In wrapping up his Cold War Series, Mark revisits his conversation with Dr. Kate Tietzen about the turmoil in the Middle East during the difficult years following WWII to the final days of the USSR. Cold War studies often focus on events in Europe. However, the Cold War quietly and sometimes loudly raged in the...

In continuing the Cold War Series, Steve Bourque joins Mark to discuss his experiences in the U.S. Army during those years. We get the perspectives of a young enlisted man stationed in western Europe during the Cold War. We also get to look at the situation from another vantage point—when he returned later as an...

Mark returns to the Cold War with Part II of the Soviet Naval challenge, this time covering surface operations. His guest is Reid Senter, a retired U.S. Navy Captain who served in the Mediterranean. They discuss various aspects of serving in an Amphibious Ready Group, facing the Soviet Navy whose main interest was protecting the...

In the first of a two-part interview, Mark speaks with John Lindstedt, who was a junior officer serving aboard a nuclear submarine in the Cold War years. They discuss the qualifications and training involved, the constant readiness, and the differences between U.S. and Soviet vessels. They also highlight the ever-present threat of the Soviet Navy...

October 28, 1962 marked the 13th and last day of the Cuban Missile Crisis. 58 years later, Mark kicks off his Cold War series by revisiting the origins of this conflict between superpowers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The two-week confrontation—October 16-28, 1962—kept the world on edge and in fear of escalating tensions that...