WWII Hero Jack Cullenton and the Geopolitics of Ukraine

On Tuesday, July 5, 2022, Kim Monson marks Independence Day week with two powerful segments exploring American courage past and present. Lt. Col. Bill Rutledge, retired United States Air Force at 93 years young, recounts the extraordinary saga of Jack Cullenton, a WWII airman declared missing in action three times who survived Pearl Harbor, Midway, and a bailout over Nazi Germany. Dr. Jill Vecchio follows with an in-depth analysis of Ukraine, the Great Reset, and why citizens must exercise vigilance over their constitutional rights.

An Airman’s Remarkable Journey Through WWII

Start listening at 00:43 – Hour 1

Bill Rutledge recalls meeting Jack Cullenton at a Christmas party in 1957, where the decorated airman’s chest full of ribbons prompted a conversation that revealed one of the most remarkable survival stories of World War II. Cullenton was stationed at Wheeler Field, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, watching helplessly as Japanese Zeros strafed the airfield and killed fellow servicemen still sleeping in their tents. When administrative errors led the Army to classify him as missing in action, his mother received devastating news that proved premature.

The story only grew more harrowing. Assigned to a B-17 squadron at Midway, Cullenton survived being shot down over the Pacific, floating in a dinghy until rescue. Again, his mother received word he was missing. Later, during a daylight bombing raid over Berlin, Cullenton’s damaged B-17 could not make it back to England. After bailing out over Germany, he carried an injured gunner on his shoulders for days, traveling only at night to avoid capture. The pair passed near Peenemunde, where they witnessed V-2 rocket testing before eventually reaching the Baltic and rowing toward Sweden in a small boat.

“Jack was a very strong person. He was about 5’10”, and was maybe 220, an extremely strong person. but one of the young members of the crew, who was probably one of the gunners, landed near Jack, and he really hurt his legs badly, so he couldn’t walk. But Jack picked him up and carried him over his shoulders as far north as they could go that evening.”

Bill Rutledge, Lt. Col., USAF (Ret.)

Thomas Paine and the Spirit of American Independence

Start listening at 45:34 – Hour 1

Bill Rutledge connects the story of wartime courage to the revolutionary spirit of Thomas Paine. Rutledge explains how Paine, born in England and shaped by witnessing public executions for minor crimes, came to America with letters of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. His pamphlet Common Sense, written in conversational language accessible even to the illiterate, fundamentally shifted colonial thinking from seeking accommodation with Britain to demanding complete independence.

Rutledge emphasizes that Paine’s most famous line came not from Common Sense but from writings during the desperate winter at Valley Forge: “Now is the time that tries men’s souls.” The parallel to current challenges facing constitutional government was not lost on Kim Monson, who noted that Americans today face what may be a “third founding” of the republic.

“One of the things that’s unique is that we have a constitution, and that’s the key to everything.”

Bill Rutledge, Lt. Col., USAF (Ret.)

Ukraine’s Complex History and the Great Reset

Start listening at 57:45 – Hour 2

Dr. Jill Vecchio responds to listener requests by examining the history behind the Russia-Ukraine conflict. She traces the country’s divided identity: a western half historically pro-NATO with concerning neo-Nazi elements dating to World War II collaboration, and an eastern, Russian-speaking region. The 2014 revolution that installed President Poroshenko, Vecchio argues, bears hallmarks of CIA-organized regime change, with State Department official Victoria Nuland playing a central role.

Vecchio connects Ukraine to broader concerns about the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset agenda. The country has served as a hub for biological research laboratories funded through Department of Defense programs and companies linked to Hunter Biden, including Metabiota and Rosemont Seneca Partners. She notes that Russian officials claim their military operations target these facilities, though the truth remains obscured by competing propaganda from all sides.

“We are meant to educate ourselves and then form a decision, not just sit back and absorb whatever comment or narrative somebody shoved down our throat. So this is just part of being a good what we call citizen journalist, right? It’s our job now to do our own research, because we’re not being told the truth over and over and over again.”

Dr. Jill Vecchio

Constitutional Vigilance in Uncertain Times

Start listening at 106:00 – Hour 2

Dr. Jill Vecchio warns that the Great Reset represents an effort by global elites to fundamentally restructure society through economic disruption, digital currency, and depopulation. The Ukraine conflict, supply chain crises, and inflation all advance these goals whether by design or opportunism. She urges Americans to recognize that the Constitution stands as the primary bulwark against global governance schemes.

The segment closes with both Kim Monson and Vecchio emphasizing citizen engagement. Vecchio offers to give presentations on the Great Reset to interested groups, noting that visual materials help convey the scope of planned changes. The show ends with Thomas Paine’s words on preferring peace but accepting necessary struggle, and John Hancock’s observation that citizens who own businesses make the best defenders of their communities.

“If the CIA can do coups, all the coup d’etats in all these different countries, what makes you think they aren’t doing it here? What makes you think they don’t want to do it in the United States if they haven’t already?”

Dr. Jill Vecchio