“I Took An Oath To Respond To The Needs Of My Nation”: An Army Chaplain Remembers The Height Of COVID-19 In New York City
As a military chaplain, Army Major Ivan Arreguin has seen many overseas deployments. But in April 2020, while serving with the 44th Medical Brigade out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was deployed stateside for a mission unlike any other.
At the time, New York City had been dubbed the epicenter of the coronavirus. Hospitals were overrun with patients, and doctors and nurses were spread thin. Relief came in many forms, including military medical units, who were providing additional support and care.
Over StoryCorps Connect, Chaplain Arreguin told his wife, Aileen, what it was like to be stationed in New York City during the height of COVID-19.
Top Photo: Army Major Ivan Arreguin (center), and other soldiers, escorting the remains of a veteran who died from COVID-19 while being treated at the Javits New York Medical Station, in New York City, April 19, 2020. Photo by U.S. Air National Guard Major Patrick Cordova.
Middle Photo: Army Major Ivan Arreguin and Aileen Arreguin at their son’s wedding in Sanford, NC, in June 2020. Courtesy of the Arreguin family.
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
Originally aired November 14, 2020, on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
Love In The Time Of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: “I Was Ready To Bust Out Of The Closet With Rainbows And Glitter.”
Mike Rudulph grew up near Birmingham, Alabama and enlisted in the Marines when he was 20 years old. At the time, he hoped that the military environment would bring him the sense of purpose he had been missing.
This was in 2000, during the era of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” when LGBTQ people in the military couldn’t serve openly.
Mike went on his first deployment to Iraq in 2003. When he got home, he met the man who would later become his husband, Neil Rafferty.
Photo: Mike Rudulph and Neil Rafferty at their StoryCorps interview in Birmingham, Alabama on April 18, 2015. By Carolina Escobar for StoryCorps.
They got married in 2018, the same year that Neil ran for public office in Alabama — and won! He is the first openly gay man to serve in the Alabama State legislature.
At StoryCorps in Birmingham, Alabama, Mike and Neil sat down to remember the early days of their relationship.
Top Photo: Mike Rudulph and Neil Rafferty in 2019. Courtesy of Mike Rudulph.
Bottom Photo: Mike Rudulph and Neil Rafferty. Courtesy of Neil Rafferty.
Originally aired August 15, 2020, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
What Carries Me Through
When this season of the StoryCorps podcast kicked off in April 2020, we found ourselves facing the greatest global health crises in the last century. The months since then have been filled with more questions than answers. But on this final episode of the season, we’re bringing you stories from multiple families who are dealing with COVID-19, and having tough conversations along the way.
We start with Dan Flynn, a funeral director in southern California. When the pandemic hit, Dan traveled across the country to join an emergency mortuary response team in New York City. At the time, it was one of the most high-risk areas in the country.
Next, we hear from Dr. Joseph Kras, who works in hospice and palliative care in St. Louis, Missouri. Even though he and his 18-year-old daughter, Sophie, weren’t separated by geography during the pandemic, they found themselves grappling with another kind of distance.
The quarantine gave way to another conversation between a father and daughter. At 90 years old, Ken Felts was compelled to let go of a secret he’d been holding since the 1950s. He sat down for StoryCorps with his daughter, Rebecca, to talk about it.
Our next story dates back to 1946. Army Staff Sergeant Leo DiPalma, who had fought in World War II, also served as a guard at the first Nuremberg trial. When he passed away from COVID-19 earlier this year, his daughter Emily came to StoryCorps to remember him.
Our final story comes from Dr. Roberto Vargas, the Director of Microbiology at a hospital in Rochester, New York. He’s spent most of the pandemic working long hours in the lab, running COVID-19 tests.
To reduce the risk of exposure, Roberto originally stayed at a hotel while his wife and four young kids were at home. But he eventually came back to the house, and built a makeshift apartment in their basement. That’s where Roberto was when he recorded a remote StoryCorps interview with his wife, Susan, and their 10-year-old son, Xavier, who were upstairs.
Top photo: Roberto Vargas (left), Xavier Vargas, and Susan Vargas at home in Stafford, New York on May 16, 2020. Courtesy of the Vargas Family.
Second photo: Dan Flynn and his daughter Shannon Doty for StoryCorps. Photos courtesy of Daniel Flynn and Shannon Doty
Third photo: Dr. Joseph Kras and his daughter, Sophie Kras, at their StoryCorps interview in Olivette, Missouri on June 13th, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Kras family.
Fourth photo: Kenneth Felts (L) and his first love Phillip (R) in the 1950s. Courtesy of Kenneth Felts.
Bottom photo: Staff Sgt. Emilio Di Palma, far right, on guard at the Nuremberg Trials in 1945. Courtesy of Emily Aho.
Released on July 21, 2020.
Comfort From The Kitchen
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve heard lots of people say it’s the little things that are helping them through: so this week’s episode is dedicated to people who are finding comfort in the kitchen.
We start with a story from Private First Class Roman Coley Davis, who was born in Douglas, Georgia, and joined the military shortly after high school. By the time he was 20 years old, he found himself stationed in one of the most remote US outposts in Afghanistan.
At StoryCorps, Roman tells his friend Dan Marek about the one thing that helped him feel closer to home during his deployment.
Next, a story from two sisters, Estela and Candi Reyes, who were raised by their father, Juan Reyes, in El Paso, Texas. Juan had grown up in a small town in Mexico and moved to the U.S. in the 1940s.
During Juan’s later years, he struggled with diabetes, and as that struggle intensified, Estela and Candi took care of him. At StoryCorps, they sat down to remember his final days.
Our next story comes from New York City. That’s where Len Berk spent nearly 4 decades working as an accountant. But as he told his friend Joshua Gubitz at StoryCorps, he eventually developed an appetite for something else.
Our final story comes from Chloe Longfellow, who was just three years old when her father died. That’s when she and her mom moved to Arizona to be near family, and Chloe grew especially close to her grandmother, Doris. At StoryCorps, she sat down to remember her.
Top photo: Candi and Estela Reyes at their StoryCorps interview in El Paso, Texas. By Anaid Reyes for StoryCorps.
Second Photo: Roman Coley Davis and his meemaw, Laverne Tanner, in her South Georgia kitchen. Courtesy of Roman Coley Davis
Third Photo: Juan Reyes in the early 1970s. Courtesy of the Reyes family.
Fourth Photo: Joshua Gubitz and Len Berk at their StoryCorps interview in New York, New York. By John White for StoryCorps.
Bottom photo: Chloe Longfellow at her StoryCorps interview in Seattle, Washington. By Vanessa Gonzalez-Block for StoryCorps.
Released on June 30, 2020.
‘I’m Honoring His Life, Not How He Died’: After Losing Her Father to COVID-19, A Daughter Reflects On His WWII Service
Army Staff Sergeant Emilio “Leo” DiPalma was drafted at age 18 to join World War II. He fought on the front lines in Germany until the end of the war, and went on to serve as a guard during the first Nuremberg trials where he guarded infamous Nazi soldiers such as Hermann Göring.
His daughter Emily was close to her dad growing up, but after moving away and starting a family they had started to grow apart. They reconnected around Memorial Day in 2000, after Emily planned a trip to take her father back to Germany for the first time since WWII.
But as Leo aged, he developed dementia and other health issues. Following his wife’s death, his daughters decided it would be best to move him to the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
On April 8, 2020, Leo was the 28th veteran at that home to die of complications due to COVID-19. He was 93 years old. Unable to have a funeral due to the pandemic, Emily recorded this memorial of her father with her daughter, Hannah Sibley-Liddle, using StoryCorps Connect.
Photo: Hannah Sibley-Liddle (left), Staff Sgt. Emilio Di Palma (middle), and Emily Aho (right) on a trip to the White House where Emilio was honored with the Legacy of Nuremberg Award. Courtesy of Emily Aho.
Top Photo: Staff Sgt. Emilio Di Palma, far right, on guard at the Nuremberg Trials in 1945. Courtesy of Emily Aho.
Originally aired May 22, 2020, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Surprise Mail Brings Love to a Soldier in Remote Afghanistan
StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative records the stories of veterans and their families.
Private First Class Roman Coley Davis grew up in a small town in South Georgia. After graduating from high school in 2004, he joined the military.
By the time he was 20 years old, Roman found himself 7000 miles away from home, in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan — one of the most remote outposts in the U.S. war there.
At StoryCorps, he told his friend Dan Marek about his family and his time in Afghanistan.
After the military, Roman enrolled in culinary school. He used his GI Bill to attend Le Cordon Bleu. He’s now a chef, based in Arkansas.
Top photo: Roman Coley Davis and his mema, Laverne Tanner, in her South Georgia kitchen. Courtesy of Roman Coley Davis.
Middle photo: Roman during his deployment to Afghanistan. Courtesy of Roman Coley Davis.
Bottom photo: Roman in his chef’s whites with his meemaw, Laverne Tanner. Photo by Dailey Hubbard.
This interview was recorded in partnership with the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
This story originally aired April 07, 2018 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. It was rebroadcast April 10, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
“I Felt I Was Helping A Fellow Soldier”: A Nephew Steps In For His Ailing Uncle
Growing up, Michael Menta idolized his uncle Sal Leone, a Marine. Michael would eventually follow in Sal’s footsteps, enlisting in the Navy his senior year of high school.
But in 2019, Michael found himself in a new role: caring for his uncle Sal at his bedside after he had fallen gravely ill from cancer.
They sat down together for StoryCorps.
Top photo: Michael Menta and Sal Leone at their StoryCorps interview in West Hartford, CT on October 26, 2019. By Camila Kerwin for StoryCorps.
Middle photo: A young Sal Leone in dress blues during U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training. Photo courtesy of Sal Leone.
Originally aired November 9, 2019 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
Loving — but Leaving — the Military
Retired Colonel Denise Baken enlisted in the Army in 1975 , following in her father’s military footsteps. She’d go on to serve for nearly three decades.
At StoryCorps, Denise told her children, Richard and Christian Yingling, about her military career, and just how closely her father’s service mirrored her own.
Top photo: Denise Baken (center) with her children Christian Yingling (left) and Richard Yingling (right) at their StoryCorps interview in Baltimore, MD on August 23, 2019. By Emilyn Sosa for StoryCorps.
Bottom photo: Denise Baken in uniform as a lieutenant colonel in 1997. Photo courtesy of the Baken/Yingling family.
Originally aired September 21, 2019, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
Remembering One Tough Veteran: Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy
Susan Ahn Cuddy was one seriously tough woman, who wore many hats — and broke many barriers — throughout her life.
She was the first Asian American woman in the Navy and the first woman gunnery officer teaching air combat tactics. During World War II, Lieutenant Cuddy trained Navy pilots in dogfighting maneuvers and firing .50-caliber machine guns.
But her children, Flip and Christine Cuddy, didn’t know about her accomplishments until later in life. In 2018, they came to StoryCorps to remember her.
Top photo: Susan Ahn Cuddy (far right) at the US Naval Air Station in Florida in 1943. Courtesy of Flip Cuddy.
Middle photo: Susan Ahn Cuddy in uniform. Courtesy of Flip Cuddy.
Middle photo: Susan Ahn Cuddy training a sailor in how to fire a .50-caliber machine gun. Courtesy of Flip Cuddy.
Bottom photo: Christine Cuddy and Flip Cuddy at StoryCorps in Northridge, CA. By Naomi Blech for StoryCorps.
Originally aired August 17, 2019 on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
Korean War POW Shares What It Was Like to Be Reported Dead — and What Happened When He Came Home Two Years Later
Ninety-year-old Walter Dixon, of Waynesville, Missouri, is a veteran of three wars. He joined the Army at age 16 to serve during World War II. He came back from that war and got married, just before shipping off to join the Army’s 38th Infantry in Korea.
While there, he was declared dead on the battlefield — only to return home alive two years later.
He came to StoryCorps with his son, Russ Dixon, to share his story.
There’s a little bit more to the story.
When Walter was declared dead in Korea, a woman named Aldine May Fenton wrote his obituary for the local paper.
He ended up marrying her after his return. They had three children, including Russ Dixon.
Walter retired from the military in 1971, 26 years after first signing up.
Top photo: Walter Dixon and Russ Dixon at their StoryCorps interview in Waynesville, Missouri on June 26, 2019. By Dupe Oyebolu for StoryCorps.
Middle photo: Walter Dixon poses with newspaper clippings and photos detailing his experience as a POW. By Dupe Oyebolu for StoryCorps.
Middle photo: A copy of Walter Dixon’s obituary, which was posted after he was presumed dead during the Korean War, and a newspaper article declaring his return. Courtesy Russ Dixon.
Bottom photo: Walter Dixon poses with his second wife, Aldine Dixon, and his death certificate after returning from Korea, where he was held prisoner of war for more than two years. Courtesy Russ Dixon.
Originally aired July 27, 2019 on NPR’s Weekend Edition.