Podcast Summary: Bannon’s War Room – Episode 4892

Title: Bringing Home Our Troops From The Pacific Lost In WW2; Denying Conventional Order
Date: October 31, 2025
Host: Stephen K. Bannon

Episode Overview

This episode of Bannon's War Room centers on the efforts to recover and honor American military personnel lost in the Pacific during WWII, as well as missing service members from other major conflicts. The episode features interviews with historian Cleo Paskal and Sergeant Major Justin LeHew (USMC, Ret.), now heading up History Flight’s mission to bring fallen service members home. The program discusses both the historical context and the present-day challenges—governmental and geopolitical—of these recovery efforts, while reflecting on military values, sacrifice, and America’s commitment to its fallen.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. History Flight and Recovery of Fallen Troops (04:20 – 07:19)

• History Flight Mission:
  Cleo Paskal introduces History Flight, a private charity focused on locating, identifying, and repatriating the remains of U.S. service members missing in action, particularly from Pacific WWII battlefields like Tarawa.
  • Founded by Mark Noah, with support from retired Sergeant Major Justin LeHew.
  • Works with families and the Department of Defense on DNA matching.
  • Importance of family participation: If you have missing family members from past wars, reaching out can help with identification and bring closure.

“There are still many, many Americans left to be brought home who fought in battles around the world. ... When they do [find them], they get full honors, they get brought home, they get reunited with their families if they can find them.”
— Cleo Paskal (04:20)

• Sergeant Major LeHew’s Current Walk:
  • Walking 250 miles from Ground Zero to Quantico to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps.
  • Connecting communities with the memory of POW/MIA and raising awareness/funds for ongoing recovery operations.

2. Commemorative Walk and POW/MIA Flag Awareness (07:19 – 12:15)

• Personal Narrative:
  LeHew shares the inspiration behind his national awareness walk, highlighting an encounter with a post office worker unfamiliar with the POW/MIA flag’s significance.
  • Commitment to educate the public on the meaning of POW/MIA.
  • Emphasizes the U.S. ethos: “We don’t leave our dead on the battlefield.”

“If I can have a five minute conversation... maybe I could walk across the nation ... and remind people what that flag means and that service and sacrifice.”
— SgtMaj. Justin LeHew (09:31)

• Logistics & Route:
  20 miles/day carrying 20-40 lb packs; honoring battlefields, memorials, and culminating at the USMC National Museum.

3. Marine Corps History and Modern Legacy (12:15 – 14:44; 18:32 – 22:31)

• Screening of ‘The Last 600 Meters’:

  • Bannon mentions the film’s depiction of Iraq War battles (Fallujah, Najaf).
  • LeHew’s first-hand account as company First Sergeant in Najaf, 2004:
    • “Nobody teaches you how to fight inside of a cemetery.... We pushed into that cemetery and fought for those 25 days to secure elections, to secure a very hostile city... U.S. Marines have been fighting hand to hand and house to house and street to street like that since 1775.” (13:16)

• Timeless Marine Spirit:

  • Valor of today’s Marines acknowledged by WWII veterans from epic island battles, who say urban combat is even harder.
  • Bannon: “Marines, what they do every day... is nothing but grit for an hour and a half.”

• Memorable Quote:

  “We were born in war, we're gonna fight like that for the next 250 years for our survival. And God bless. We have an organization like the Marine Corps that's gonna do more than their share for that.”
  — SgtMaj. Justin LeHew (14:02)

4. The Pacific Battlefield Dead: Where They Remain (25:04 – 34:02)

• Historical Context:
  • Tarawa (1943): Only 76 hours to capture, with extremely heavy casualties.
  • Many remain unaccounted for; attempts at recovery postwar were overwhelmed by logistical and fiscal limits.
  • Present-day humanitarian complications: Chinese construction on former battle sites risks desecration of American remains.

“They're buried underneath pigsties. They're buried underneath public urinals with no marking whatsoever of their heroism, valor and sacrifice. ... Now there's ... a Chinese backhoe ... out there on Tarawa just digging up the ground and scooping up American boys and probably, for the most part, just dumping them out in the ocean somewhere...”
— SgtMaj. Justin LeHew (32:35)

• Ongoing Operations & Obstacles:
  • Access to such sites is difficult, exacerbated by geopolitical realities (e.g., Chinese influence in the Pacific, government red tape blocking recovery visas).
  • History Flight remains committed but is dependent on private fundraising and advocacy.

5. Past and Present Recovery Operations (35:42 – 39:05)

• Presidential Action & Korea:

  • Under President Trump, a 2017 agreement led to the repatriation of 55 boxes of remains from Korea, representing up to 250 individuals.
  • Many MIAs remain in North Korea/Cambodia/Philippines—progress is slow, reliant on political will and international cooperation.

• Global POW/MIA Scope:

  • Tens of thousands of missing Americans remain abroad.
  • Families often still wait for closure, sometimes decades after initial loss and official notification.

6. Resources, Fundraising, and How Listeners Can Help (40:15 – 42:13)

• History Flight and Team Long Road:
  • Listeners are encouraged to support the mission financially or through awareness.
  • Donations fund operational costs: searching, recovering, and repatriating remains.

"Every dollar that anybody donates... goes right to the field to give another American family possibly their last chance at hope to bring home their fallen American hero."
— SgtMaj. Justin LeHew (41:45)

• Contact Info:
  • www.historyflight.com (for mission / updates / DNA involvement)
  • www.teamlongroad.com (for walk updates and awareness campaign)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies because we're going medieval on these people.”
  — Host (02:35)

• “Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose?... If the answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.”
  — Host (03:07)

• On battles in the Pacific:
  “Admiral Shibasaki said it would take a million men 100 years to take the island of Tarawa. It took the US Marine Corps 76 hours.”
  — SgtMaj. Justin LeHew (25:35)

• On burial sites desecrated or forgotten:
  "Those individuals are not buried underneath these beautiful cemeteries like you and I know. They're buried underneath pigsties. They're buried underneath public urinals with no marking whatsoever of their heroism, valor and sacrifice..."
  — SgtMaj. Justin LeHew (32:35)

• On the importance of never giving up:
  "People just moved on. Well, we ain't moving on anyway."
  — Stephen K. Bannon (40:15)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [04:20–06:53]: Cleo Paskal details History Flight mission.
• [06:53–12:15]: Sergeant Major LeHew details commemorative walk, POW/MIA flag, public awareness.
• [13:11–14:44]: LeHew recounts personal combat in Najaf; Marine Corps fighting culture.
• [18:32–22:31]: Urban warfare vs. WWII amphibious battles; perspectives from WWII veterans.
• [25:04–34:02]: Tarawa history, unresolved MIAs, obstacles in current recovery operations.
• [35:42–39:05]: North Korean repatriation (2017); broader POW/MIA status and challenges.
• [40:15–42:13]: Where to go to support—and why it matters.

Tone & Final Reflections

The episode maintains a serious, reverent, unapologetically patriotic tone, emphasizing duty, honor, and an unflinching resolve to remember (and recover) America’s war dead. The segments blend living oral history, advocacy, and calls to action. Bannon’s approach is combative toward bureaucracy and adversaries, with a clear focus on grassroots mobilization for service members’ legacies.

Call to Action:
Listeners are urged to get involved—through donations, advocacy, or simply spreading awareness—ensuring America lives up to its commitment to “bring every warrior home.”

Links

• www.historyflight.com
• www.teamlongroad.com

This summary captures the core content and emotional tenor of the episode, providing a thorough yet accessible guide for anyone who did not listen.