This episode of “Beyond the Call: Medal of Honor Stories” tells the story of Corporal Henry F. Warner, a 21-year-old antitank gunner whose courage on a frozen Belgian hillside helped halt a German armored thrust during the Battle of the Bulge. Near the village of Dom Bütgenbach in December 1944, Warner and his 57mm antitank gun faced repeated attacks from German tanks and infantry. Wounded, under intense fire, and eventually alone at his gun, he refused to abandon his position, destroying or disabling multiple enemy tanks and helping to save his battalion’s line.

Across this episode, we walk through Warner’s life, the wider context of the Ardennes offensive, and a step-by-step breakdown of his Medal of Honor actions. You’ll hear how one junior NCO’s training, discipline, and resolve under fire shaped a critical moment in World War II, and what his story still offers modern leaders and listeners today. If you care about military history, battlefield leadership, or the human dimension of valor, this is an episode you will not want to miss.

Commander George Fleming Davis’s story stands as one of the most striking examples of courage at sea during the Second World War. As commander of the destroyer United States Ship Walke during the approach to Lingayen Gulf on January sixth, nineteen forty five, Davis faced a relentless wave of suicide aircraft. Though mortally wounded when his ship was struck, he refused to abandon the bridge, steering his vessel through fire and chaos until his crew regained control. His calm resolve under impossible pressure turned near disaster into survival, saving both ship and crew while holding the line for the fleet’s advance.

This episode of the Trackpads Military Podcast brings that moment to life, tracing how discipline, leadership, and duty fused in a single act of heroism. Listeners will hear how the Walke’s battered deck became a stage for leadership that still echoes through naval tradition. It’s a reminder that the strength of command lies not in rank or title, but in the courage to stand firm when everything burns around you—a lesson as relevant today as it was in the Pacific war.

Welcome to Beyond the Call, where history, leadership, and heroism come alive. I am your host, and today we bring you the extraordinary story of Private First Class Manuel Pérez Jr., a paratrooper of the 11th Airborne Division whose bravery at Fort William McKinley in February 1945 would help secure a crucial victory in the liberation of the Philippines. You can find more on the military and the Medal of Honor at Trackpads.com.

This episode is drawn directly from the full written article, telling Pérez’s story in vivid detail. From the oppressive heat and peril of Luzon’s jungles to the deadly fortifications of Fort McKinley, you will hear how one soldier’s unyielding courage broke enemy defenses, saved lives, and left a legacy that still inspires generations.