WW1 History, Battlefield Tours, and Blanc Mont Ridge: A Conversation with Steven Girard

Battles of the First World War Podcast

Mike Cunha

History

4.8 • 812 Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2020

⏱️ 99 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode we have a great and in-depth talk with Steven Girard, a veteran, an archivist/historian of the 4th (Marine) Brigade 2nd Division AEF, and a WW1 battlefield tour guide.

Steve gives us his own background and how he came to study the 4th Brigade Marines and the US Army’s 2nd Division, and then he gives us a comprehensive look into the battle of Blanc Mont ridge -- a detailed look at this forgotten but important battle of the First World War. (Steve gives us a view from the division to individual level going straight from his memory! No notes!)

Hope you enjoy this great conversation!

To read more on the battle of Blanc Mont, see the following links:

“A Hideous Price: The 4th Brigade at Blanc Mont, 2-10 October 1918

LtCol Peter F. Owen and LtCol John Swift” -

https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/A%20Hideous%20Price_WEB.pdf?ver=2019-09-11-132018-350

“Blanc Mont (Meuse-Argonne-Champagne) - Monograph No. 9,” US Govt Publication -

http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p4013coll7/id/894

For more information on Steve's tours:

https://www.miltours.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=72

The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at [email protected]. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey folks, welcome to the Battles of the First World War podcast.
0:06.4	Our next guest, Steve Gerard, is a veteran battlefield tour guide and a veteran, period.
0:13.5	Let me read out Steve's resume and historian background.
0:16.4	It's really quite something.
0:20.3	Stephen C. Gerard is a retired United States Army staff sergeant of infantry,
0:26.2	and a field historical officer for both the United States Army and the Marine Corps
0:31.2	from 1987 through 2011.
0:35.6	Steve has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal with V for Valor, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Army and Navy Commendation Medal with V for Valor, Army and Navy Meritorious Public Service Medal, Combat Infantry Man's Badge, Army Air Crewman Badge, Army Parachutus Badge, Air Assault Badge.
0:58.0	Steve is a combat veteran of Operation Desert Shield slash Desert Storm from 1990 through 1991.
1:06.0	Operation Joint Endeavor, Joint Guard, Joint Forge, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, with two tours there.
1:16.7	Steve has also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Maryland.
1:21.9	And Steve has been the Unit Historical Officer, Historian, for the 2nd Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, maneuver,
1:29.6	10th Mountain Division, Light, 101st Air Force, Air Assault, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment,
1:36.9	5th and 6th Marine Regiments.
1:40.0	Steve is also a World War I American Expeditionary Forces historian and archivist.
1:45.9	He's also the archivist, historian, and researcher for the Fourth Brigade, Marine, and Second Division AEF, beginning in 1978 and continuing through the present day.
1:58.1	Steve has also been a special historical consultant for World War I to the history division
2:02.7	Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia. He is also the World War I Fourth Brigade Marine
2:09.0	Second Division, AEF historian and researcher for various military historians and authors, including
2:16.3	Mr. George B. Clark, Mr. Kevin Selden, Mr. James Gregory,
2:22.1	who was on this podcast last autumn with the other 16 article.
2:27.8	Lieutenant Colonel Pete Owen, United States Marine Corps retired. Lieutenant Colonel John Swift,
	...

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