Jessica Villarreal and Anthony Villarreal

In June 2008, Marine Corporal Anthony Villarreal was driving back from a mission in Afghanistan when his truck hit a roadside bomb.

Anthony suffered third-degree burns over most of his body. His right arm and the fingers on his left hand had to be amputated.

Anthony was 22 at the time, and newly married to Jessica, who was just 21.

When the couple sat down for StoryCorps, Anthony remembered the moments just after the explosion.

Note: Since this interview, Anthony and Jessica have brought a son into the world: Anthony Junior. They live in Lubbock, TX, where they did their original StoryCorps interview. Jessica is in school, working to become an art therapist for wounded veterans. Anthony is mostly a stay-at-home dad, though he does speaking engagements with the Wounded Warrior Project from time to time.

Originally aired November 9, 2013, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Monica Velez and Christopher Hernandez

Growing up, Monica Velez was a mother figure to her two younger brothers, Andrew and José “Freddy” Velez (pictured together above, in 1996).

But her brothers both left home at an early age; Freddy (above left) joined the U.S. Army when he was 18 and deployed to Iraq. When Andrew (above right) turned 18 two years later, he followed his brother into military service and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Corporal José “Freddy” Velez was killed in action in Iraq in 2004. He was 23 years old and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for outstanding service.

Specialist Andrew Velez had the difficult task of escorting his brother’s body back to the United States. Two years later, he committed suicide in Afghanistan. He was 22 years old. Before he died, Andrew received the Army Commendation Medal.

Their older sister, Monica, came to StoryCorps with her husband, Christopher Hernandez (pictured together above), to remember her brothers.

Originally aired July 13, 2013, on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Top: Photo courtesy of Monica Velez.

Judy Pilgrim and Randy Pilgrim

Army Specialist Lance Pilgrim was among the first troops to enter Iraq in March 2003. After he returned home. His father, Randy, quickly realized something was wrong with his son. Eventually, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and died after an accidental overdose in 2007 at the age of 26.

Suffering from panic attacks upon his return, Lance tried to manage them with pain medications, and according to his mother, Judy, he soon became dependent on the drugs. After he began leaving his base without permission, he was given an other-than-honorable discharge, which meant his service in Iraq no longer qualified him for veteran’s benefits or a military funeral with honors when he died.

After his discharge, Lance, who was later diagnosed with service-related post-traumatic stress disorder, attempted to restore his benefits by writing to the VA.

Listen to Judy read one of Lance’s letters.

The Pilgrims filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Veterans Affairs claiming negligence in the treatment of their son. The case was settled in 2011 and subsequent, Randy requested a military funeral for Lance. This request was denied.

In 2009, two years after Lance ‘s death, the Army changed his discharge to “honorable” and Judy and Randy received Lance’s medals.

Originally aired January 13, 2013 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Above: Lance Pilgrim with his parents, Randy and Judy, at his pre-deployment ceremony in January 2003. Photo courtesy of Judy Pilgrim.

Harrison Wright and Sean Guess

When Sean Guess brought his grandfather, Harrison Wright, to a mobile booth in Austin, he asked about Harrison’s service during World War II.

Harrison was drafted in early 1943 and soon after shipped out to Europe. He played the bugle in his unit, and, at the end of the war, he was called upon for a special assignment.

Originally aired May 25, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Photo: Army Sgt. Harrison Wright as an 18 year-old. Photo courtesy of Harrison Wright.

Ricardo Isaias Zavala and Ricardo Javier Zavala

When Ricardo Isaias Zavala came to StoryCorps, his son, Ricardo Javier, asked who the most important person in his life was.

The answer came without a moment’s hesitation — it was Vicente Domingo Villa, Ricardo Isaias’ grandfather.

He told a story that began in the 1920s, when Vicente was a young boy enamored with the vaqueros, or cowboys, who worked on the South Texas ranches where he lived.

Lisa Combest and James Hanson-Brown

It’s not often that couples split up and stay close friends.

But that’s what happened to James Hanson-Brown and his ex-wife, Lisa Combest.

They fell in love in high school, got married, and began to grow apart.

At StoryCorps, they remembered how their divorce deepened their relationship.

This story is also included in All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps.

Henry Flores and Gwendolyn Diaz

Gwendolyn Diaz had just started a new job at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, when she met her husband, Henry Flores, another professor there.

It was the 1980s and Henry, who describes himself as “one of the original computer nerds,” was on his way to the computer room when the new faculty member caught his eye.

This story is also included in All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps.

Frank Curre

On December 7, 1941, 2,403 Americans died when hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii.

After convincing his mother to sign his enlistment papers, Frank Curre joined the Navy at 17 years old. In August 1941, he went aboard the battleship USS Tennessee and was in the mess cooking on the day of the attack.

At StoryCorps, he shared his harrowing recollections.

Frank died on December 7, 2011, the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was 88 years old.

Originally aired November 11, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Ruben Salazar and Rachel Salazar

In January 2007, Rachel P. Salazar was living in Bangkok, Thailand. Ruben P. Salazar was in Waco, Texas. They were 9,000 miles apart and completely unaware of each other’s existence. But when an email meant for Rachel accidentally went to Ruben, it wasn’t long before an ordinary mistake began to look like an extraordinary stroke of luck.

At StoryCorps, they remember how an errant keystroke led to an enduring romance. See their first email exchange above.

Watch “To R.P. Salazar, With Love,” the animation of Rachel and Ruben’s story.

Originally aired May 13, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition. 

Lee Mottern and his girlfriend, Linda Eldredge

Lee Mottern tells his girlfriend, Linda Eldredge, a story about his Uncle Abe.