Tales from the Corps
Tales from the Corps is where military history meets the people who lived it. Hosted by Marine Corps combat veterans Mike “Dirty Mike” Francis and Neal “Slider” Fauver, Tales from the Corps brings you unfiltered stories from military service, combat, and life after the uniform, along with conversations with veterans, historians, authors, filmmakers, and others who help preserve the stories behind the history. From the battlefields of World War I and World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan, we dig into the moments, decisions, personalities, and experiences that shaped generations of service members. Some episodes are hilarious. Some are brutal. Some challenge what you thought you knew about military history. All of them are about keeping these stories alive. No war stories polished for the recruiting poster. No history stripped of the people who lived it. Welcome to, Tales from the Corps. JOIN THE COMMUNITY Join the Virtual Barracks — our veteran community for conversation, camaraderie, events, gaming, and more. Discord: https://discord.gg/HbtdqTRzXM Website: https://virtualbarracks.com/virtual-barracks WATCH & FOLLOW TALES FROM THE CORPS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalesFromTheCorpsPodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tales.from.the.corps Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthecorpsdirtymike/ EVERYTHING TALES: https://linktr.ee/talesfromthecorps BUSINESS & GUEST INQUIRIES: TalesFromTheCorpsPodcast@gmail.com
Episodes
Three months ago, Santos Matos — better known around Tales from the Corps as “Funnel Cake” — sat down with us as a poolee preparing to leave for Marine Corps Recruit Training at Parris Island.
Now he’s back as Private Santos Matos, United States Marine.
So… how much of what he expected was actually true?
In this follow-up conversation, Santos takes us inside ...
Did the United States have to drop the atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II?
Renowned WWII historian Jon Parshall, co-host of The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast and author of the upcoming 1942: The Crux of War, joins Tales From The Corps for an in-depth conversation about one of the most debated questions of the Pacific War.
Jon examines the decision to use the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagas...
Marine veteran Justin Cramer joins Tales From The Corps to talk about coordinating airstrikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a JTAC evaluator, and the experiences that eventually led him to create the Former Action Guys Podcast.
Justin takes us inside the world of Marine fire support and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, sharing lessons from his deployments, the responsibility of coordinating close air support ...
Actor Scott Gibson, who appeared in HBO's The Pacific, joins Tales From The Corps to honor and preserve the stories of World War II veterans Don Graves and Allan Chatwin.
Gibson joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver following a special gathering in Fredericksburg, Texas, where Graves and Chatwin shared firsthand memories of their service during World War II.
In this conversation, we reflect on their experiences, the resp...
Retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Mitch “Taco” Bell joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver for an unfiltered session of Marine Corps stories spanning boot camp, Iraq, Afghanistan, barracks life, and the transition back home.
Originally recorded as a crossover with Tall Tales with Taco, this conversation brings three Marines together to swap the kind of stories that rarely make it into official histories&mdash...
Marine Scout Sniper veteran Matt Harper joins Tales From The Corps to talk about growing up in a family of Marines, his time in the Corps, sobriety, entrepreneurship, and building a new life after military service.
Matt shares stories from his Marine Corps experience, the camaraderie and humor that came with it, and the challenges of transitioning from the structure and brotherhood of the military into civilian life.
...
Emmy-winning filmmaker and Beyond the Call founder Tracie Hunter joins Tales From The Corps to discuss her mission to document, preserve, and share the firsthand stories of World War II veterans before they're lost to history.
Growing up in an Army family, Tracie developed a connection to military service that eventually led her behind the camera. Through Beyond the Call, she has traveled to capture veterans' experie...
Marine veterans Robert Eunice and Bart Lewis join Tales From The Corps for an hour of Marine Corps pranks, barracks stories, bad decisions, and the kind of chaos that somehow becomes funnier the longer you've been out.
Robert returns to the show alongside Bart to trade stories from their time in the Marines—from practical jokes and prank calls to pizza deliveries gone horribly wrong and canteen cups containing ...
Traveler and filmmaker Anthony Perez joins Tales From The Corps to explore Peleliu—one of the Pacific War's most brutal and often overlooked battlefields—and what remains there today.
Anthony's Peleliu: Then and Now project caught our attention through its exploration of the island's World War II history. He shares what it was like to visit Peleliu, walk the ground where Marines and soldiers fought in 194...
Actor James Badge Dale joins Tales From The Corps to discuss portraying Marine and author Robert Leckie in HBO's The Pacific and the responsibility of bringing the experiences of World War II Marines to the screen.
James takes us behind the role of Robert Leckie, whose wartime memoir Helmet for My Pillow became one of the primary sources behind The Pacific. He reflects on the preparation, physical transformation, and...
Navy Corpsman Zac “Doc” Frantz joins Tales From The Corps to talk about serving alongside Marines, the bond between Corpsmen and the infantry, and what it means to earn the trust of the Marines who simply know you as “Doc.”
Zac takes us inside the path of becoming a Navy Corpsman and the different assignments that can shape a Corpsman's career, including the distinction between serving “...
For Memorial Day, Marines from Lima Company 3/6 come together on Tales From The Corps to remember the friends and fellow Marines who never made it home—and to share the stories that keep their memories alive.
Mike Francis and Jon Stough are joined by Jake “The Snake” Lybrook for a conversation about their years in the Marine Corps, from boot camp and the ridiculous moments of young Marines finding t...
Nathan Pinto, founder and curator of the 1944 War Museum, joins Tales From The Corps to talk about preserving World War II history and creating opportunities for veterans to connect with the cast and crew of Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
Nathan takes Mike Francis and Neal Fauver inside his work preserving the stories and artifacts of the WWII generation, including veteran gatherings, historical exhibits, and the ...
Marine Corps veterans Freddie Joe Farnsworth and Robert Garcia join Tales From The Corps to talk about making the jump from the military to Hollywood—and how real Marine Corps experience translates onto a film set.
Freddie and Robert share their paths from serving in the Marines to working in the entertainment industry, where the discipline, experiences, and relationships forged in the Corps followed them into ...
Mike Francis and Neal Fauver sit down for a personal conversation about Marine Corps brotherhood, PTSD, navigating the VA, and the relationships that continue to matter long after the uniform comes off.
After building Tales From The Corps together from a distance, Mike and Neal finally meet in person and discover that familiar Marine Corps phenomenon—the ability to meet another Marine and feel like you've known...
Royal Air Force veteran Leighton Hughes joins the Marines of Lima Company 3/6 for a conversation about British and American military life, military history, and the shared culture that crosses national and service boundaries.
Leighton shares stories from his time in the Royal Air Force and compares his experiences with Mike Francis and Neal Fauver's years in the U.S. Marine Corps. The conversation gets into some of t...
Marine Corps combat veteran Andrew “A Train” Alexander joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver to reunite, trade stories, and reflect on their experiences serving together with Lima Company 3/6 during their 2007 deployment to Iraq.
The three Marines look back on the friendships, humor, chaos, and shared experiences that built their bond during deployment—and what it feels like to reconnect years after ev...
Marine infantry veteran Michael Sylvester returns to Tales From The Corps to talk about the path that led him into the Marine Corps, the realities of Marine training, and what happens when the structure and brotherhood of military life suddenly disappear.
Michael shares how his family history and experiences before the military influenced his decision to join the Marines and ultimately pursue the infantry. He reflect...
Marine Corps veteran Juan Ramirez joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver for an honest conversation about sobriety, life after alcohol, and the role Marine brotherhood can play when veterans decide to make a change.
At the time of this conversation, all three Marines were at different points in sobriety. Neal had reached a year, Mike was approaching six months, and Juan was building his own time sober. Rather than presen...
Actor Josh Bitton joins Tales From The Corps to talk about portraying Sgt. J.P. Morgan in HBO's The Pacific, preparing to play a Marine, and what happens when Hollywood attempts to recreate the culture, humor, and experiences of the Marine Corps.
Josh joins Mike Francis and Neal Fauver for a conversation that moves between Marine Corps boot camp stories and life on a major film and television production. They compare...
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