Episode #16
Why Our WWII Fathers Never Told Their Stories | Howard Mansfield
Why did so many World War II veterans come home and rarely talk about what they experienced? In Episode 16 of Our WWII Dad, author Howard Mansfield joins Chris and Ken Cangilla to explore that silence through the remarkable story of his father, Pincus Mansfield, a WWII veteran whose wartime experiences remained largely unknown to his family for decades. Howard grew up knowing his father had served during World War II—but, like so many sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation, he knew very little about what his father had actually experienced. Then he discovered something his father had left behind: a wartime diary. That discovery opened a window into a part of his father's life he had never fully known—and raised a question familiar to countless WWII families: Why didn't our fathers tell us these stories themselves? Howard shares what he learned about his father's service, the experiences that shaped him, and what it means to discover a parent's hidden history years later. For Chris and Ken, Howard's story also brings them back to their own father, Army PFC Louis Cangilla, and the questions that began Our WWII Dad. Their fathers served in different ways, but their children inherited something remarkably similar: fragments of stories, unanswered questions, and a desire to understand the young men their fathers once were. Our WWII Dad preserves World War II family stories through personal memories, military records, photographs, artifacts, interviews, and visits to historic locations across the United States and Europe. Because every family has a story worth preserving—and every story deserves to be remembered. What did your father, grandfather, mother, or grandmother tell you about World War II? Share your family's story in the comments. Subscribe to Our WWII Dad for more untold WWII stories, veteran stories, family history, and the personal side of World War II history. Chapters 00:00 Why Our WWII Fathers Never Told Their Stories 01:15 Meet Howard Mansfield 07:05 Who Was Howard's Father, Pincus Mansfield? 08:42 Howard's Father Goes to War 13:27 Discovering His Father's Wartime Diary 15:05 No Reunions With War Buddies 16:38 The “Commuter War” in the Skies Over Europe 19:13 How Did They Find the Courage to Go Back Up? 20:31 Rosetta Stone: Learning From the Diary and Prayer Card 24:24 Our Dad and the Battle of the Bulge 26:18 Why WWII Veterans Didn't Talk About the War 32:20 The War Story His Father Finally Told36:24 They Were Just Kids Fighting a War 38:22 Did Discovering the Past Change How Howard Saw His Dad? 44:17 Every Family Has a Story Worth Preserving 47:20 The WWII Mementos That Survived 48:36 Howard's Dad Becomes a Pilot 50:05 How the War Followed Our Dads Home 53:15 If You Could Ask Your Father One More Question... 55:04 Howard Mansfield's Sarah Joseph Hale Award & New Book: Invisible Monuments 1:02:27 What Our Fathers Left Behind 1:03:05 Preserving WWII History One Family at a Time ABOUT HOWARD MANSFIELD Howard Mansfield is an acclaimed author, journalist, and cultural historian whose work explores memory, history, place, and the stories we preserve—or leave untold. In this episode, we discuss his book I Will Tell No War Stories: What Our Fathers Left Unsaid About World War II. ABOUT OUR WWII DAD Our WWII Dad follows brothers Chris and Ken Cangilla as they uncover their father's World War II story and connect his experiences with the stories of other veterans and their families. Have a WWII family story? We'd love to hear from you. info@ourworldwar2dad.com YouTube: https://youtu.be/QmGGEqtceasFacebook: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OurWWIIDad Howard Mansfield: https://www.HowardMansfield.com #WorldWarII #WWIIHistory #OurWWIIDad
