A Korean War Veteran Recalls his First Day of Combat
Sergeant Daniel Moon served in two world wars: first in WWII when he was just 17, and then again in the Korean War.
Laura Moon and Daniel Moon after their StoryCorps interview in Chelsea, ME at the Togus VA Hospital on September 12, 2023. By Max Jungreis for StoryCorps.
He didn’t see combat during WWII, but his experiences during the Korean War were harrowing. He was a member of Fox Company 19th Infantry Regiment, and he sustained severe injuries during his first battle. He also witnessed the deaths of several fellow soldiers.
Sergeant Daniel Moon (Back row Right) with his Squad members at Camp Crawford, Hokkaido Japan, 1950. Photo courtesy Laura Moon.
He came to StoryCorps with his daughter, Laura Moon, to remember that day.
Top Photo: Daniel Moon in Seoul, Korea 1948
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired September 30th, 2023, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
As Her Memory Dims, One Remarkable Mother Remains A “Beacon of Light”
To mark StoryCorps’ 20th Anniversary we are revisiting classic conversations from the past two decades with updates from the participants.
We end this special series by catching up with one remarkable mother in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Mary Johnson-Roy and her son, Laramiun Byrd. Courtesy of Mary Johnson-Roy.
Mary Johnson-Roy lost her only child, Laramiun Byrd, to gun violence in 1993.
One night while at a party, Laramiun got into a fight with another teenager named Oshea Israel. The fight ended when Oshea shot and killed Laramiun.
A dozen years later, Mary went to the penitentiary to visit the man who murdered her son.
Oshea Israel and Mary Johnson-Roy in 2011 and in 2023. By Gaspar Caro and Brian Mogren for StoryCorps.
Soon after Oshea finished serving a prison sentence for murder, Mary brought him to StoryCorps to talk about their relationship. We’ll also hear from them 12 years later.
Mary founded From Death to Life, an organization to help families who have lost children to gun violence, and has spent decades running support groups. But she’s had to step back a bit from her life’s work, after being diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, a disease with symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Mary Johnson-Roy and her husband, Ed Roy, in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2023. By Brian Mogren for StoryCorps.
Since her diagnosis in 2021, Mary’s husband, Ed Roy, has been her main caretaker. Ed also had a son who was murdered, in fact that’s how he and Mary met. Here, they share more about Mary’s illness.
Mary’s community is rallying to help cover her medical expenses through a GoFundMe, which can be found here.
Top Photo: Oshea Israel, Mary Johnson-Roy and Ed Roy in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2023. By Brian Mogren for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired September 29, 2023, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
First story aired on May 20, 2011 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Dreamer’s Gift
“We’re going to move forward. That’s why we comb our hair backwards.”
Paul Crowley & Dreamer
For decades, Dreamer has been generously offering free haircuts to veterans from a trailer stationed in the heart of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Campus.
At StoryCorps, Dreamer sits down with his friend, Paul Crowley, to discuss the transformative power of a haircut.
Listen to Dreamer & Paul’s original StoryCorps interview.
Para subtítulos en español, haga click en el ícono de YouTube en la esquina derecha, y escoja “Spanish” bajo la opción de “settings” y “subtitles/CC.
18 Years After Katrina, A Grocer Rebuilds His Community One Shop at a Time
To mark StoryCorps’ 20th Anniversary we are revisiting classic conversations from the past two decades with updates from the participants.
This story is from New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. The neighborhood was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina and was slow to recover. Almost 10 years after the storm it still didn’t have a single grocery store.
Lower Ninth Ward resident Burnell Cotlon wanted to change that. He saved money by working at fast food restaurants and dollar stores and used it to buy a dilapidated building on an empty block, and opened a neighborhood grocery.
In 2015 he told his mother, Lillie, how his story started in the days after the flood…
Produce, snacks, and a picture of the building before it was renovated at ‘Burnell’s Lower Ninth Ward Market’, New Orleans, Louisiana. By Ian Spencer Cook for StoryCorps. Photo of original building courtesy of Daniel Schergen, who helped renovate it.
Burnell Cotlon and customers in his store in the Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana in September, 2023. Courtesy of Burnell Cotlon.
Top Photo: Lillie Cotlon and Burnell Cotlon in front of Burnell’s store, ‘Burnell’s Lower Ninth Ward Market’ in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 19, 2015. By Ian Spencer Cook for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired September 22nd, 2023, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
First story aired on August 8th, 2015 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
This story is featured in Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work, a collection that celebrates the passion, determination, and courage it takes to pursue the work we feel called to do from Penguin Books.
Family Harmony
A musical journey that resolved in harmony.
Gilbert Zermeño & Patricia Powers-Zermeño
When Gilbert Zermeño dreamed of joining his school band, he pictured himself playing a shiny saxophone. To his dismay, his family—getting by on the $100 a week that his father made working in the nearby cotton fields—couldn’t afford one. At StoryCorps, he shares with his wife, Patricia Powers-Zermeño, how his musical journey began on a bad note, but ended in harmony.
Listen to Gilbert and Patricia’s original StoryCorps interview.
Para subtítulos en español, haga click en el ícono de YouTube en la esquina derecha, y escoja “Spanish” bajo la opción de “settings” y “subtitles/CC.
EXTRA: The Kids From North Baghdad
In celebration of our 20th Anniversary, StoryCorps will be revisiting some of our most memorable conversations from the past two decades. This week, we announce an upcoming special series with this short story from our Military Voices Initiative.
Released on September 19, 2023. Originally aired November 10, 2012, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
Mom’s Advice to Son With Tough Questions: “To Thine Own Self Be True”
To mark our 20th anniversary, we’re revisiting classic StoryCorps conversations — like this one from 2006, between a young boy and his mother.
When 12-year-old Josh Littman first interviewed his mom, Sarah Darer Littman, he came with a list of his own questions, and they were not easy. As a child, Josh had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder formerly called Asperger’s syndrome.
Josh and Sarah returned five years later, when Josh was depressed and having a hard time in college. In 2017, Joshua and Sarah came back to StoryCorps for a third interview, to reflect on the past decade and look toward the future.
Sarah Darer Littman and Josh Littman at their StoryCorps interview in New Haven, Connecticut on August 3, 2023. By Chapin Montague for StoryCorps.
In the Fall of 2023, Josh started a graduate program in Library Sciences and History. He hopes to someday work at the Library of Congress, where all his StoryCorps interviews are housed.
Top Photo: Sarah Darer Littman and Josh Littman at their StoryCorps interviews in New York City, New York, in 2006, 2011 and 2017. By Emily Janssen and Michael Garofalo for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired March 17, 2006, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
A family’s legacy of service, sacrifice, and fatherhood after 9/11
Top photo: Joseph Vigiano and John Vigiano Jr. with their father, John Vigiano Sr. circa 1994. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary by revisiting classic StoryCorps conversations from our first two decades and sharing updates on participants.
(Left) Detective Joseph Vigiano, Firefighter John Vigiano II circa 1996. (Right) Police Officer Joseph Vigiano, Police Officer James Vigiano in April of 2023. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
John Vigiano Sr. came to StoryCorps in 2007 to talk about his sons, Joseph and John Vigiano Jr., who both died in the line of duty during the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center.
Joseph Vigiano with his father and brother, James Vigiano circa 1998. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
In 2023 his grandson, Joseph Vigiano, came to StoryCorps to reflect on fatherhood and his family’s legacy.
Joseph and Kathleen Vigiano circa 1989. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
Jennifer and Joseph Vigiano with their son and Police Commissioner Edward Caban in March of 2023. Courtesy of Joseph Vigiano.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired on September 11, 2009. Rebroadcast with update on September 8, 2023 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
20 Years Later A Couple Reflects On A Tender Moment Captured In The StoryCorps Booth
We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary by revisiting classic StoryCorps conversations from our first two decades – like this one between Debora Brakarz and Mike Wolmetz.
Mike Wolmetz and Debora Brakarz at their wedding celebration in Long Island, NY, on June 19, 2005. Courtesy of Debora and Mike.
Debora was 26 at the time and Mike was 25. They had only been dating for three months when they came to the StoryCorps recording booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal.
The family at Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, Maryland, on August 8, 2012. Courtesy of Debora and Mike.
Nearly 20 years later, they returned to share an update about love, marriage, and parenthood.
The family during Halloween 2019 (Mike as the anonymous CIA whistleblower, Debora as Sarah Good (one of the first 3 women to be accused in the Salem Witch Trials), Luca as Spiderman Miles Morales, and Iago as DJ Marshmello). Courtesy of Debora and Mike.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired February 14, 2004, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
“I Felt That God Had Put Me On This Earth To Do This” A Combat Medic’s Long Journey Into Enlisting
From a very young age, Ocean Subiono had an interest in the military—even dressing up as a soldier for Halloween. As a freshman in high school, he joined the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps or JROTC program, with the hopes of enlisting in the Army one day.
Ocean Subiono at his Honolulu Fire Department Academy graduation on March 16, 2018. Photo courtesy of the Subiono family.
But his dreams to become a service member were delayed by an unexpected complication.
He came to StoryCorps with his father, Russell Subiono, to talk about his journey.
Russell and Ocean Subiono at his Oath of Enlistment ceremony on November 20, 2019 at Hickam Air Force Base in Hickam, Hawaii. Photo courtesy of the Subiono family.
Top Photo: Ocean Subiono and Russell Subiono at their StoryCorps interview in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 14, 2022. By Franchesca Peña for StoryCorps.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired August 26, 2023, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday