Dennis Blocker WW2 Historian, Author and Prior EMT

Dennis Blocker WW2 Historian, Author and Prior EMT

From The American Grit Podcast by Grunt Style

January 28, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

Dennis Blocker discusses his work in preserving the history of America's World War II generation and his background in emergency medicine.

Dennis Blocker serves as Vice President of Conservators of the Greatest Generation (COGG), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the places, artifacts, and personal stories of America’s World War II generation through public history, advocacy, and community engagement. He leads the Rooftop Oath Dedication in downtown San Antonio, a permanent historical preservation project honoring the site where thousands of young men—including future Iwo Jima flag-raiser Harlon Block—took the Oath of Enlistment into the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. For more than two decades, Blocker has researched, written, and spoken on military history with a focus on the human experience of service and sacrifice, publishing nonfiction work on WWII combat operations and military working dogs. Before his work in historical preservation, he spent 23 years in emergency medicine in Level I trauma centers and international field settings, experience that shaped his approach to leadership, accountability, and service—values that now guide his mission to preserve history with accuracy, dignity, and permanence.Book titled "Clear" can be found on Amazon (link…

People in this episode

Guest: Dennis Blocker

Topics covered

  • World War II
  • military history
  • historical preservation
  • emergency medicine
  • leadership
  • community engagement

Keywords

  • World War II
  • military history
  • historical preservation
  • emergency medicine
  • leadership
  • Rooftop Oath Dedication
  • Clear

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Conservators of the Greatest Generation, blockerbooks.com, uscogg.org

Books & works: Clear

Places: San Antonio

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