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Welcome to WebOps, Armchair General’s first website column! My mission: to bring you the best military history and related websites I can find. Every issue of Armchair General holds a wealth of military historical knowledge, all neatly packaged in an easily accessible format. The Internet and World Wide Web also hold vast amounts of like information, but not always so convenient or user-friendly. That’s where I come in, with links that hopefully make finding the military history you’re looking for online as simple as reading our magazine. And I don’t charge you for a subscription!

Podcasting has been on a roll since 2000, but this year it has seen a dramatic increase in popularity around the Internet. The New Oxford American Dictionary only this month named ‘podcasting’ (defined as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player") its’ 2005 Word of the Year. If you spend any amount of quality time in cyberspace, you are probably familiar with this media wave of the future.

So, what does this bleeding edge technology have to do with our beloved military history? Much like the online world helps to keep the world’s military history fresh and available, podcasting is likewise breathing new life throughout the Web, and military history has begun to taste the fresh air, thanks to an enterprising young man in Seattle, Washington: George Hageman.

I ran across the Hageman story a couple of weeks ago, and instantly knew this was something big. I asked for and received permission to interview Hagemen about his Military History Podcast website, which follows. I’ve seen many, many groovy military history websites this year, and this one became an instant favorite, in large part for the ‘coolness’ factor. So, without any further adieu, may I introduce – George Hageman!

Armchair General: To begin, I want to thank you wholeheartedly for taking the time for this interview. My first question is one that military historians often ask each other: what was it that sparked your interests in military history?

George Hageman: My interest in history was sparked by my 8th grade teacher who was very enthusiastic and made everything seem like it was important. As for my interest in military history, it was sparked by my 9th grade history class (Modern World History 1500-1900). During that class, we spent a lot of time learning about the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution, etc. I thought these things were really boring. It made me realize that I like history because of the battles, hence my passion for military history, not regular history. This is why I like ancient history more, because much of what remains from that world is warfare.

ACG: Now, military historians are a fickle bunch. They proudly hold to academia, being highly trained and well-versed, which takes many years of study and guidance. You do not have any military history degrees. Yet, here you are, a teenager still in high school, with more people in more countries listening to your military history podcasts than often read a degreed military historian’s published work. How does that feel to you?

GH: I don’t think that I am exceptional at anything (I am not brilliant, nor do I have an angelic speaking voice). I think I am just popular because I, unlike many older people that come before me, have access to the Internet and podcasting technology. Therefore, I don’t feel like I am "special"; I just have better tools at hand, and I have learned to use them.

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