SNAFUBAR

About SNAFUBAR

SNAFUBAR is a show about strategic and moral military errors and mishaps, and the myths that both lead to and then justify them. The histories they look at will make clear the degree to which the U.S. is a warful nation, contrary to the myth of a peaceful nation regularly compelled, against its will, to go to war. Through every episode, the show uncovers how we romanticize and fetishize the military while not always providing the support it needs to carry out its intended (or stated) goals, or to meet veterans’ needs when they return from combat.

Publisher

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

28 Feb 2025

Latest episode

27 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Oct 2026

   The Vietnam Syndrome

   Hello everyone, and welcome to SNAFUBAR, a show about American war and American myth. Today’s episode explores the history of “Vietnam Syndrome,” a phrase you probably have heard of. Several generations of American citizens were, and still are, deeply affected by the Vietnam War (1964-1973), in which “Vietnam Syndrome” comes from. For some, “Vietnam Syndrome” harks back to the 1980s, to the era of Ronald Reagan. Reagan used the term to describe the reluctance of the American public to support U.S. military operations overseas. This not only applied to the reluctance of the American public, but to large scale military mobilization more broadly. Thus “Vietnam Syndrome” became a term to describe the crisis in confidence surrounding US foreign military interventions. But here at SNAFUBAR, we had some questions, so we did some digging. It turns out, some of the earliest documented instances of this term appeared in news articles describing mental health afflictions and daily struggles of Vietnam Veterans returning home from war. Today, the terms PTSD or moral injury would be something closer to what is considered the original usage of “Post-Vietnam Syndrome.” But the question is, how the heck did we get here? A term originally applied to the mental health struggles of Vietnam veterans is co-opted and warped to reignite America’s martial character?  Find out on this episode of SNAFUBAR. SNAFUBAR is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Jeff Crane ⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.humboldt.edu/cahss1/jeff-crane)who is an Environmental Historian and Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt, and ⁠⁠⁠Sara Hart⁠⁠⁠ (https://history.humboldt.edu/people/sara-jaye-hart-0), Chair of the Department of Applied Humanities at Cal Poly Humboldt. Research and writing for the show by Liam Salcuni and Roman Sotomayor. SNAFUBAR is produced by Abigail Smithson and brought to you by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt. Music by Silverman Studios Further Readings: Chaim F. Shatam, “Post Vietnam Syndrome,” The New York Times, May 6th, 1972.  (https://www.nytimes.com/1972/05/06/archives/postvietnam-syndrome.html) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 1964 (https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/tonkin-gulf-resolution) History is a Weapon Digital Database (http://www.historyisaweapon.com/indextrue.html) National Archives Vietnam War Records  (https://www.archives.gov/research/vietnam-war) Ralph Blumenthal, ‘“Syndrome Found in Returning G.I.’s,” The New York Times, June 7th, 1971. (https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/07/archives/-syndrome-found-in-returned-gis-a-common-unease-afflicts-many-at-ft.html)

2. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Smedley Butler: the model of a modern major general?

   When you hear the name Smeldley Darlington Butler, your mind instantly goes in one of two directions. 1) That might be the coolest name I’ve ever heard. Or 2) Ole Gimlet Eye! The legendary general of the Marine Corps! If you know, you know… Smedley Darlington Butler (1881-1940) spent his 33 year long career fighting on three different continents: North America, Asia, and Europe. Butler is one of only 19 Americans to receive the Medal of Honor twice, and one of only 14 to receive it twice for two separate actions. Butler spent most of his life in the military, and he is known within military circles for his bravery and leadership in combat. He’s more widely recognized, though, for his outspoken criticism of war and of the emerging military-industrial complex of his day. In Butler’s own words: “I spent thirty-three years and four months in active service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major General. During that time, I spent most of my service as a high-class muscle man for Big Business, Wall Street, and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.” Join us for this episode of SNAFUBAR as we revisit the early life and career of one of the most legendary, and controversial, Marine Corps Veterans of all time. SNAFUBAR is regularly hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Sara Hart⁠⁠⁠ (https://history.humboldt.edu/people/sara-jaye-hart-0), Chair of the Applied Humanites Department at Cal Poly Humboldt, and ⁠⁠⁠Jeff Crane ⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.humboldt.edu/cahss1/jeff-crane)who is an Environmental Historian and Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt. Research and writing for the show by Liam Salcuni (who appears as a guest host) and Roman Sotomayor. SNAFUBAR is produced by Abigail Smithson and brought to you by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt. Music by ⁠⁠Silverman Sound Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.silvermansound.com/) Works Cited: Hans Schmidt, Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History, 1998.  (https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813109572/maverick-marine/) Jonathan Katz, Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedely Butler, the Marines, and the Making of America’s Empire, 2022.  (https://jonathanmkatz.com/gangsters) Naval History and Heritage Command, Smedley Darlington Butler.  (https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-people/b/butler-smedley-d.html) Lowell Thomas, Old Gimlet Eye: The Adventures of Smedley D. Butler, 1933.   (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42335253-old-gimlet-eye) Owen Linlithgow Conner, Always Faithful: 250 Years of Remarkable Stories from the Collection of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, 2024. (https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Marine-Corps-University-Press/Books-by-topic/MCUP-Titles-A-Z/Always-Faithful/Always-Faithful-Chapter-18/) Smedley Darlington Butler, War is a Racket, 1935.  (https://www.heritage-history.com/site/hclass/secret_societies/ebooks/pdf/butler_racket.pdf) Susan A. Brewer, Why America Fights: Patriotism and War Propaganda from the Phillippines to Iran, 2009.  (https://www.abebooks.com/9780195381351/Why-America-Fights-Patriotism-Propaganda-0195381351/plp) United States Marine Corps History Division, Major General Smedley D. Butler, USMC (https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/People/Medal-of-Honor-Recipients-By-Unit/Maj-Smedley-Darlington-Butler/). W.D. Ehrhart, “Smedley Darlington Butler: From Consummate Imperialist to Strident Anti-Imperialist,” In The Veteran: Vietnam Veterans Against the War, 2022. (https://www.vvaw.org/pdf/v52n1.pdf)

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Moral Injury

   Welcome back to SNAFUBAR, a podcast on American militarism and national myths. What do veterans, psychiatrists, and ancient Greek authors have in common? They help us understand and define the complexities of moral injury and post traumatic stress. The United States is a martial nation, the military and its pageantry is everywhere. But is that same energy found in the Veterans Affairs Offices? As a martial nation, the United States is quick to deploy and send troops abroad. But when soldiers return home, where is that same energy and support? Where are the benefits and social programs for our service members returning home from war? Do we only ‘support our troops’ as servants to fight in wars? Only when it is relevant in a nationalistic way? We’ll discuss in this episode of SNAFUBAR. SNAFUBAR is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Sara Hart⁠⁠⁠ (https://history.humboldt.edu/people/sara-jaye-hart-0), Chair of the Applied Humanites Department at Cal Poly Humboldt, and ⁠⁠⁠Jeff Crane ⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.humboldt.edu/cahss1/jeff-crane)who is an Environmental Historian and Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt. Research and writing for the show by Liam Salcuni and Roman Sotomayor. SNAFUBAR is produced by Abigail Smithson and brought to you by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt. Works Cited: American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 1980. (https://www.americanbookwarehouse.com/4552936/?srsltid=AU7gw4W55lcVILscTZ58ZphpafO0sTTh-ZMW5aQOnq2JRtD18doRD0cxPOM) David M. Potter, The Impending Crisis: America before the Civil War, 1848-1861, 2011.  (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-impending-crisis-david-m-potter?variant=32117256159266) Edward Tick, Warrior’s Return: Restoring the Soul After War, 2014. (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781622032006/warriorsreturn/) Euripides, The Trojan Women, 415 BCE.  (https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/euripides-the-trojan-women_euripides_diskin-clay/535107/item/62233077/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_new_condition_books_high_14637440387&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=545799431414&gad_source=4&gad_campaignid=14637440387&gbraid=0AAAAADwY45jI7AFbQe0rYDpdqFhJBIp2x&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzsjVBhC3ARIsALnMv4mVHOSz06xTwsiIrcY8CTLk51wRADoaJAenvfq_ygvyzAhDKNznHmsaAu23EALw_wcB#idiq=62233077&edition=58576955) John Huston, “Let There Be Light”, 1946 (https://archive.org/details/lettherebelight_201706/lettherebelight_201706reel1.mov). Jonathan Shay, Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character, 1994.  (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Achilles-in-Vietnam/Jonathan-Shay/9780684813219) Jonathan Shay, Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming, 2003.  (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Odysseus-in-America/Jonathan-Shay/9780743211574?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24262174046&gbraid=0AAAAADv-uEnncDoPhJI5lzuRB-mkEKVv0&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzsjVBhC3ARIsALnMv4mz19uBmwKwoSBlWWgUJCwFmksKjQrfAu8HcnBeRdN_4_eaWQ1q6tUaAgohEALw_wcB) Karl Marlantes, What It Is Like To Go To War, 2011.  (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11290708-what-it-is-like-to-go-to-war) Lieutenant Colonel Bill Russell Edmunds, God Is Not Here: A Soldier's Struggle with Torture, Trauma, and the Moral Injuries of War, 2015.  (https://www.abebooks.com/9781605987743/God-Soldiers-Struggle-Torture-Trauma-1605987743/plp) Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried, 1990.  (https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-things-they-carried-by-tim-obrien/248200/item/9433069/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_high_vol_scarce_under_$10_17389091670&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17400878150&gbraid=0AAAAADwY45jWd7CpPS-j93zKdJQGqOLjc&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzsjVBhC3ARIsALnMv4nWduBQy7hugUYgAXB2UirH_TXROEtCdik4Co0hKlYPrJG2QBadUdwaArTHEALw_wcB#idiq=9433069&edition=2153859) Tim O’Brien,  If I Die In A Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, 1999. (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/123201/if-i-die-in-a-combat-zone-by-tim-obrien/)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

30

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32