WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – A podcast that both catalogs and celebrates the 10th Mountain Division’s history during World War II.
Ninety-Pound Rucksack, named after the massive bags division soldiers had to carry, is the brainchild of Christian Beckwith.
The podcast delves into the history of the 10th mountain Division leading up to and during World War II.
Through the podcast, Beckwith, a lifelong climber, hopes to shine a light on the division’s history of training with skis and climbing and how that became popular as a recreation after the war.
“It’s such an important part to the fabric of who were as a people. I feel like it hasn’t been explored to the degree it needs to be explored and celebrated,” said Beckwith.
Beckwith isn’t alone on the podcast. He’s backed up by a 7-person team of advisors. A few of them, like Doug Schmidt, live right here in the north country.
“This is just one of those opportunities where we’re tapping into a medium that’s growing in popularity in podcasts. We’re using that to reach out to the public in general,” said Schmidt, historian, National Association of the 10th Mountain Division.
The podcast’s first episode focused on the factors leading up to the 10th Mountain Division’s creation, primarily Soviet Russia’s invasion of Finland.
The next episode titled ‘State of the Art’ will focus on the training division soldiers undertook leading up to the war. It’ll be available on platforms like Spotify and Apple podcasts.
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