The Attic Artifact That Led Katie Sanders to Her Grandfather's Rescuer episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 3, 2026 · 8 MIN

The Attic Artifact That Led Katie Sanders to Her Grandfather's Rescuer

from Beyond the Mic with Sean Dillon

"...(Ortiz) never went back to Centron", Katie SandersWelcome Nick Reynolds and Katie SandersWe’re joined on the Starline by a journalist, who chased a 1949 recording to the Marine who saved her grandfather in Nazi-occupied France, and a historian, who kept that Marine's photo on his CIA desk for years. o-authors of “Ortiz's War: The Allies' Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France”. We welcome Katie Sanders and Nick Reynolds.Friends, let’s go Beyond the Mic. Katie, you found a scratchy old recording of your own grandfather's voice completely by accident. What did chasing that down actually cost you, across nine years, to see this through?Nick, you'd already written a prize-winning history of American WWII intelligence. What made Peter Ortiz specifically the guy whose photo stayed on your desk, not somebody else out of that same story?The Rockin' 8:Ortiz's War is the book, and Katie Sanders and Nick Reynolds join us for the Rockin' 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. Since we have two guests we’ll alternate questions but you only have 10 words to answer.1. Katie, favorite course at UPenn?2. Nick, what section of the Library of Congress feels like home to you?3. Katie, one word to describe Peter Ortiz, first thing that comes to mind?4. Nick, will the Kryptos cipher key for K4 ever be produced?5. Katie, the one place on the Jewish Book Council tour you're most looking forward to?6. Nick, best Marine Corps Birthday Ball you've ever attended, where was it?7. Katie, most unexpected artifact you found during research?8. Nick, actor, living or dead, who should play Ortiz in a movie?Sneaking in Couple More:You both live with dogs. Since we're on the record, what makes your dog the best?Katie, between Google, Harry's, and Condé Nast, which office had the best snacks?Nick, between farming, writing a novel, and mountain climbing, which "detour" did you actually take most seriously?One Big Question:Ortiz surrendered himself twice, once to spare a village, and years later, in a way, to spare himself the fight of trying to explain a war nobody back home really understood. If he walked into this room today and heard what his one choice at Centron actually built, a family that exists three generations later because of him, what do you think he'd say?The Wrap:She loved driving a van to prison, he thinks Jacob Elordi should play Peter Ortiz in a Movie. They want you to read “Ortiz's War: The Allies' Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France”. Katie Sanders, Nick Reynolds thanks for taking the time to talk with us today.And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 3, 2026

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The Attic Artifact That Led Katie Sanders to Her Grandfather's Rescuer

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