“I Needed To Reset My Life:” A Veteran Opens Up About The Challenges Of Adjusting To Civilian Life
Sergeant Alex Ortiz volunteers helping veterans in Puerto Rico adjust back to civilian life. He served in the Army himself, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a wheeled vehicle mechanic, before injuries forced him to retire in 2013.
His wife Lixannie had never been close to a veteran before they met, and wasn’t always prepared for what their life together would be like.
Sergeant Alex Ortiz and Lixannie Ortiz with their sons, Roman Ortiz and Brian Cuadrado. Photo courtesy of the Ortiz family.
Top photo: Lixannie Ortiz and Sergeant Alex Ortiz at their StoryCorps interview in Mayagüez, PR on February 10, 2024. By Jo Corona 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 Nov 8, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
For Years, This Family Built a Life in Two Countries
Each morning, before sunrise, Luis Montero-Adams would get up, get dressed for school and drive with his dad from their home in Mexico, to the international border. As United States citizens, they would cross into the U.S., and then Luis would be dropped off at school and his dad would head to work as an electrician.
Luis’ little sister, Stephanie Machado eventually joined the daily journey.
Together with many others, crossing into the U.S. was just a part of their daily commute.
Middle Photo: Stephanie Machado and Luis Montero-Adams in Los Angeles in the late 80s.
It wasn’t until he was older that Luis realized just how unique the experience was.
I used to live in a different country and commute across international borders to go to school. “In my brain, I was like, “This is so normal,” he remembers.
Bottom Photo: Luis Montero-Adams and Stephanie Machado as young teenagers in the early 2000s.
Then one day, life in America was forever changed, and the family’s commute was no longer practical.
Top Photo: Stephanie Machado and Luis Montero-Adams at their StoryCorps interview in San Diego, California on July 29, 2024. By Alan Jinich 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 6, 2024 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Remembering Ms. Colombia, An Icon Who Sparkled at NYC’s Riis Beach
When Ms. Colombia, née Oswaldo Gomez, arrived in New York City in 1975, she had just completed her law degree in Spain. Originally from Colombia, she came to New York seeking a more open society.
She got her nickname because she often went to airports in her spare time, offering free legal services to fellow Colombian immigrants. But after being diagnosed with AIDS, and later colon cancer, she took that desire for freedom to a new level: devoting the rest of her life to being joyfully, unabashedly herself.
Ms. Colombia and her parrot, Rosita at the Lunar New Year Parade in New York City in February, 2013. By Eric Truong.
She was known throughout NYC for her green beard, her brightly colored, traditional Colombian skirts, and her exuberance. She marched in every parade, always accompanied by her rainbow-colored miniature poodle, Cariño, and her foul-mouthed parrot, Rosita. And she spent as much time as possible at the beach at Jacob Riis Park, which has been a haven for the queer community since the 1940s. There, she and her friends talked, swam, and dug up clams.
In 2018, she died at Riis Beach. Victoria Cruz and Carlos Villacres, two of her close friends, came to StoryCorps to remember her.
The Ms. Colombia memorial at the 4th annual Ms. Colombia Beach Walk at Riis Beach, NYC, on August 26, 2023. By Halle Hewitt for StoryCorps.
Victoria Cruz and Carlos Villacres at their StoryCorps interview in Brooklyn, New York on June 13, 2024. By Von Diaz for StoryCorps.
Top Photo: Ms. Colombia with her poodle, Cariño, at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade in New York City on June 21, 2008. By Paul Stein.
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 23, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“Our Car Had Landed In The Water:” A Mother And Son Remember a Frightening Accident
StoryCorps conversations aren’t scripted, and even the participants can be surprised by what comes up when they get behind the mic.
That’s what happened when Karina Borgia-Lacroix brought her 10-year-old son, Levi, to the StoryCorps Mobile Booth in Fort Myers, Florida, and he asked about her favorite memory.
Karina Borgia-Lacroix and Levi Lacroix at JetBlue Park at Fenway South during spring training in Fort Myers, FL, in March of 2016. Courtesy of Karina Borgia-Lacroix.
Top Photo: Karina Borgia-Lacroix and Levi Lacroix at their StoryCorps interview in Fort Myers, FL on March 2, 2024. By Sara Barkouli 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 April 12, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Amor Eterno: Remembering Ana Guissel Palma on Día de los Muertos
Cesar Viveros in front of his altar in Philadelphia in 2022.
Photo by Neal Santos, courtesy of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
In 2016, Cesar Viveros and his wife Ana Guissel Palma set out to document Day of the Dead altars in South Philadelphia—a thriving Mexican and Central American community. The pair went door-to-door, recording stories across their neighborhood in the hopes of creating a large community altar for people to visit and remember their loved ones.
But two years into the project, Ana became sick, and passed away just before Day of the Dead, leaving Cesar to finish the project on his own.
He came to StoryCorps with his niece, Kathy Lopez, to honor her.
A framed photo of Ana Guissel Palma at an altar created by Cesar Viveros. October 21, 2023 at FDR Park in Philadelphia. By Kayla Lattimore 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 October 27, 2023 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Volunteering at the US-Mexico Border Helped This Nurse Find New Meaning in her Work
Content Warning: This story includes mentions of rape and sexual violence.
Angelina McCall found nursing later in life, and quickly discovered she felt called to helping save people’s lives.. She graduated from nursing school in spring 2020—the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Angelina and Matt McCall at their StoryCorps interview in Tucson, Arizona on April 17, 2023. By Chapin Montague for StoryCorps.
She got her first job at a busy emergency room in Tucson, Arizona, but left after a little over a year and questioned whether she was cut out for nursing. “I was very embarrassed and ashamed,” Angelina says.
She stayed home to recuperate and care for her young daughter, but soon after she began to ask herself if there was a way she could continue to help. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, Angelina is fluent in Spanish and knew that a humanitarian crisis was unfolding just over an hour away from her home.
“So I thought, ‘I can maybe help these migrants that are stuck at the border right now?’
Angelina McCall volunteering at the Kino Border Initiative clinic for migrants in Nogales, Mexico. Photo courtesy the participants.
She came to StoryCorps with her husband, Matt, to share her inspiring experience volunteering at a clinic near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Top Photo: Angelina McCall after graduating from nursing school in the spring of 2020. Photo courtesy the participants.
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 May 19, 2023, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
A New Heart And A New Path: Transplant Recipient Shares Lifelong Dream With Her Mom
When Gianna Paniagua was just a baby, she was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — a heart defect that led her to severe heart failure. Gianna was 14 months old when she received her first heart transplant.
Gianna with her mother, Lourdes, at the hospital after her first transplant in October 1992.
Courtesy of Gianna Paniagua.
Even with a new heart, Gianna spent most of her life in and out of hospitals. Those experiences shaped her childhood, and she remembers being surrounded by doctors for most of her life.
Gianna as a child playing doctor with her dolls. Courtesy of Gianna Paniagua.
During these countless appointments and medical procedures, Gianna was able to lean on her mom, Lourdes Matamoros. Lourdes has been by Gianna’s side for decades — including when she received her second heart transplant in 2021.
Gianna (right) in the hospital with her mom after receiving her pacemaker in 2018. Courtesy of Lourdes Matamoros.
A year after receiving a new heart, Gianna came to StoryCorps to speak with her mom about her plans for the future.
Top Photo: Lourdes Matamoros and Gianna Paniagua at their StoryCorps interview in Nashville, Tennessee on March 17, 2022. Taken for StoryCorps.
Originally aired April 8, 2022, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Siblings Remember Their Father, A Combat Pilot Who Served In Three Wars
Growing up in the 1930s, Lt. Col. Miguel Encinias wasn’t sure if his dream of becoming a military pilot was in reach. In those days, combat pilots of Hispanic heritage were almost unheard of.
But Encinias was accepted into the Air Force cadet school, and would go and serve as a combat pilot in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He flew around 240 combat missions in all.
Miguel Encinias in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1961. (Courtesy of the Encinias family)
He died in 2016, at the age of 92.
Two of his children, Isabel and Juan Pablo Encinias, came to StoryCorps to remember him and his love for flying.
Juan Pablo Encinias and Isabel Encinias in 2016. (Courtesy of the Encinias family)
Top Photo: Miguel Encinias crouched beneath a F105 aircraft in 1967. (Courtesy of the Encinias family)
Originally aired November 5, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“Optimism Never Failed Me:” Former Child Actor and Cuban Refugee Tells Grandson to Keep Dreaming
Growing up in Havana, Cuba, Mario García was a child actor who was featured in commercials, telenovelas, and the 1961 film El Joven Rebelde.
Mario García on the set of the Cuban telenovela, Esta Es Tu Vida. Courtesy of Mario García.
That all changed when he had to flee as a refugee during the Castro regime, along with 14,000 Cuban children under Operation Peter Pan. In February 1962, he boarded a plane to live with his aunt and uncle in Miami, where he went from learning his lines to learning English.
Mario went on to start a family and become a successful journalist and though he had to put his acting career aside, he never gave up on returning to the screen. Now in his early 70s, Mario continues to audition and was an extra in the film In the Heights. Mario’s grandson, Maximilian García, has inherited his grandfather’s passion for acting.
At StoryCorps, Max asked his grandfather about how he got his start on screen.
Top Photo: Dr. Mario García and his grandson, Maximilian García. Courtesy of Mario García.
This interview is part of the Tapestry of Voices Collection through StoryCorps’ American Pathways initiative. This initiative is made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and an Anonymous Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Stuart Family Foundation. It will be archived at the Library of Congress.
Originally aired July 30th, 2021 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Honoring the Penniless and Forgotten: A Man’s Reflection On Hart Island
It is estimated that more than one million people are buried in New York City’s Hart Island, the city’s public cemetery, and the final resting place for unclaimed, penniless or unidentified individuals.
For the better part of its 150-year history, the island was closed off to the public. The only visitors allowed to witness the burials were the gravediggers themselves. Because the Department of Correction managed the island, the burials have long been the job of incarcerated people.
Casimiro “Cas” Torres was one of them. In the late 1980s, he was arrested for robbery, and sent to Hart Island to bury and disinter bodies.
Almost three decades later, he came to StoryCorps to keep their memory alive.
Cas Torres in his late teens, around the same time he was imprisoned and transferred to Hart Island.
This story aired July of 2021, when jurisdiction of Hart Island transferred from New York City Department of Correction to the City’s Human Resources Administration and Parks and Recreation, formally ending the practice of using inmates to carry out the burials.
Top Photo: Cas Torres at their StoryCorps interview in New York City on January 30, 2015. By John White for StoryCorps.
Originally aired July 16, 2021, on NPR’s Morning Edition.