Our WWII Dad

Our WWII Dad Full episodes available at https://www.youtube.com/

What began as an effort to uncover one father’s WWII journey became a cinematic storytelling project to preserve the untold stories and legacies of other WWII dads before they disappear.

09/19/2026

Sometimes an old uniform can tell you something about your dad that he never did.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to co-host, produce, and edit Our World War II California Part 1! Top 5 Sites to Visit! for Pat Pattison's Best of California.
One of the most personal moments for me was talking with uniform historian Jack Luder, a volunteer with the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing, and asking him to take a closer look at my dad's World War II uniform.
Dad was only 18 years old when he entered the Army. Looking at that uniform—and hearing what Jack could tell me from the insignia, patches and other details—gave me another glimpse of the young man my father had been before I ever knew him.
He was a sharpshooter. Tough as nails. And he carried a r***e that must have seemed nearly as tall as he was.
There's a line from Field of Dreams that has always stayed with me: “I only saw him later, when he was worn down by life.”
That's a little of what this moment felt like for me.
I wasn't just looking at Dad's uniform anymore. I was trying to see the 18-year-old who once wore it.
If you still have a uniform, medals, photographs, letters or other items from a WWII veteran in your family, don't overlook them. They may still have a story to tell.
What did your family preserve?

Before we knew the whole story, we were already searching for answers.Back in August 2023, my brother Ken, our mom, and ...
08/30/2026

Before we knew the whole story, we were already searching for answers.

Back in August 2023, my brother Ken, our mom, and I sat down with Steffan Tubbs on The American Veteran Show to talk about Our WWII Dad and our search to understand our dad, Army PFC Louis T. Cangilla, and his World War II service.

Watching this interview again three years later is fascinating for us—because we didn't know then what we know now.

We talked about the stories Dad told us, the things he didn't talk about, the prayer card that helped Ken begin piecing together his journey, and some of the memories Mom had carried with her for decades.

It captures Our WWII Dad at an earlier point in our journey—before many of the discoveries that would follow and before our search for Dad's story grew into something much bigger: preserving the stories of other WWII veterans and their families.

We're grateful to Steffan for giving us the opportunity to tell our story then, and we're happy to finally preserve this conversation on the Our WWII Dad YouTube channel.

Watch the full 2023 interview here:
https://youtu.be/fADLkW8zZkU

And if your family has a WWII story that deserves to be preserved, we'd love to hear from you: [email protected].

Because every family has a story worth preserving—and every story deserves to be remembered.

08/21/2026

Some war stories were never told. Others were almost lost.

Howard Mansfield, Author's father, Pincus Mansfield, served as a waist gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator during World War II.

Like so many WWII veterans, Pincus didn't talk much about what he had experienced. But after his father died, Howard discovered a microcassette containing a memory Pincus had recorded about something that happened years after the war.

It wasn't a story about combat.

It was about a question his five-year-old son, Howard's older brother, asked while watching WWII bombers on television—and why Pincus never forgot it.

Howard shared that recording with us during our conversation for Our WWII Dad.

Stories like this remind us why recorded memories matter. Military records can tell us where someone served. They can't always tell us what they carried home with them.

Did your father, grandfather, mother or grandmother ever tell you something about WWII that stayed with you?

We'd be honored to hear their story.

08/14/2026

What happens when you discover the story your father never told you?

Howard Mansfield, Author described it in a way that has stayed with us:

"I feel like I just caught the story as it was going out the door."

For Howard, it was the discovery of his father's wartime diary—something that had been sitting in a drawer for 65 years.

For my brother Ken, it was a small 1945 prayer card found among our dad's belongings.

Two very different discoveries that became remarkably similar keys to understanding the young men our fathers had once been.

Here's one of our favorite moments from our conversation with Howard in Episode 16 of Our WWII Dad, “Why Our Fathers Never Told Their Stories.”

Did you ever discover a photograph, letter, document or keepsake that unlocked part of your family's WWII story?

We'd love to hear about it.

Why didn't our fathers tell us?It's one of the questions at the very heart of Our WWII Dad.Our new episode with acclaime...
08/09/2026

Why didn't our fathers tell us?

It's one of the questions at the very heart of Our WWII Dad.

Our new episode with acclaimed author Howard Mansfield is now available.

Howard's remarkable book, I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid About World War II, resonated deeply with my brother Ken and me because his journey felt so familiar.

Howard's father, Pincus Mansfield, served as a B-24 Liberator waist gunner during World War II. But like our dad, he rarely talked about what he experienced.

Then, decades later, Howard discovered something remarkable tucked away in a drawer—a wartime diary his father had kept documenting his bombing missions.

It had been sitting there for 65 years.

That discovery became a key to understanding the young man his father had once been.

For us, it was a small 1945 prayer card our dad had saved.

Different fathers. Different wars within the same war. Different discoveries.

But three sons asking remarkably similar questions.

In this episode, Howard joins us for a deeply personal conversation about our fathers, what they experienced, why they remained silent, what we discovered after they were gone—and why preserving these family stories is so important.

Howard told us something during our conversation that has stayed with us:

“I feel like I just caught the story as it was going out the door.”

That's really what Our WWII Dad is all about.

Catching these stories before they go out the door.

🎥 Watch our conversation with Howard Mansfield on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/QmGGEqtceas

🎧 Prefer to listen? Our WWII Dad is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

If your father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, or aunt served during World War II, we'd love to hear from you:

Did they talk about the war—or did the questions come later?

A few weeks ago, I wrote to author Howard Mansfield to thank him for writing a book that meant a great deal to my brothe...
08/03/2026

A few weeks ago, I wrote to author Howard Mansfield to thank him for writing a book that meant a great deal to my brother Ken and me.

After reading "I Will Tell No War Stories", we realized Howard had put into words many of the same thoughts and emotions we experienced while trying to better understand our own World War II dad.

I never imagined that a simple thank-you email would lead to such a meaningful conversation.

After watching one of our recent short documentaries about the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire, Howard generously featured Our WWII Dad on his website and shared our mission with his readers. That kindness meant more to us than he probably realizes.

This past week, Ken and I had the privilege of sitting down with Howard for one of the most meaningful conversations we've had on Our WWII Dad.

Together, three sons talked about fathers who rarely spoke about the war... what we discovered after they were gone... and why preserving these family stories matters so much.

We're putting the finishing touches on the episode now and look forward to sharing it with you later this week.

Howard, Howard Mansfield, Author thank you for your generosity, your encouragement, and for helping shine a light on the importance of preserving these remarkable family stories.

You can read Howard's article about Our WWII Dad here: https://howardmansfield.com/news/

08/01/2026

We Think We Found Our Uncle in an 81-Year-Old Film

We always knew our Uncle Marcy helped load the atomic bomb known as Fat Man onto the B-29 Bockscar during World War II.

Then my brother Ken discovered an old Navy film of the loading operation.

We can't prove it...
but we believe Uncle Marcy may actually appear in the footage.

That's what Our WWII Dad is all about—rediscovering and preserving World War II family stories before they're lost forever.

We hope you'll take a few minutes to watch.








07/12/2026

The Fire That Left Millions of WWII Families Without Answers

Fifty-three years ago today, a devastating fire at the National Personnel Records Center destroyed millions of U.S. military personnel records—including most of our dad's Army records.

Fortunately, he had saved one important document before the fire.

That document helped us uncover remarkable details about his World War II service.

But this story isn't really about military records.

It's about preserving family history before it's lost.

Because every veteran leaves behind a lifetime of stories.

That's why we created Our WWII Dad.

If someone in your family served during World War II, ask questions, preserve their photographs and documents, and record their stories while you still can.

07/04/2026

One conversation changed everything.
A conversation about two fathers who served in World War II led to a friendship, a television collaboration, an Emmy® nomination, and ultimately even more stories being preserved through Our WWII Dad.
Looking back, I'm grateful—not because of the recognition, but because it affirmed something we've believed from the very beginning:
These stories still matter.
Thank you to my friend Pat Pattison, everyone at Best of California, the Los Angeles Times, and all of you who continue to support Our WWII Dad.
Because every family has a story worth preserving.

06/29/2026

Near the end of World War II, our dad was sent on one final mission—and it led to a story our family still treasures today.

He was assigned to assist Crown Prince Joseph of Austria. To show his appreciation, the Prince gave an Italian Beretta to Dad's small group of American soldiers. After drawing lots, our dad was the one who took it home.

But the Beretta isn't what makes this story special.

This conversation was recorded about a year before our dad passed away. Today, it's one of the few opportunities we still have to hear him tell his own World War II story in his own words.

That's why we created "Our WWII Dad".

Every family has stories worth preserving.

Watch this excerpt—and if you'd like to see the complete story, you'll find the full episode on our YouTube channel. The link is in the first comment.

Address

Pittsburgh, PA

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Our WWII Dad posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Our WWII Dad:

Shortcuts

Share

Category