Denmark to what can only be described as "hippie" parents, Kim grew up in Buddhist monasteries in South Korea and India and as a kid read those classics on 19th-century empire, such as Haggard's Alan Quartermain adventure stories and Henry Stanley's books on Africa, among many others. Once at university, however, Kim discovered the violent side of imperialism and decided to make it his mission to study imperial violence. His Cambridge dissertation became his first book, Thuggee - Banditry and the British in Early Nineteenth Century India (Cambridge), then a chance encounter with the skull of an Indian soldier executed in the 1957 Indian Mutiny led to a book titled The Skull of Alum Bheg: The Life and Death of a Rebel of 1857 (Oxford). Among his many other works are Amritsar 1919: An Empire of Fear and the Making of a Massacre (Yale) and Massacre in the Clouds: An American Atrocity and the Erasure of History (Public Affairs). He just returned from Vietnam on a site visit for his forthcoming book on the 1968 massacre at My Lai. So, he does intense but meaningful work. Join us for heavy chat as we discuss doing research on violent acts, skulls, and coffee with My Lai survivors, and also not having a driver's license, growing up with Buddhist monks, Scottish prog-rock, failing to update one's faculty profile, and living in London but not caring a tot about football! Another good one - enjoy! Shoutout to Kesar Punjabi Restaurant! Rec.: 04/21/2026

    1h 1m
  6. S6E19 Briana Gervat - Author and Historian

    Apr 14

    S6E19 Briana Gervat - Author and Historian

    Our guest today is the inspirational writer, artist, photographer, and historian Briana Gervat. Based in New York, Briana has traveled the world, but her adventure we're most interested in is her walk of the 600-mile Western Front Way, from the Franco-Swiss border all the way north to the Belgian coast. Her fascinating book about her walk, There Will Come Soft Rains: A Journey Along the Western Front, is available on Amazon. Briana earned her BA in Art History from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and an MA in the same field from the Savannah College of Art and Design ("SCAD," if you're "in the know"). Her thoughts and experiences walking the entire Western Front are truly remarkable. Join us for a fascinating chat about walking 600 miles through history, and how one decides and prepares to undertake such a journey in the first place! We'll talk playing college lacrosse, "narps" at Mary Washington, Verdun, fitness, Michael Franti, Polish/Italian family on Long Island, blisters, the shame of driving a PT Cruiser, hating on evening Bloody Marys, and more! Shoutout to Copperhill Restaurant in Willston Park, New York. Rec.: 04/02/2026

    1h 6m
  7. S6E18 Jack & Jon of Armchair Commanders Podcast

    Apr 7

    S6E18 Jack & Jon of Armchair Commanders Podcast

    Our guests today are Jack Mortenson and Jon Aperans, the creators and hosts of Armchair Commanders, a podcast dedicated to war movies! They met at the University of South Dakota (Jon even had a history class with Friend-of-the-Pod Kurt Hackemer!), staying up too late watching movies and occasionally showing up to class not fully prepared - hey, we've all been there. Since starting Armchair Commanders with the animated film Picadon, they've released over 125 episodes discussing films familiar and less so with actors, gamers, and other war film fans. Jack grew up on a ranch, while John was a military brat, but both came to enjoy history and movies in roundabout ways. So saddle up - we'll talk watching movies with your grandad, Chuck Norris (RIP), The Horse Soldiers, Nirvana, losing a couple of toes, Princess Yum-Yum, being an addiction counselor, "cooking oil," gaming, and the generosity of the history community. Enjoy this quirky episode of Military Historians are People, Too! Shoutout to Denver Beer Company! Rec.: 03/20/2026

    1 hr
  8. S6E17 Nathan K. Finneyy - US Army Forces Command

    Mar 31

    S6E17 Nathan K. Finneyy - US Army Forces Command

    Our guest today is Col. Nathan K. Finney of US Forces Command. An armor (armour, if you are in the UK) officer-turned-strategist, Nate commissioned through Officer Candidate School after earning his BA from the University of Arizona. Following tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he began doctoral studies at the University of Kansas while at Ft. Leavenworth, then completed his PhD at Duke University as a Goodpaster Fellow. His first book was just released by Cornell University Press - Orchestrating Power: The American Associational State in the First World War. While Arizona is home, he's lived all over, and is never idle. He founded and still manages the Strategy Bridge blog and podcast, and also started the Military Writers Guild and the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. And don't get us started on the number of fellowships Nate has held (including an SMH Summer Seminar Fellowship in 2023) - as he'll share, he's been incredibly fortunate to have so many amazing opportunities. Join us for a fascinating chat with a serving Army officer who earned his PhD in military history - we'll talk doing research during COVID, grad student reading groups, intending to enlist but commissioning instead, peaty Scotch, burnt ends, and earning a PhD while in uniform - we're glad to share Nate's story. Shoutout to Q39 in Kansas City and Redwood Smoke Shack in Norfolk, Virginia! Rec.: 03/16/2026

    1h 8m
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4.6
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

Join Georgia Southern University military history professors Brian Feltman and Bill Allison as they chat with fellow military historians, public historians, scholars of war and society, and other exciting people about military history, career paths, BBQ, and life in general on Military Historians are People, Too! Recently named among the Top Military History Podcasts by Feedspot.com! Thanks for listening!

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