Washington Archives - Page 2 of 4 - StoryCorps

Duery Felton and Rick Weidman

Every day since it officially opened in November 1982, visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. have left tributes to those whose names are engraved on The Wall: medals, dog tags, clothing, and other objects they associate with friends, loved ones, and fellow service members.

The Memorial Wall is under the supervision of the National Park Service, feltonand when Duery Felton learned that park rangers were collecting and storing this huge collection of items, he became a volunteer in order to see them for himself. Eventually he was offered a full-time position as the first curator of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection, a job he held for 28 years before retiring in 2014.

Duery, who served in Vietnam, came to StoryCorps with his friend and fellow war veteran, Rick Weidman (pictured together above), to discuss what drew him to the wall, and to talk about his service during the Vietnam War.

Click here to view a gallery of some of the more than 400,000 items left by visitors to The Wall.

Originally aired November 12, 2016, on NPR’s Weekend Edition.

Valerie Jarrett and Edith Childs: “Fired up! Ready to go!”

“These eight years have been a joy for me to have known you as the president of these United States of America.”

Edith Childs was an honored guest in the first lady’s box during President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address in 2016. As soon as Child’s image flashed on TV screens across the country, she became an instant star. The Washington Post declared that the 67-year-old South Carolina councilwoman “stole the show by showing up in her Sunday Best.” And while her name and face may not have previously been known to most viewers, anyone who followed the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections is familiar with the Obama campaign’s rallying cry—“Fired up! Ready to go!” A chant Edith is credited with originating.

569672a22a00002d00030606On Wednesday, Edith sat down for a StoryCorps interview in the White House with Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Together they looked back on the June 2007 morning when Barack Obama, then the junior senator from Illinois, first met Edith at a sparsely attended Greenwood campaign stop.

In the excerpt from their conversation below, Edith also shares with Jarrett stories about growing up “country poor” at a time when black children were not allowed to ride on the same buses as white children, and recounts what the Obama presidency has meant to her, and what it would have meant to the grandmother who raised her.

Voices from StoryCorpsU: Gloria and Joseline

“I remember that night when you called me and said…I need help.”

Gloria and Joseline, StoryCorpsU (SCU) students at Chavez Prep Middle School in Washington, D.C., recorded an interview during the 2011-2012 school year.

Listen to Gloria and Joseline’s story below:



GloriaJoseline

Lisa Torello and Tony Cistaro

In December of 1965, Sgt. 1st Class Carl Torello was serving with the Special Forces in Vietnam when he was killed by a roadside bomb. His daughter, Sgt. Major Lisa Torello, was 5 years old at the time.

Lisa_Torello_2

Almost 50 years later, she connected with Tony Cistaro, the only survivor of the attack that killed her father. Their conversation was recorded in Washington DC just one day after they first met.

Originally aired May 22, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

January 6, 1966, obituary courtesy of The Oswego Valley News.

Noah McQueen and Barack Obama

Just a few years ago, 18-year-old Noah McQueen was struggling in school, had been arrested multiple times, and spent time in juvenile detention. But today he is a mentee at the White House and part of My Brother’s Keeper, a White House initiative for young men of color.

Noah recently had the chance to record a StoryCorps interview with President Barack Obama, who wanted to know more about Noah’s life.

Originally aired February 25, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Jon Meadows and Melissa Meadows

Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Jon Meadows has served two tours of duty, first to Iraq in 2006, then to Afghanistan in 2012.

Screen Shot 2016-05-18 at 11.40.09 AMOver the course of his service, he suffered multiple head injuries—which he didn’t report because he wanted to keep on serving.

Then, in an examination during his last tour, doctors found polyps in Jon’s throat. He was sent to a hospital in the States—and that’s when the brain damage was discovered.

Jon and his wife, Melissa (pictured in the player above), came to the White House for a day StoryCorps spent recording with Joining Forces, the national effort to support service members and their families, which is spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.

In Washington, Jon told his wife about his life now, and remembered a friend and fallen soldier who served with him in Iraq.

Originally aired May 24, 2014, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Above: Photo of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden courtesy of Lawrence Jackson for the White House.Staff Sergeant Jon Meadows, who suffered traumatic injuries during his last tour of duty in Afghanistan, remembers a fallen friend.

Mark Radlinski and Luke Radlinski

Both Mark (left) and Luke (right) Radlinski were lieutenants in the Navy. Luke deployed in 2001 to the Persian Gulf in support of the conflict in Afghanistan, and his brother, Mark, went to Iraq in 2006. But just before Mark left, they had a fight and parted on bad terms.

At StoryCorps they talk about Luke’s email to Mark that helped them move on, and their feelings upon Mark returning home.

Originally aired March 9, 2012, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

John Yates

John Yates was working at the Pentagon as a civilian security manager on September 11, 2001.

That morning, he and five colleagues gathered around a television to watch the news of the attack on the World Trade Center. Afterwards, he returned to his desk to call his wife and assure her he was fine. Soon after rejoining his colleagues, American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.

The impact blew John through the air. He crawled through the wreckage and eventually found his way to the Pentagon’s center courtyard, where his clothing was cut off and a doctor began treatment.

Two days later John awoke in the hospital suffering burns on almost 40 percent of his body. The five colleagues he’d been with that morning were all killed in the explosion.

John came to StoryCorps to talk about his memories of that morning.

Originally aired September 11, 2011, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.

Andrea Doctor

Johnnie Doctor, Jr. was an information systems technician first class in the United States Navy. He worked at the Pentagon and was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Johnnie’s wife, Andrea, came to StoryCorps to talk about that day and how she has drawn on Johnnie’s strength to move forward.

Recorded September 12, 2008.

Raúl Grijalva and his daughter Marisa

Congressman Raul Grijalva talks to his daughter Marisa about his mother’s influence on his education.