Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, Dick Erickson was a young Marine helicopter pilot flying over Vietnam when everything went quiet. His radio was dead, his instruments were failing, and the jungle below offered no clear place to land. Alone in the cockpit, he began to pray. What happened next stayed with him for life. In that silence, he felt a calm that didn’t come from training or instinct. Dick joins us to tell his remarkable story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Michael Schlitz had already spent more than a decade in uniform when his life changed in an instant. On February 27, 2007, during a road-clearing mission, an IED tore through his vehicle in Iraq, taking brothers in arms and leaving Michael with burns across most of his body and the long uphill work of recovery. The months that followed were measured in surgeries, setbacks, and small victories that felt enormous. He could have turned inward. Instead, he chose to keep serving. Through years of healing, Michael found purpose in helping other wounded veterans face their own fights. Today he travels to hospitals, bases, and community halls, speaking with wounded veterans about resilience and the hard work of beginning again. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in Abilene, Texas, Jay Moore has made a name telling the kind of stories that stay with you. None has stayed longer than the story of Dennis Holt, a quiet man with an eyepatch and a grin that seemed to outlast everything. At twenty-one, Dennis volunteered for a dangerous gunner’s post in the middle of a jungle fight and barely made it home alive. Years later, Jay rode beside him in pickup trucks and watched him build houses, joke easily, and live with gratitude instead of bitterness. Jay joins us to tell the story of the man behind the eyepatch. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, before the United States had a flag or a White House, it had George Washington. He led a band of farmers and tradesmen against the most powerful empire on earth and earned their loyalty by sharing in their struggle and fighting by their sides. When the war was won, the world waited for him to take the throne they assumed was his. Instead, he laid down his sword and went home, setting a precedent for term limits that lasted until FDR took office almost 150 years later. Vince Benedetto, the CEO of Bold Gold Media Group, tells the story of a man who shaped a nation by choosing humility over glory. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, the story of Veterans Day began with silence. When the guns of World War I finally stopped, the world gathered to mark peace on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day. Over time, that single moment grew into a holiday that now honors all who have worn the uniform. Anne Clare, a regular contributor to Our American Stories, explains how the day’s symbols, like the blue and gold colors and the bright poppy blooms, came to carry so much meaning. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, he was called “Mad Anthony” for a reason. General Anthony Wayne led with grit and daring through some of the fiercest battles of the American Revolution. From the fight for independence to the campaign that secured the Northwest Territory, his name became a symbol of relentless courage. Historian Dr. Mary Stockwell, author of Mad Anthony Wayne and the Battle for America, tells the story of the general who earned his nickname on the battlefield and helped define the nation that followed. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in November 1975 shocked the nation and inspired one of the most haunting songs of the decade. The 729-foot freighter disappeared during a fierce Lake Superior storm, leaving behind questions that still echo through Great Lakes history. Ric Mixter, a maritime historian and diver who has explored the wreck, shares what made the Edmund Fitzgerald unique and how its story became a part of 1970s American history. Through Mixter’s firsthand perspective, we revisit the night the freighter went down and the legacy it left on the world of shipping and song Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, before Holiday Inn became part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), it began with a simple ritual at the Wilsons’ home in Memphis. Each Sunday, Kemmons Wilson gathered his family for dinner and conversation that shaped ideas which would later change the hotel industry. His goal was clear: clean rooms, fair prices, and a warm welcome for every traveler. His son, Kemmons Wilson Jr., shares how those lessons in consistency and care grew into one of the world’s most trusted hotel chains, including Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn Resorts. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Paul Kotz hit a wall while writing his dissertation, he turned to his father for advice. His father was sick by then, but still quick with his words. “You write like Jack Kerouac,” he said. It was an odd comparison, and Paul didn’t understand it until he looked Kerouac up himself. What he found was a writer who chased rhythm and honesty above all else. In this touching tribute to his father, Paul reflects on how a few simple words became a quiet kind of encouragement that never left him. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, long before the Mason-Dixon Line came to represent a nation divided, it began as a simple question of property. In the 1760s, Pennsylvania and Maryland bitterly disputed over their shared border. To end it, two English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, were sent across the Atlantic with a task that would test their patience and skill. They spent years in the wilderness, charting forests and rivers, measuring each step with chains and stars. The line they drew finally brought peace to the colonies. But history had other plans. Nearly a century later, their boundary became a symbol of division between free and slave states. Dakota Bricker tells the story of how a quiet act of measurement became a defining landmark in American history, one that still carries the weight of its past. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Walter Hunt never set out to become famous. He spent his life surrounded by tools, sketches, and scraps of wire, moving from one idea to the next with little thought of fortune. In 1849, short on money and eager to repay a $15 debt, he sat down at his workbench and began bending a piece of brass wire. Three hours later, the safety pin was born. Hunt sold the patent for $400 and walked away without realizing what he had created. The simple clasp he designed would go on to secure clothing, diapers, and bandages across the world. Our regular contributor, Ashley Hlebinsky, tells the story of this man whose curiosity never rested. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Founding Fathers set out to shape a new nation, they looked to Scripture for wisdom. Many were not traditional churchgoers, but nearly all believed that moral order came from faith. Robert Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America, shares the story of how biblical teaching influenced America’s earliest leaders and how those ideas became part of the nation’s identity. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, James Ward grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at a time when the city was still divided by race and geography. The Black Warrior River split the town in two, and children learned early which side they belonged to. For Ward, that separation defined his world until the third grade, when he was bused across town to a newly integrated school. The change was immediate. The buildings were new, the paint was fresh, and the lawns were green. His teacher, Mrs. Pitts, carried herself with a quiet grace that left a lasting mark. She expected more of him than anyone else had and refused to let him settle for less. When his name appeared on the board for his good work, Ward realized that his worth wasn’t limited by the color of his skin or where he lived. That discovery became the turning point in his life. Years later, as a pastor in Chicago, he carried that lesson into a nation struggling with anger and division. When the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha brought tensions to a breaking point, Ward called instead for prayer, peace, and forgiveness. His words spread quickly, resonating with people across the country who were desperate to hear a voice of calm. His book, Zero Victim: Overcoming Injustice with a New Attitude, tells the story of how one teacher’s faith helped him see beyond bitterness and fear. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, so much of our Thanksgiving imagery and tradition is not rooted in historical reality, yet the truth is far more colorful and meaningful. Here to help us revisit the real story is Simon Whistler from the “Today I Found Out” YouTube channel and its companion podcast, “Brain Food Show.” Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Napoleon’s brother Jérôme Bonaparte met a young Baltimore woman named Elizabeth Patterson in 1803, it seemed like a love story that could never last. Their marriage was annulled by the emperor himself, but it sparked a family line that would take root in America and quietly reshape its future. Their grandson, Charles J. Bonaparte, carried the ambition of his lineage in a different direction. Educated at Harvard and driven by public service, he became U.S. Attorney General under Theodore Roosevelt and went on to establish a small investigative office within the Justice Department, an office that would later evolve into the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The History Guy traces how Napoleon Bonaparte’s legacy reached across oceans, blending old-world nobility with new-world purpose. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, across small-town America, fields that once grew corn and clover now host something unexpected: racing lawn mowers. The smell of fuel mixes with cut grass, and the sound of modified engines echoes across the open air. For Julie Tynmann, these races aren’t about fame or money; they’re about community and the thrill of seeing how far a racing mower can go when you push it to its limit. Julie shares how she found joy in this unlikely corner of motorsport, where every turn of the wheel reminds her that adventure can begin anywhere, even in your own backyard. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Mike and Deborah Bailey lost their daughter Ashlynn to a fentanyl overdose, their world stopped. For months, they wrestled with heartbreak and rage, knowing the man who sold her the drugs was still alive. Then their son came to them with a quiet conviction: he wanted to forgive the dealer. What began as an act of faith became a family’s path to healing. The Baileys wrote a letter offering forgiveness—not to excuse the pain, but to release its hold on their hearts. They believed that letting go was the only way to honor their daughter’s spirit. Their story is a powerful testament to grace in the face of loss and to the strength it takes to choose love when everything else falls apart. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, before his story was immortalized in the Hollywood movie Lone Survivor, Michael Murphy was a kid from New York who believed in duty over comfort. He earned his degree at Penn State University, was accepted to law school, and could have built a quiet, successful life. Instead, he chose the hardest path imaginable and joined the U.S. Navy SEALs. Training pushed him past every limit, and what followed was a mission that tested everything he stood for. In 2005, during Operation Red Wings, Murphy led his team through the mountains of Afghanistan. When they were ambushed by hundreds of Taliban fighters, communication was their only hope. He stepped into the open, bullets cutting through the air, and made the call that saved his men. Murphy was killed that day, but his courage lived on. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and his story continues to inspire those who serve. Kirk Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute shares the story of a man who proved that real heroism is quiet, costly, and unbreakable. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, by the time America entered World War II, Clark Gable was already one of the most famous men in the world. Known for Gone with the Wind and his larger-than-life charm, he could have easily stayed home, untouchable and adored. But at forty-one, Gable did something no one expected: he enlisted as a private in the Army Air Corps, insisting, “I just want to be sent where the going is rough.” The studio lights faded into the background as he trained alongside men half his age, learning to fly combat missions over Europe. His fame followed him wherever he went, but on base, he was just another soldier doing his part. Behind the uniform was a man determined to prove that courage wasn’t limited to the screen. Historian Roger McGrath tells the story of Clark Gable’s service, from Hollywood’s red carpets to the open skies of war, where the King of Hollywood became a patriot who led by example. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, before George McGovern became the Democratic presidential candidate in the 1972 election, he was a young pilot flying dangerous missions over Europe. Long before he spoke out against the Vietnam War, he risked his life in the skies of World War II, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for his courage. Years later, the same man who had faced German gunfire would stand on a national stage, calling for an end to another war. His message of peace divided voters, and his campaign against President Richard Nixon ended in defeat. The late, great historian Stephen Ambrose shares the remarkable life of George McGovern — a man whose journey from bomber pilot to Democratic nominee challenged America to see war and leadership in a different light. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.