Covering every hamlet and precinct in America, big and small, the stories span arts and sports, business and history, innovation and adventure, generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love, past and present. In short, Our American Stories tells the story of America to Americans.
About Lee Habeeb
Lee Habeeb co-founded Laura Ingraham’s national radio show in 2001, moved to Salem Media Group in 2008 as Vice President of Content overseeing their nationally syndicated lineup, and launched Our American Stories in 2016. He is a University of Virginia School of Law graduate, and writes a weekly column for Newsweek.
For more information, please visit ouramericanstories.com.
From the Battle of Fallujah to the Battle for My Soul
A Vietnam Veteran, an Eyepatch, and the Quiet Power of Carrying On
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.
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Why Henry Gunther Was the Final Casualty of WWI
On this episode of Our American Stories, The First World War ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. But not before one last man fell. His name was Henry Gunther, and he died just moments before peace officially began. Why he charged forward, and how his death came to symbolize the senselessness of war's final moments, is a story often overlooked.
Craig Du Mez of the Grateful Nation Project shares the true story of Henry and the motivations that ultimately led him to become the last American casualty of a war that had already ended in words, but not yet in action.
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Remembering The USS Indianapolis: The Worst Naval Disaster in American History
On this episode of Our American Stories, the USS Indianapolis left Guam in July 1945 after delivering critical cargo connected to the Manhattan Project. But before she could make it to her next destination, a Japanese submarine would strike the cruiser, leaving hundreds of sailors and Marines sinking in shark infested waters. While the story gained popularity from Jaws, the details itself are more harrowing from the men who lived through it.
The story later reached a wider audience through Jaws, but the details come from men who lived through it. The late Edgar Harrell, the last surviving Marine from the downed ship, shares the real-life story of that fateful day.
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The Origins of the Veterans Day Symbols That Still Unite Us
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.
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How the Hamburger Became an American Staple
On this episode of Our American Stories, before it became a greasy icon or a late-night craving, the hamburger was an immigrant invention trying to make itself useful. German farmers working the fairgrounds needed something fast and portable, so someone tucked spiced beef between slices of bread, and the hamburger was born. It wasn’t fancy, but it worked. Then came Upton Sinclair, whose book The Jungle made the public retch and nearly killed the hamburger altogether. Only after White Castle stepped in to clean up its image did Americans start trusting it again.
George Motz, the documentarian behind Hamburger America, walks us through how one modest sandwich clawed its way into our national identity.
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The Green Beret Who Led a Rescue Into Vietnam’s “Valley of the Tigers”
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1968, 22-year-old Green Beret Tom Ross was serving as an intelligence and operations officer in South Vietnam when three Montagnard tribesmen arrived at an outpost asking for help. Their village had spent years under Viet Cong control, and one of the men, Mong Quang, feared his wife and children would be killed if he returned without help.
Ross, author of Privileges of War: A Good Story of American Service in Vietnam, shares the story of how he and his fellow servicemen organized a dangerous rescue mission deep into enemy territory, eventually bringing roughly 165 villagers to safety. We'd like to thank the Atlanta History Center for allowing us access to this audio, originally a part of their ongoing Veterans History Project.
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Alvin York: The Pacifist Marksman Who Became an American War Hero
On this episode of Our American Stories, Alvin York grew up poor in the hills of Tennessee, with little formal education but extraordinary skill with a rifle. After years of drinking and fighting, a religious conversion transformed his life. He became a church elder and a pacifist, and when the United States drafted him during World War I, York struggled deeply with whether his Christian faith allowed him to kill.
Historian Elliott Drago of the Jack Miller Center shares the story of how York resolved that conflict, went to France, and became one of the most celebrated American soldiers of the war after capturing 132 German prisoners during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
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Colin Powell: The Man Behind the General, the Diplomat, and the Leader
On this episode of Our American Stories, Colin Powell was a four-star general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State. But behind the titles was a man defined by humility, discipline, humor, and deep loyalty to those around him. Leslie Lautenslager, who worked alongside Powell for more than 25 years, shares personal stories that reveal the man few saw publicly, from his quiet acts of kindness to the values that guided his life and leadership.
Reading from her book,My Time with General Colin Powell, she gives an intimate portrait of the man behind the stars.
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The German WWI Veteran Who Helped Build America’s Arsenal of Democracy
On this episode of Our American Stories, as a young German soldier in World War I, Wilhelm Bistner cared for the horses that pulled artillery into battle against Russia. Years later, he immigrated to the United States, became William Burtner, and put his skills as a tool-and-die maker to work in one of the fastest-changing industries in America: aviation.
Our regular contributor Robert Frohlich shares the story of his grandfather, who worked with companies including Sikorsky, Republic, Chance Vought, and EDO Aircraft before helping expand wartime aircraft production during World War II.
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