Texas Archives - Page 4 of 7 - StoryCorps

Donna Orolin

After Army Private First Class Brian Orolin returned from Afghanistan in 2011, everything seemed fine. But as the years went by, his wife, Donna, could tell something wasn’t right.

orolinwelcomeHe became paranoid, suffered constant headaches, and would isolate himself in his bedroom with the lights dimmed.

Then, on November 19, Brian left his home and family. He’s been missing ever since.

At StoryCorps, Donna remembered the day he returned from Afghanistan, and the moments before he disappeared.

If anyone has information regarding Brian’s whereabouts, please contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office near Spring, Texas.

Originally aired September 5, 2015, on NPR’s Weekend Edition.

Photo courtesy of Donna Orolin.

Donnie “Major Bambi” Dunagan and Dana Dunagan

By the end of his 25-year military career, Donnie Dunagan was a highly decorated Major who received two awards for Valor in Combat as well as a Purple Heart.

He says the Marines were a perfect fit for him—as long as no one found out about his past. As a youngster, Dunagan was briefly a child actor who was tapped by Walt Disney to be the voice of Bambi in the 1942 animated film.

At StoryCorps, he talked with his wife, Dana (pictured at left), about keeping his Bambi past under wraps.

Originally aired July 31, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Photos courtesy of the Dunagan family.

Yvette Benavidez Garcia and Rene Garcia

In 1981 Army Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, a Green Beret, received the Medal of Honor for his service during the Vietnam War.

GarciaYNPR_Extra1On his first tour there, he was severely injured by a land mine and told that he’d never walk again. After a year of rehabilitation, he walked out of the hospital and eventually returned to Vietnam for a second tour.

That’s when he spearheaded a daring rescue, saving the lives of eight fellow soldiers. In the process his jaw was broken and he was shot 37 times.

At StoryCorps, his daughter Yvette Benavidez Garcia and her husband, Rene, remember the aftermath of the battle.

Roy P. Benavidez died in 1998.

Click here to watch President Ronald Reagan present Roy P. Benavidez with the Medal of Honor in 1981.

Originally aired July 3, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Photo courtesy of the Benavidez family.

Jenny Carter and Sean Carter

Sean Carter was a college student putting himself through school in Wichita Falls, Texas, when he was in a serious car accident.

He was riding with a friend who had been drinking, and sustained a traumatic brain injury in the crash.

Today, Sean is unable to walk and speaks only with the aid of a computer. At StoryCorps he interviewed his mother, Jenny Carter, who is his full-time caretaker.

Originally aired February 6, 2015, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Stefanie Pelkey and Thomas Hart

Stefanie Pelkey is a former Army Captain. Her husband, Army Captain Michael Pelkey served in Iraq in 2003. He was diagnosed with PTSD a year after he returned.

Army Sergeant Thomas “TJ” Hart is also a veteran and struggles with PTSD. Stefanie and TJ became friends while volunteering at a Veteran’s Center in Houston, TX.

At StoryCorps, they talked about what happened when Stephanie’s husband came home from war.

The 2012 VA Suicide Data Report found that 22 veterans die every day by suicide. Visit the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America website for more info.

Originally aired January 31, 2015, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Erich Baker and Lori Baker

Thousands of people have died trying to cross from Mexico into the United States. The unidentified remains of those who are found often end up in small, border town cemeteries, buried in unmarked graves.

Dr. Lori Baker, a forensic scientist at Baylor University in Texas, is trying to identify these remains and match them with families who are looking for lost relatives.

Lori sat down for StoryCorps with her husband, Erich Baker, to talk about how she got started.

You can learn more about Lori’s work at the Reuniting Families Project website.

Originally aired September 19, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition. 

Dakota Gibson, Gary Barber, and Kenny Thompson

Some students in the Spring Branch Independent School District in Texas dreaded lunchtime. The school cafeteria meant humiliation because their parents couldn’t afford a hot lunch.

The alternative for these kids was a cold cheese sandwich. Anyone seen leaving the lunch line with that on their plate was marked as being poor.

But that changed when school volunteer Kenny Thompson (right) saw it happen. Kenny recently told that story to kids he works with, 13-year-old Gary Barber (center) and 15-year-old Dakota Gibson (left).

Thanks to Kenny’s efforts, two school districts in Houston have changed their lunch policy. Now all kids receive the same lunch, whether or not they can afford it.

Originally aired September 12, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition. 

Dean Smith, Debby Smith, and Finis Smith

Smith-family-636x487In 1957, Dean Smith left Texas and headed for Hollywood.

For the next 40 years, he spent his time working as a stuntman in films, including Oscar-winning Westerns like True Grit, How the West Was Won and The Alamo. (Dean is pictured above on the set of The Alamo with legendary movie star John Wayne).

Today he’s retired and lives with his wife, Debby (center), and son Finis (left) in Breckenridge, Texas.

The three of them came to StoryCorps so that he could share memories from his storied career.

Originally aired February 28, 2014, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Photos courtesy of the Wayne Family.

Rogelio Martinez and Lisa Moya King

At the time Rogelio Martinez enrolled in Lisa Moya King’s high school dance class, his father had been deported and he was moving among family members who were abusing him.

After Lisa saw Rogelio’s bruises, she reported the abuse, but days later, after he told her he was going to run away, she offered to help him by allowing him to stay with her and her husband.

At StoryCorps, Lisa and Rogelio, now 21, discuss how grateful he is that she took care of him when he was in need, and how he taught her about being a teacher and a parent.

Originally aired November 29, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Glenda Rike and Larry Rike

Ambulance driver Aubrey Rike and his assistant, Dennis “Peanuts” McGuire, were on a call at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was brought in.

At StoryCorps, his widow, Glenda, tells her son Larry about the day of the shooting, Aubrey’s time with the First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, about the difficulty he would often have years later talking about it.

Originally aired November 22, 2013, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Watch an interview with Aubrey Rike and Dennis “Peanuts” McGuire: