HMTV:
The Fog of War & Humanity
A complete examination of history of local and national military sacrifices, the humanities, our veterans, government/politics, sports figures, and the 9/11/01 reaction of the Rescue Workers.
Historian and pod cast speaker Richard Acritelli explores the untold stories of bravery and resilience through the Fog of War and Humanity. Join us as we uncover the historical truths and personal leadership, experience, knowledge, and sacrifices of those people who shaped our world during America's most critical periods at home and abroad.
Featured Episodes
Episode 15
New York Yankee, Atlanta Brave, USMC, and 9/11/01 Fire Fighter Frank Tepedino
In this episode of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli sits with former Major League Baseball player and 9/11 first responder Frank Tepedino. Frank recalls the weeks of cleanup and recovery at Ground Zero, the brotherhood of the 343 firefighters lost that day, and how baseball's return helped a grieving city find its footing. He looks back on a storied playing career — a front-row seat to Mantle's 500th home run and Aaron's record-breaking 715th — and the camaraderie, from the ballfield to the Marine Corps to the firehouse, that defined his life.
Episodes 32-34
Para Rescue Jumper Jack Brehm and his major experiences in the military
USAF and NYANG Para Rescue Jumper Senior Chief Master Sergeant Jack Brehm was a major Para Rescue Jumper from the 106th Rescue Wing in Westhampton Beach, NY. He wrote a book about his experiences, traveled around the world and this nation, made over 3,000 jumps, and parachuted into events, sports stadiums, and ceremonies for the "Wings of Blue."
Colonel Jim Brennan - From Coram & St. Anthony's to becoming a Career USMC Officer
Episode 273
Before Jim Brennan ever set foot on the Yellow Footprints at Parris Island, the uniform was already in his family — his grandfather pulled artillery through the Great Depression in Flatbush and fought from North Africa to Anzio. On this first installment of The Fog of War and Humanity, historian and host Richard Acritelli sits with Colonel James C. Brennan, USMC (Ret.), to trace a life shaped by faith, family, and a Brooklyn-to-Long-Island upbringing that prized discipline and service. Brennan reflects on the grandfather whose example — and quiet, lifelong struggle with what we would now call PTSD — set him on his own path through officer training and a career that spanned continents. More than tactics and titles, it is a conversation about the integrity, adaptability, and responsibility that define leadership in and out of uniform. The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv | Host: Richard Acritelli | Guest: Col. James C. Brennan, USMC (Ret.) (Part 1)
Episode 673
Susanne Bleiberg Seperson’s Story of her Families Survival during the Holocaus
After escaping a Nazi deportation train, Susanne Bleiberg Seperson’s mother returned through the snow to a hiding place inside the abandoned ghetto. She found her father there, but their safety depended on a police officer’s false assurance that the building had already been searched and declared Judenfrei, or “free of Jews.” Susanne’s father escaped from the Janowska forced-labor camp using a shirt twisted into a rope. After pulling apart the bars covering a small window, he climbed through and fled toward his hometown of Oleszyce. His survival repeatedly depended on decisions and circumstances beyond his control. While hiding with other Jews in a farmer’s barn, he ate poisoned food intended to kill them. Because he was lactose intolerant, he became sick and expelled the poison. When he recovered, he discovered that everyone around him had died.
Episode 496
Army Veteran Trisha Northover and Sail Ahead Co-Founder Sean Duclay
In Part 3 of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli is joined by Army veteran Trisha Northover and Sail Ahead co-founder Sean Duclay for a conversation about healing after war. Trisha reflects on the honor shown to fallen service members, the weight of surviving, and the long road of managing post-traumatic stress after serving as a combat medic in Afghanistan. Sean shares how Sail Ahead — a nonprofit that uses sailing to help veterans heal — has created a transformative space for thousands, and together they explore trust, the calming power of the water, and alternative therapies for PTSD. With honesty and hope, Trisha offers a message to veterans who are struggling: healing is possible, and it's okay to reach out.
Episode Archive
The Fog of War and Humanity | Ep. 634: Rena Kesten — From Orphan to Tank Officer (Part 1)
When seven-year-old Rena Kesten left Kyiv in 1975, the Soviet government allowed her family to take almost nothing. Her grandfather’s wartime photograph album, considered a national treasure, had to remain behind until an aunt finally carried it to the United States after the Soviet Union collapsed. In Part 1 of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli speaks with Rena about growing up without Jewish religious practice, leaving the Soviet Union with help from HIAS, and traveling through Czechoslovakia, Vienna, and Italy before beginning again in Kansas City. The conversation also examines why Soviet Jewish soldiers were often excluded from history. Rena then introduces her grandfather, Colonel Sekunda, who was orphaned at five and endured starvation and brutality. At fifteen, he claimed to be eighteen and entered a military academy, where his study of chemical defense eventually led him into armored warfare. His recovered album opens a rarely told story of Jewish courage, military service, and survival.
The Fog of War and Humanity | Ep. 470: Mai Pham — A Bridge from Saigon (Part 1) | hmTv
On April 20, 1975 — ten days before the fall of Saigon — seven-year-old Mai Pham watched the hatch of a cargo plane close on her last image of home. In Part 1 of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli welcomes author Kwan Mai Pham to talk about her memoir, A Bridge from Saigon. Mai reflects on growing up during wartime without fully understanding it, protected by parents whose work was tied to the U.S. presence in Vietnam, and on returning decades later to a transformed Saigon. She traces her family's first steps in America — the first Vietnamese refugee family in West Mount Airy, Philadelphia — and a father who went from professor to public school teacher. A moving story of escape, memory, and beginning again.
The Fog of War and Humanity | Ep. 397: Donna Zephrine — JROTC Roots of a Soldier (Part 1)
Aug 15, 2025
Before the War on Terror, there was a girl from Long Island who found her footing through JROTC. In Part 1 of this conversation on The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli welcomes U.S. Army veteran Donna Zephrine for a wide-ranging conversation about the years that shaped her. Donna reflects on navigating learning disabilities, and how they built her work ethic and drive; the mentors who believed in her; and the path from SUNY studies to the Army Reserve. She shares the unforgettable moments of basic training and AIT — the gas chamber, weapons qualification, becoming a 63 Bravo mechanic on Humvees and heavy vehicles — while balancing military life with college and jobs, and coping with the loss of her father to cancer. The installment closes on the day everything shifted: September 11, 2001.