Pearl Harbor: The Cook, the Drunks, and the Battleship That Wouldn’t Die

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was hit with fire, chaos, and a surprise attack that should have shattered the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Instead, it produced some of the wildest, most unlikely heroes in American history. In this episode, Ben Thompson is joined by Navy veteran and comedian Rob Mayfield to break down the stories of the men who refused to fold - from mess attendant Doris “Dorie” Miller dropping enemy planes with a .50-cal he’d never been trained to fire, to two hungover fighter pilots who rolled out of bed, ignored every order, and took on the entire Japanese strike force, to the boatswain who literally dove into the harbor to keep a battleship from going down.  It’s Pearl Harbor like you’ve never heard it - intense, unbelievable, and absolutely badass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices