Doug Stanton wrote the #1 New York Times bestselling In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer turned Horse Soldiers into 12 Strong, starring Chris Hemsworth. Stanton is interested in “dramatic situations when people are forced to make a right decision at the most difficult moment.”
Here we discuss In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Store of its Survivors, and the lessons it teaches on leadership, responsibility, and accountability to each other, after the absolute worst happens.
In July of 1945, after the Indianapolis delivered the atomic bomb to Tinian Island so the Enola Gay could drop it on Hiroshima, the Indianapolis was torpedoed by the Japanese, sending 900 sailors into the shark-infested seas. Due to several catastrophic mistakes by Navy command, no one came to the rescue for days after, leaving 600 men to drown or be eaten by sharks. (This is the scene in JAWS that Quint describes while drinking with his crewmates.)
To Captain McVay III’s great credit, he kept the men together and spirits up during four inhumanly hard days – a sterling example of leadership under tremendous pressure, by McVay and the men themselves -- until finally a U.S. plane discovered them by accident, saving 300 souls. Nonetheless, McVay became the first U.S. Navy captain to be court-martialed, despite testimony from his crew to the Japanese captain who torpedoed his ship. It was a grossly unfair outcome, but Captain McVay never blamed anyone else – though he surely could have. The survivors kept reuniting for years afterward, and through their efforts, McVay’s name was finally cleared in 2000 – 32 years after his death by suicide.
Stanton tells the story masterfully, and the leadership lessons it has to teach.
Connect with Doug and get his books:
For info about the book or this podcast please visit our website:
http://www.letthemleadbybacon.com
You can connect with John via these platforms:
https://www.facebook.com/johnubacon
https://twitter.com/Johnubacon
About our Host:
For info about the book or this podcast please visit our website:
http://www.letthemleadbybacon.com
You can connect with John via these platforms:
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com