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.
Remembering A Marine Who, After Serving His Country, Put Serving Veterans First
After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marine Corporal Josh Dunne worked as an advocate for veterans seeking higher education. He even went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in social work from New Mexico State University, graduating on the same day as his wife, Melanie Dunne.
Photo: Marine Corporal Josh Dunne in his service photo. Courtesy of Melanie Dunne.
Still, he faced his own internal struggles following a service-related traumatic brain injury and severe PTSD. In 2016, while experiencing a mental health crisis, Josh died in an officer-involved shooting.
In 2020, Melanie came to StoryCorps with her sister, Marissa Miranda, to remember what Josh meant to their family and his fellow veterans.
Photo: Melanie Dunne and Marissa Miranda at their StoryCorps interview in Las Cruces, NM on March 13, 2020. By Zazil Davis-Vazquez for StoryCorps.
Top Photo: Melanie Dunne and her husband, Josh, at their graduation from New Mexico State, University. Courtesy of Melanie Dunne.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and you need immediate help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or go here for online chat.
Originally aired May 29, 2021, on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
This interview was recorded in partnership with KRWG as part of StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative.