Medal of Honor - Stories of Courage
This transcript from 'Medal of Honor - Stories of Courage' tells the story of Edward Isaac, a U.S. naval officer captured by Germans in World War I after the sinking of the USS President Lincoln. Determined to bring intelligence about German U-boats back to the Allies, Isaac attempted to escape German captivity seven times, including a daring leap from a moving train. His story is framed as unique because his motivation was not to save individuals but to deliver critical wartime intelligence.
Summary
The transcript opens dramatically mid-action, describing an American prisoner on a German train in the Black Forest on July 6, 1918, plotting a desperate escape by diving headfirst through an open window while his guards were distracted. This sets the stage for the broader story of Edward Isaac, a U.S. Navy first lieutenant and the subject of this episode of 'Medal of Honor - Stories of Courage,' hosted by J.R. Martinez.
The episode then backtracks to May 31, 1918, when the USS President Lincoln, a naval transport ship returning from delivering American troops to France, was struck by three torpedoes fired by the German submarine U-90. Edward Isaac, 26 years old at the time, was eating breakfast when the attack occurred. The ship sank within half an hour, but nearly all crew members survived and gathered in lifeboats, remarkably singing 'Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here' while awaiting rescue.
When the U-90 resurfaced, its captain, Walter Remy, sought to take the Lincoln's captain prisoner per standing orders. Isaac, unwilling to betray his captain, lied and claimed the captain had gone down with the ship. As a result, Isaac himself was taken prisoner. Aboard the U-90, conditions were unexpectedly civil — Isaac dined with German officers, played bridge, and even adopted a pet lamb named Rona from a Scottish island.
Despite these relatively comfortable conditions, Isaac was consumed by frustration at being removed from the war effort. He resolved to use his captivity productively by studying the inner workings of the U-boat — Germany's most effective weapon — with the intention of escaping and delivering that intelligence to the Allies. The transcript establishes Isaac's stubborn, mission-driven character and foreshadows his seven escape attempts, framing his story as one of extraordinary persistence and patriotic sacrifice rather than battlefield heroism.
About this episode
<div> <p><strong>MEDAL OF HONOR – STORIES OF COURAGE <br /></strong>Hosted by J. R. Martinez</p><p><strong>IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL HEAR:</strong> <br />• Edward Isaac, Naval Officer was captured by the Germans in 1918 (2:46)<br />• From the moment he was captured, he was trying to escape. (2:53)<br />• He jumped out of a moving train. The man just refused to give up. (3:05)<br />• He wanted to stop the whole damn war (3:35)<br />• He would risk everything to bring his intelligence to the allies and help finally destroy the enemy fleet. (9:25)</p></div>
Key Insights
- The transcript argues that Isaac's story is uniquely distinguished from typical Medal of Honor narratives because his motivation was not to save fellow soldiers in immediate danger, but to gather and deliver strategic military intelligence about German U-boats to the Allies.
- The host highlights that Isaac, when faced with giving up his captain to German captors, chose to lie and take the prisoner role himself — framing self-sacrifice here as a deliberate, calculated act of loyalty rather than a spontaneous battlefield decision.
- The transcript notes that life aboard the German submarine U-90 was 'weirdly civilized,' with card games, shared meals, and even a pet lamb, suggesting that Isaac's captivity created an unusual psychological tension between comfort and a burning internal drive to escape and contribute to the war.
Topics
Transcript
The passenger train chugged into Germany's Black Forest. It was July 6, 1918. The fourth-class carriage was packed with German soldiers. They were back from the front lines of World War I, dressed in their uniforms, smoking and talking, happy to be out of the trenches. An American prisoner sat on a simple wooden bench. One German guard was on his left, another faced him, but both had their guns trained on him. The prisoner looked out the window, and he watched as the light shifted through the trees. For hours, the train went slowly, pushing its way uphill, deeper into the forest. The prisoner ran his hands through his dark brown hair. He hadn't had much to eat for…
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