“Someone Has to Go First”: Glenn Beck’s Inspiring Speech from the USS Midway

July 4, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

“Someone Has to Go First”: Glenn Beck’s Speech from the USS Midway

On the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, standing on the deck of the USS Midway in San Diego, Glenn Beck told the story of two battles—Midway and Normandy—and drew a single, insistent lesson from them: someone always has to go first. The speech, delivered before an audience including Moms for Liberty, was not a policy argument or a political rally. It was a sustained meditation on sacrifice, memory, and the qualities Beck worries Americans have lost.

The Torpedo Bombers Who Missed Everything

Beck began with the Battle of Midway in June 1942. He described how a seal-hunting captain in 1859 had stumbled upon three tiny islands in the Pacific, covered in bird guano, and claimed them for the United States. Sixty years later, with tensions rising against Japan, the Navy built airstrips on that same two-and-a-half-square-mile island. After Pearl Harbor, code breakers learned the Japanese were coming for Midway. Admiral Nimitz sent out the only three aircraft carriers the U.S. had left in the Pacific.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:30) **Opening & Thank You** - Beck thanks the city of San Diego and Moms for Liberty, praising the role of mothers in history and the present.
2 (03:12) **Love for History & The Midway Story** - Beck explains his love for history came from David Barton, then launches into the story of Midway Atoll.
3 (06:55) **The Battle of Midway & The First Wave** - Beck narrates the 1942 battle, focusing on the sacrifice of the first wave of torpedo bombers.
4 (11:00) **Divine Providence & The Turning Point** - The arrival of dive bombers from three different carriers at the exact same moment over the Japanese fleet.
5 (14:36) **Saluting the First to Fall** - Beck honors the 41 pilots who failed to hit anything but went first, then pivots to D-Day.
6 (14:56) **D-Day & Uncle Leo’s Story** - Beck shares a personal story about his wife’s uncle, Leo, who was one of the first men on the beaches of Normandy.
7 (19:09) **The Town of Bedford, Virginia** - Beck explains why the National D-Day Memorial is in Bedford, VA.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Glenn Beck

Show Notes

On the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, Glenn Beck speaks aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, California, as part of Moms for Liberty’s “Sea to Shining Sea” event. Glenn asks a question we all must all answer: Do we still have the courage, bravery, and selflessness of the Greatest Generation? Because, as Glenn explains through historical stories about the Battle of Midway, D-Day, America’s founding, and the Gettysburg Address, someone always had to go first for the battle to be won. As America faces new challenges, Glenn asks, are you willing to truly stand up for what you believe in?

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