Ep. 220 - Patrick W. Naughton, Jr.: Saving Baker Battery

What would you do if you opened an old binder at an estate sale and realized you were holding a piece of World War II history?

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and military historian Patrick W. Naughton Jr. knew almost immediately that he had found something extraordinary.

Inside the worn binder was a history created by the soldiers of Baker Battery, 881st Field Artillery Battalion, 69th Infantry Division—typed recollections, original sketches, poems, rosters, jokes and firsthand observations from the men who had fought their way across Europe during the final months of World War II.

They hadn’t written it for historians. They had written it for each other.

In this episode of Stories from Real Life, Patrick tells the remarkable story of discovering that binder and the research that followed. He also discusses his own 30-year Army career, his work as a military historian, and the deeply personal circumstances under which he completed the project while undergoing cancer treatment.

The result is Baker Battery Goes to War: The Wartime Writings and Sketches of a World War II Artillery Unit in the Fighting 69th, coming from Media Well Done on Veterans Day, November 11, 2026.

This isn’t simply another history of World War II. It’s an opportunity to hear the war through the voices of the ordinary soldiers who actually lived it.

Pre-order the book here: Media Well Done, LLC

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