211: Pacific Theater Epilogue with Capt. Mac Caldwell

211: Pacific Theater Epilogue with Capt. Mac Caldwell

August 24, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

The episode features a discussion on the Pacific Theater of early World War II with Marine veteran Captain Mac Caldwell, covering key strategies and wartime experiences.

Professor Greg Jackson and co-host Riley Neubauer are joined by returning guest Captain Mac Caldwell, a Marine veteran, to dive deeper into the Pacific Theater of early World War II. The conversation reaps key wartime conferences, unpacks the strategic tensions between MacArthur and Nimitz, analyzes the evolution of amphibious warfare, and extolls the legacy of Carlon’s Marine Raiders. The episode also highlights the unique unity and sacrifice of Americans during WWII and answers listener questions about the Pacific campaign. Mac Caldwell served as an Infantry Officer in the USMC from 2016-2023. Though he's no longer on Active Duty, once a Marine, always a Marine. He currently lives in Atlanta with his wife and their three children where he works for a management consulting firm. Prior to moving to Atlanta, he used the GI Bill to get an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia, where he got to walk in Thomas Jefferson's footsteps. Of particular relevance to today's episode, though, during his time in service, he was second in command of an Amphibious Company, specializing in amphibious landings from Navy ships and actually deploying to the Pacific to conduct a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Prof. Greg Jackson, Riley Neubauer

Guest: Captain Mac Caldwell

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: USMC, Darden School at the University of Virginia

Places: Atlanta, Pacific

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