{"podcast":{"title":"AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast","slug":"ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994","podcast_index_feed_id":4430994,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/podcast.ausa.org/feed.xml","website_url":"https://podcast.ausa.org/","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/4124058/army-matters-1400_wyjp4w.jpg","author":"Assn. of the United States Army","episode_count":100,"summary":"AUSA’s Army Matters podcast amplifies the voices of the Total Army – one story at a time. Join hosts LTG (Ret.) Les Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey every other Wednesday as they interview the modern chroniclers of the Army experience to discuss inspiring leadership stories, current issues faced by Soldiers and our military families’ journeys.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-15T20:18:33.143372+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994"},"episode":{"title":"A Silent Night in WWII: A Special Christmas Story","slug":"a-silent-night-in-wwii-a-special-christmas-story","published_at":"2025-12-17T09:26:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/a-silent-night-in-wwii-a-special-christmas-story","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994","url":"https://podcast.ausa.org/e/a-silent-night-in-wwii-a-special-christmas-story/","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ieiqt57y28bjr44a/ChristmasSpecial_20251216.mp3","summary":"On Christmas Eve, 1944, Elizabeth Vincken and her twelve-year-old son, Fritz, sat down for a quiet Christmas Eve dinner, hopeful for a respite in the midst of deadly battles in the northern Belgian forest. Knocks on their door quickly turned their evening into a series of dramatic moments and standoffs, but Elizabeth’s bravery and compassion led to one of the most heart-filled – and unheard – stories of World War II. In this very special holiday episode, Army Matters senior producer Carrie Varouhakis and Army historian and writer Kevin Hymel unearth this story of a mother, a son, weary soldiers, warm food, a song, a fat goose and a lifelong quest, weaving it into a story that will fill your ears – and heart – with joy. Narrated by: Kevin M. Hymel, Historian, U.S. Army Carrie Varouhakis, Senior Producer, AUSA's Army Matters Podcast Music: The versions of “O Tannenbaum,” “Auld Lang Syne” and “Silent Night” found in this episode are performed by the U.S. Army Field Band. Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org. Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please n…","meta_description":"On Christmas Eve, 1944, Elizabeth Vincken and her twelve-year-old son, Fritz, sat down for a quiet Christmas Eve dinner, hopeful for a respite in the mids…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1671,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/episodes/a-silent-night-in-wwii-a-special-christmas-story/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/a-silent-night-in-wwii-a-special-christmas-story.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}