Hamburger Hill

Key Battles of American History

History

4.7 • 861 Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Sean and James discuss the 1987 film Hamburger Hill, a war drama based on the real-life Battle of Hamburger Hill during the Vietnam War in May 1969. The film follows a platoon of young American soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division as they endure brutal combat, physical exhaustion, and emotional trauma while attempting to seize a heavily fortified hill (Hill 937) from entrenched North Vietnamese forces. Known for its gritty realism, the movie emphasizes the chaos, futility, and psychological toll of war, highlighting the soldiers' camaraderie and the controversy surrounding the high casualties and strategic value of the hill.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States.
0:04.2	This medal is for the men who went down that day.
0:08.0	It's for the families of those who didn't make it.
0:10.8	Recipients have done the improbable, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves.
0:19.0	On Medal of Honor, stories of courage, you'll hear about
0:22.4	these heroes and what their stories tell us about the nature of bravery. Listen to Medal of Honor
0:28.2	wherever you get your podcast. War has played a key role in the history of the United States, from the nation's founding
0:41.0	right down to the present. War made the U.S. independent, kept it together, increased its size,
0:47.3	and established it as a global superpower. Understanding America's wars is essential for understanding
0:52.7	American history.
0:59.1	Welcome to Key Battles of American History, a podcast in which we discuss American history through the lens of the most important battles of America's wars.
1:02.9	Here is your host, James Early.
1:19.7	Hello, everyone. Before we get started with today's episode, I wanted to share a major personal update with you.
1:29.2	I have just retired from my day job, where I worked for the past 24 years. I did this in part so that I can devote more time to the podcast.
1:34.4	As you can imagine, my retirement has caused my income to be reduced significantly,
1:40.0	and I'm going to possibly have to get another job to make up the difference, at least until my youngest daughter is out of college. I would like to not do that. I would like to go full-time with
1:45.3	the podcast so that I can keep providing you with the same high-quality content to which you've grown
1:50.9	accustomed. But in order to do so, I will need your help. If you enjoy this podcast, then let me ask you
1:57.2	the same question that the great Dan Carlin asks his listeners. Is it worth the cost of a
2:03.2	cup of coffee to you? Would you please consider supporting me on Patreon? You can do so for as little
2:09.4	as $2 per month. For more information, go to patreon.com, search for key battles of American
2:15.7	history and click C membership options.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Key Battles of American History, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Key Battles of American History and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.