Memorial Day gives us an opportunity to remember those who have died while serving in the U.S. military. We’ve put together a collection of stories from veterans, service members, and their loved ones to help us reflect on their many contributions and sacrifices. Listen to their voices below.
A StoryCorps conversation is the least expensive and most important gift you can give to someone you can’t be with face-to-face. This Memorial Day, honor a veteran, service member, or military family member in your life using StoryCorps Connect and record their story. Learn more at StoryCorpsConnect.org.
The Last Viewing
In 2005, Allen Hoe’s oldest son, Nainoa, was killed in action in Iraq. Not long after on Memorial Day, he had a chance encounter with a stranger that brought them both unforeseen comfort.
Read the full transcript here.
“I Took An Oath To Respond To The Needs Of My Nation”
Army Major Ivan Arreguin, a military chaplain, tells his wife, Aileen, what it was like to provide medical support in New York City during the height of COVID-19.
Read the full transcript here.
Remembering the Beirut Bombing of 1983
James Edward Brown was a Navy corpsman working as a surgical tech on the ground during the Beirut Bombing of 1983. The bombing killed 241 U.S. servicemen, the largest single-day loss to Marines since World War II at Iwo Jima.
Read the full transcript here.
In Memory of Diego Rincon
George Rincon and Yolanda Reyes, remember their son, Army Private First Class Diego Rincon, who received U.S. citizenship after he was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2003.
Read the full transcript here.
1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
In 2005, Marine Lance Corporal Travis Williams and his squad went on a rescue mission in Barwanah, Iraq. He was the only member of his team to make it back home.
Read the full transcript here.
The Nature of War
Specialist Justin Cliburn was deployed to Iraq in 2005. While serving in Baghdad, he formed an unlikely friendship with Ali and Ahmed, two boys who lived near his compound.
Read the full transcript here.
In Memory of Tech. Sgt. Leonard Matlovich
Jeff Dupre remembers his friend Air Force Tech. Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, who appeared on a 1975 cover of Time with the headline, “I Am a Homosexual.”
Read the full transcript here.
Remembering One Tough Veteran: Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy
Flip and Christine Cuddy remember their mother, Susan Ahn Cuddy, a Navy gunnery officer who served in World War II.
Read the full transcript here.
Pearl Harbor, Tattooed on Your Soul
On December 7, 1941, over two thousand people died when Japanese fighter planes attacked Pearl Harbor. On that day, Frank Curre, then a teenager, was serving aboard the U.S.S. Tennessee.
Read the full transcript here.
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