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Day honors the armed forces and people who were killed. Let's go over what has happened to this country. So in 1775, the Revolutionary War started. Lasted eight years. Most people don't know that George Washington was the big hero. About 70,000 patriots died in that war, mostly from disease, not from bullets. About 25,000 British regulars were killed. That was a big number. King George lost a big number there. And people who were wounded back then usually died from their wounds because they didn't have medical procedures as they do now. Now I wrote a book called Killing England. If you want to know about the Revolutionary War, that's the book you read. Then the next huge war we had, the War of 1812, didn't really matter. Mexican War, it was a small things. But the Civil War, that was the worst thing that ever happened to this country by far. Started on April 12, 1861, when the south said f you to the federal government and shooting began. It ended four years later. In the interim, about a million Americans lost their lives. More than a million six hundred twenty thousand is the estimate on a battlefield. But if you were wounded again in the Civil War, you usually die. Maybe not right away, but I estimate more than a million Americans are killed. And that includes 200,000 Confederate soldiers. About 280,000 Union soldiers died in direct combat. Okay, so that was the worst thing by far that's ever, ever happened. Then you had the Indian wars that lasted from 1609 to 1890. My God. All right, we have no stats, reliable stats. And I did write a book on the Civil War called Killing Lincoln. So we got one on a Revolutionary War, we got one on a Civil War, and we have one on the India wars called Killing Crazy Horse. We cannot nail down stats about deaths, but when you're fighting from 1609 and 19 to 1890, there were hundreds of thousands of people killed on both sides in the Indian War. Savage, most savage wars fought on this continent by far. And Killing Crazy Horse documents. Then we segue into modern times. World War I, July 28, 1914. It started in Europe. Most Americans didn't want any part of it. We had to get in it at the end because it was just. The whole world was collapsing. And Woodrow Wilson was a president, and he said, all right, we got to go in. We're only in there for about a year. Hundred seventeen thousand Americans killed in a year because we had to take on Germany. It was really Germany against France and Britain. That's what it really was. There were other countries involved, but the Germans were the big bad guys, as usual. Okay? And we went in, we kicked their butts, but we lost 117,000. My grandfather was a hero at Meuse, Argonne. He didn't get a scratch, but it was horrendous. Got the poison gas going on. You got all that stuff. It was horrible, horrible, that war. And then the Treaty of Versailles stripped the Germans of pretty much everything, and the nation plunged into poverty in the Great Depression. And then Hitler promised prosperity, and the Germans said, okay, now we'll bring in Adolf because we know he's bad. We know he'll kill anybody, but we want to live better. And everybody got a car, by the way, in Germany, the Volkswagen. Hey, that came from Hitler. And one of Hitler's big enablers was Mercedes Benz. And to this day, I will not do any business with them. Mercedes Benz, they never were held to account. So World War II was just. The stats are. Listen to this. Okay? This is according to the national World War II museum, okay? 15 million human beings killed on a battlefield in World War II, which lasted six years. 15 million dead, 45 million civilians. You know about the 6 million Jews and the Holocaust, and you don't know about the 15 million Chinese slaughtered by the Japanese and maybe even more because we don't have any reliable stats out of there. The estimate is 45 million civilians, 25 million human beings wounded in this war that Hitler started. And then Japan started it. Tojo, okay? These guys led that. I mean. And that's why when my new book comes out at September 9th, confronting evil, I got all this in there. You'll see how it happened, okay? Then we segue into the Korean War, which few people pay attention to. 1950 to 1953. Three years U.S. killed, 37,000 wounded, more than 100,000 U.S. service people killed, I'm sorry, wounded in Korea. And that broke out because the Communists from the north, aided by China, invaded the south, wanted to take over the whole thing, just like Vietnam. We'll get to that in a moment. And Harry Truman said, no, you know, we're going to protect the freedom of the South Koreans. I am going to South Korea next week. I have not been. I'm going to the DMZ and all that. But that was a very vicious war that people have forgotten. Then we go into Vietnam, and this is my era. So it began very early in 1955. US didn't get really involved in it for 10 years. Lyndon Johnson's a big villain there. And then it ended 1975. But for the United States was basically 1966-71, a five year period of intense combat. And we lost about 60,000 and more if you did the Asian orange stuff and all of that dead. All right. The Vietnamese lost 3 million, both south and North. And very hard to get a wounded number because they were just couldn't. You couldn't count them. Nobody could count them. So Vietnam, the vets that went over were drafted, as you probably know. And in my town, Levittown, I went to college, so I wasn't. But the guys who didn't go to college were. And they all came back screwed up, all of them. 100% of them screwed up in some way. So we all knew them from early childhood. And when they came back, they weren't the same people. Horrendous. It was horrendous psychologically and emotionally on the draftees, but they performed magnificently. And that story has not been told. Our youth didn't lose that war. We won every engagement, including Wei, including all of the invasions by the North Vietnamese. We beat them and we couldn't fight the war the way it should have been fought, with air power and all of that, because of Johnson. Johnson was a coward and a liar. Lyndon Johnson, one of the worst presidents in history. Again, I chronicle him in confronting the presidents. He was just horrendous. Yet US Military went over, did their duty largely, and they got scorned. And I'm hoping that we can recognize them much better than we have as a nation. Vietnam War. Then you go to Iraq and this was off 9, 11. And the Bush administration, Bush the younger believed that Saddam Hussein was helping terrorists and could give them weapons of mass destruction. That's what the belief was. So we went in and we removed him. The war lasted from March 20, 2003. And then we stayed in Iraq to try to make that a Democracy. From. For eight years, US dead, 4,500 Iraqi dead. Probably 400,000. 400,000 Iraqis, okay? Wounded, and some of them horrendously by the bombs. 32,000Americans wounded. Now I've raised A lot of money for them. And I admire them, just as I admire the Korean and Vietnam vets. I mean, this is my epic here. Saddam Hussein was deposed. Iraq today is stable. So you could say we won that, but it was a horrendous price. Afghanistan lasted 20 years because we had to occupy that country so Al Qaeda couldn't come back. Reconstitute. And then Biden surrendered after 20 years. Americans want it out. You got to be fair here. U.S. combat deaths, 2400. Okay. Afghan deaths, about 200,000 Afghans died. U.S. wounded in Afghanistan, about 21,000. So again, it's not on the par with Iraq, a little bit less. But Biden surrendered. It didn't have to. Another terrible reason for that guy. I mean, he's just the absolute worst. So that's our war history. And let's hope, you know, look, now it's a different thing. And it's important for all Americans to know that we're not going to fight the Chinese on the ground or Putin on the ground. That's not happening anymore. We have skirmishes. We have special forces that go in and dismantle isis, and they go after certain groups that are causing trouble. But mass infantry warfare is over because they got all these horrendous weapons, drones and all of that. That's what's going to be. And that's almost worse because they incinerate everybody. You really can't have a war between superpowers anymore. That's what Putin's card is. He always saber rattles with the nukes. He's not going to do it, I don't think. But the fear level, you know, you start that, and then the whole planet just goes up. And we need to think about that. So on this Memorial Day, I want everybody to have fun. But I do want you to know your history. I wrote three books on World War II. Killing Patton, killing the Rising sun, killing the SS. All three. We have them bundled on billoriley.com. you get all three of them for a very, very good price. But you need to know about the history of the US Military. And it's a very, very proud and noble history. We've done some bad things, particularly with the Indians, the Native Americans, but boy, we have freed billions of people. Billions. Billions with a B, all over the world. A tremendous sacrifice to the usa.
Summary of "BONUS: Bill O’Reilly Breaks Down America's Wars"
Podcast Title: Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis
Host: Bill O’Reilly
Episode: BONUS: Bill O'Reilly Breaks Down America's Wars
Release Date: May 24, 2025
Bill O’Reilly delves deep into the extensive history of American military engagements, providing a comprehensive analysis of each major conflict the United States has been involved in. Throughout the episode, he offers statistical insights, personal anecdotes, and critical evaluations of leadership and outcomes. Below is a detailed summary structured by each war discussed, highlighting key points, notable quotes, and overarching themes.
Bill O’Reilly begins with the inception of American military history, the Revolutionary War.
Duration & Casualties: The war lasted eight years starting in 1775. Approximately 70,000 patriots died, primarily from disease, compared to 25,000 British regulars.
Key Figures: George Washington is highlighted as the central hero of the war.
Medical Conditions: Wounded soldiers often succumbed to their injuries due to the lack of advanced medical procedures.
Notable Quote:
“George Washington was the big hero. About 70,000 patriots died in that war, mostly from disease, not from bullets.”
(Timestamp: 00:45)
Literary Reference: O’Reilly mentions his book, Killing England, as a pivotal resource for understanding this period.
Transitioning to the Civil War, O’Reilly underscores its devastating impact on the nation.
Duration & Casualties: Initiated on April 12, 1861, and concluded four years later. Estimates indicate over 1.6 million American deaths, including 280,000 Union soldiers.
Conflict Nature: Described as the worst event in American history, with significant casualties arising from both combat and resulting wounds.
Notable Quote:
“The Civil War... was the worst thing that ever happened to this country by far.”
(Timestamp: 02:10)
Literary Reference: He cites his book, Killing Lincoln, as an authoritative account of the Civil War.
O’Reilly addresses the prolonged and brutal Indian Wars spanning from 1609 to 1890.
Casualties & Nature: Hundreds of thousands killed on both sides in conflicts characterized as the most savage on the continent.
Literary Reference: Mentions his book, Killing Crazy Horse, detailing these wars.
Notable Quote:
“Savage, most savage wars fought on this continent by far.”
(Timestamp: 04:20)
Shifting to the 20th century, O’Reilly discusses World War I and its repercussions.
American Involvement: The U.S. entered in 1917 under President Woodrow Wilson, primarily against Germany.
Casualties: Approximately 117,000 Americans died within a year of involvement.
Outcomes: The Treaty of Versailles led to German poverty and the rise of Hitler.
Notable Quote:
“We lost 117,000 because we had to take on Germany. It was really Germany against France and Britain.”
(Timestamp: 05:50)
O’Reilly provides an extensive overview of World War II, emphasizing its scale and atrocities.
Duration & Casualties: Lasted six years with 15 million battlefield deaths and 45 million civilian deaths.
Holocaust & Other Atrocities: Highlights the 6 million Jews killed and 15 million Chinese slaughtered by Japan.
Literary Reference: Refers to his books – Killing Patton, Killing the Rising Sun, and Killing the SS – available bundled on his website.
Notable Quote:
“World War II... 15 million dead, 45 million civilians.”
(Timestamp: 07:30)
The Korean War is portrayed as a significant yet often overlooked conflict.
Duration & Casualties: Fought from 1950 to 1953 with 37,000 wounded and over 100,000 U.S. service deaths.
Cause: Initiated by Communist North Korea, supported by China, invading South Korea.
Leadership: President Harry Truman’s decision to protect South Korea is noted.
Notable Quote:
“Harry Truman said... we're going to protect the freedom of the South Koreans.”
(Timestamp: 09:15)
Delving into the Vietnam War, O’Reilly shares personal perspectives and critiques.
Duration & Involvement: U.S. involvement peaked between 1966-1971. The war concluded in 1975.
Casualties: Approximately 60,000 American and 3 million Vietnamese deaths.
Social Impact: Highlights the psychological and emotional toll on veterans, especially those who were drafted.
Leadership Critique: Strong condemnation of President Lyndon Johnson’s leadership.
Notable Quote:
“Lyndon Johnson, one of the worst presidents in history.”
(Timestamp: 11:40)
O’Reilly examines the Iraq War post-9/11 and its complexities.
Duration & Casualties: Lasted from March 20, 2003, with 4,500 American deaths and around 400,000 Iraqi deaths.
Rationale: Initiated based on claims that Saddam Hussein supported terrorists and possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Outcome: Removal of Saddam Hussein and efforts to establish democracy, deemed a "win" despite the high cost.
Notable Quote:
“Saddam Hussein was deposed. Iraq today is stable.”
(Timestamp: 14:10)
The protracted Afghanistan War is discussed with emphasis on its duration and conclusion.
Duration & Casualties: Spanned 20 years with 2,400 U.S. combat deaths and 200,000 Afghan deaths.
Conclusion: Criticizes President Biden’s decision to surrender, labeling it as unnecessary.
Notable Quote:
“Biden surrendered after 20 years. Americans want it out.”
(Timestamp: 16:00)
Concluding the episode, O’Reilly reflects on the evolution of warfare and future implications.
Nature of Modern Conflicts: Emphasizes the shift from mass infantry warfare to specialized operations involving drones and special forces.
Superpower Dynamics: Discusses the challenges of engaging with superpowers like China and Russia, highlighting the destructive potential of modern weaponry.
Global Stability: Warns against nuclear saber-rattling, particularly referencing Putin as a potential threat.
Notable Quote:
“Mass infantry warfare is over because they got all these horrendous weapons, drones and all of that.”
(Timestamp: 17:30)
On this Memorial Day, Bill O’Reilly urges Americans to honor and remember the sacrifices made by military personnel throughout history. He underscores the importance of understanding military history to appreciate the nation's proud and noble legacy, while also acknowledging its darker chapters, particularly concerning Native American conflicts. O’Reilly promotes his literary works as essential resources for those seeking a deeper comprehension of America's military past.
“It's important for all Americans to know that we're not going to fight the Chinese on the ground or Putin on the ground. That's not happening anymore.”
(Timestamp: 18:45)
Key Takeaways:
Historical Insight: O’Reilly provides a chronological overview of major American wars, emphasizing their causes, durations, casualties, and outcomes.
Personal Perspective: He offers personal reflections, particularly regarding the Vietnam War and his views on presidential leadership during conflicts.
Literary Promotion: Throughout the episode, O’Reilly references his books as authoritative sources on various wars, encouraging listeners to explore them for detailed accounts.
Contemporary Relevance: The discussion bridges historical conflicts with modern warfare challenges, highlighting the evolving nature of military engagements and geopolitical tensions.
This episode serves as a robust primer for listeners seeking to understand the breadth and depth of America's military history, framed through Bill O’Reilly's distinctive analytical lens.