May 27, 1985 - WWII marks a watershed in the life of this nation and in the lives of all who lived through it. In the documentary “We Were the Lucky Ones,” MPR’s Mark Heistad examines the experience of the war and its legacy through the stories of residents of New Ulm, many of which were German-American.
August 18, 1988 - MPR's Stephen Smith observes an average day in the life of a nuclear missile crew based at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. He finds out that there is no button to launch a nuke; it's actually a set of keys…and keeping the keys can be pretty dull work.
September 28, 1990 - MPR’s Tom Meersman reports on efforts by the Army Corps to locate 1437 barrels dumped into Lake Superior. The barrels originally came from the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Arden Hills from a project in which Honeywell was developing fragmentation grenades for the defense department. The secret dumping into lake took place from 1959 to 1962.
June 10, 1994 - MPR’s Martin Kaste reports on a press conference by the Army Corp of Engineers where they detail items recovered while searching for barrels dumped into Lake Superior decades ago.
April 24, 1995 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports on a proposal to use parts of Camp Ripley as a prison site to assist in easing overcrowding issues in the state prison system. Local opinion seems open to the idea.
February 2, 1996 - On this Midday program, a discussion on the military situation in Bosnia with guests retired Marine Colonel David Evans, Director of National Defense Issues for the organization Business Executives for National Security; and Debbie Lee, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. Guests also answer listener questions.
May 6, 1996 - Midday examines land mines and their disastrous effects. In the first half of the program, a rebroadcast of the Minnesota Public Radio documentary about about efforts to clear land mines in Cambodia called "A Plague of Plastic Soldiers." Afterwards, a call-in program about land mines and defense and military procurement issues with David Evans, director of National Defense Issues for Business Executives for National Security.
October 15, 1997 - Midday talks with Martha Raddatz, National Public Radio's Pentagon correspondent, about covering the military. Topics include the art of listening, gender, and access. Raddatz also answers listener call-in questions.
January 25, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” In this segment, a look back at the Battle of Sugar Point…a fight between the U.S. Government and Chippewa Tribe over timber.
November 8, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from the VA Medical Center in St. Cloud for a pre-Veterans Day show. In this first hour of program, host Rachel Reabe and guests focus on the health care system and the increasing demands on the system as our vets grow older.