Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage

Episodios

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  From History Daily: Retreat from Cold Harbor 19.08.2026 16m

  June 12, 1864. Union soldiers retreat in the dead of night to bring the Battle of Cold Harbor to a conclusion, ending one of the bloodiest encounters of the American Civil War. Enjoy this episode from History Daily, and find the show wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Jennifer Deluca: The Woman Making Sure No Veteran Heals Alone 05.08.2026 32m

  When a veteran needs medical treatment far from home, where does their family stay? For 15 years, Jennifer Deluca has helped answer that question through Fisher House Boston. JR Martinez sits down with the recipient of the Citizen Honors Service Act Award, selected by Medal of Honor recipients themselves, to discuss her mission, the families she's helped, and why keeping loved ones together can make all the difference.  To learn more about Jen’s work at Fisher House Boston, or to make a donation to support them, visit Fisherhouseboston.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Faith on a Sinking Ship: The Immortal Four Chaplains 29.07.2026 34m

  In the early hours of February 3, 1943, the USS Dorchester was hit by a German torpedo in the icy waters off Greenland. As soon as they realized there weren’t enough life jackets to go around, four Army chaplains – a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi, and two Protestant ministers – took off their own and gave them to terrified soldiers, urging them to save themselves.  We end this season with one of the most moving stories in military history: the ultimate sacrifice of George Fox, Alexander Goode, John Washington, and Clark Poling, the immortal four chaplains.  Connect with the team:  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm Episode resource: No Greater Glory: The Four Immortal Chaplains and the Sinking of the Dorchester in World War II by Dan Kurzman (Random House, 2004)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Bayonets! Joshua Chamberlain’s Famous Stand at Gettysburg 22.07.2026 31m

  Joshua Chamberlain had never planned to be a soldier; he wanted to be a minister or a teacher. And yet, when the Civil War began, he felt it was his duty to enlist. He soon became a commander. And in Gettysburg, on a rocky hill called Little Round Top, he gave the order that helped the Union win the battle and made him a legend. But the courage Chamberlain showed in the months and years after this famous moment may be even more impressive.  Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription.  Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm  Episode resources: On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain by Ronald C White (Random House, 2023) Autobiography of Joshua Chamberlain: The Major Writings edited by Thomas Desjardin (DownEast Books, 2024) Fanny & Joshua: The Enigmatic Lives of Frances Caroline Adams and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain by Diane Monroe Smith (University Press of New England, 2013) The War Between the Union and the Confederacy: and Its Lost Opportunities by William C. Oates (The Neale Publishing Company, 1905)  Abraham Lincoln, Seen From the Field in the War for the Union by Joshua L. Chamberlain, 1909See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Medic Who Gave Everything: Clarence Sasser’s Longest Night 15.07.2026 31m

  In 1968, Clarence Sasser was a young combat medic thrust into a nightmare. During a reconnaissance mission in Vietnam, his company was ambushed in a rice paddy. Despite being shot in the leg and unable to walk, Sasser spent the next several hours crawling through the mud, doing his best to care for his fellow soldiers. It would be decades before he was ready to talk about what he saw and heard.  Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription.  Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm  Episode resource:  AMEDD Center of HIstory & Heritage interview with Clarence Sasser, 3/23/1987See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  A Helmet Lined with Letters: Joseph Rodriguez’s Love Story 08.07.2026 26m

  In 1951, Joseph Rodriguez and his unit were on a ridge in Korea, pinned down by gunfire. There was seemingly no way out. But Rodriguez had something to steady him. Tucked inside his helmet were letters from his girlfriend back home, Rose. He grabbed a handful of grenades and sprinted up the hill to take on the enemy himself. What happened next would change both his and Rose’s lives forever.  Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription.  Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm  Episode resources: “A War Hero Speaks,” published in the California Civil Defense, February 25, 1952 Medal of Honor by Peter Collier et al (Artisan Books, 2011) America’s Heroes, edited by James H Willbanks (ABC-CLIO, 2011)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  A Helmet Lined with Letters: Joseph Rodriguez’s Love Story 08.07.2026 25m

  In 1951, Joseph Rodriguez and his unit were on a ridge in Korea, pinned down by gunfire. There was seemingly no way out. But Rodriguez had something to steady him. Tucked inside his helmet were letters from his girlfriend back home, Rose. He grabbed a handful of grenades and sprinted up the hill to take on the enemy himself. What happened next would change both his and Rose’s lives forever.  Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription.  Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Sneaking into the Corps: Richard Pittman, The One-Eyed Marine 01.07.2026 33m

  Richard Pittman was legally blind in his right eye—a condition that should have kept him away from the front lines of the Vietnam War. But Pittman wasn't a man who took "no" for an answer. After sneaking his way into the U.S. Marines, he found himself on a trail in the jungle, single-handedly trying to save his brothers in arms. From a "medical disqualification" to a legendary stand with a machine gun, Richard Pittman’s story proves that true courage starts with the belief that you belong in the fight. Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription.  Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm  Episode resources: US Marines in Vietnam: An Expanding War, 1966 by Jack Shulimson (Department of the Navy, 1982)  Operation Hastings websiteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Sebastian Junger on Tribe, War, and the Cost of Coming Home 24.06.2026 26m

  Malcolm Gladwell sits down with journalist and author Sebastian Junger to discuss his  book “Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging.” After spending years embedded with American soldiers in Afghanistan, Junger found himself wondering: why do so many veterans struggle most not during  war, but after returning home?  Junger’s most recent book is “In My Time Of Dying.” He also has a substack called Tribe with Sebastian Junger.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Eight Seconds in Afghanistan: The Quick Heroism of Florent Groberg 17.06.2026 35m

  If you saw a suicide bomber moving toward your friends, would you have the courage to run toward him? That is the choice Florent “Flo” Groberg made on a dusty road in Afghanistan. In just eight seconds, he identified the threat, tackled the bomber, and saved countless lives. And yet, Flo says he still wishes he had run faster. Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription.  Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm  Episode resource:  8 Seconds of Courage: A Soldier's Story from Immigrant to the Medal of Honor by Flo Groberg and Tom Sileo (Simon & Schuster, 2017)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  A Scandal at the North Pole: The Legend of Richard Byrd 10.06.2026 34m

  Admiral Richard Byrd was one of the most famous explorers of the 20th century. He received the Medal of Honor for a risky flight to the North Pole. But soon after his death, the whispers began. Did he actually make it there? Or did he turn back early?  Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription.  Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm  Episode resources: Race to the Top of the World: Richard Byrd and the First Flight to the North Pole by Sheldon Bart (Regnery History Press, 2013) To the Pole: The Diary and Notebook of Richard E Byrd, 1926-1927 edited by Raimund E Goerler (Ohio State University Press, 1998)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  America's Soldier: Why the U.S. Needed George Sakato 03.06.2026 33m

  When World War II broke out, Japanese Americans, including George "Joe" Sakato and his family, were treated as threats. But Sakato still joined the Army because he wanted to protect the United States and its people. And on a hill in eastern France, he launched a one-man charge that defied military logic and changed the tides of the battle. His story is an incredible tale of loyalty and friendship against impossible odds. Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription. Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Follow Meredith Rollins @meredithkrollins Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm  Episode resources: Honor Before Glory: The Epic World War II Story of the Japanese American GIs Who Rescued the Lost Battalion by Scott McGaugh (Grand Central Publishing, 2016) “442nd Regimental Combat Team” by the Densho Encyclopedia  “Going for Broke: The 442nd Regimental Combat Team” by the National World War II MuseumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Incredible Escape: Edouard Izac’s 120-Mile Trek 27.05.2026 34m

  During World War I, Navy Lieutenant Edouard Izac was plucked from a lifeboat by a German submarine, where, for weeks, he lived among his captors. After secretly gathering intelligence on the movements of the German fleet, Izac knew this information could change the course of the war and had to be given to the Allies. But first, he had to get out of Germany. He would hurl himself out of a moving train, trek 120 miles through the mountains, and swim across the Rhine, but he would never, ever give up.   Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription. Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm Episode resources: Escape by Dwight R Messimer (Naval Institute Press, 1994) Prisoner of the U-90 by Edouard Victor Isaacs (Houghton Mifflin, 1919) “Oral History: the Recollections of Lieutenant Edouard Victor Isaacs, U.S.N.” by the Department of the Navy, 1918  Medal of Honor by Allen Mikaelian (Hyperion, 2002)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  No Man Left Behind: James Fleming’s Impossible Vietnam War Rescue 20.05.2026 31m

  In 1968, in the dense jungles of Vietnam, a team of Green Berets was pinned down by an overwhelming North Vietnamese Army force. Their last hope was a young Air Force pilot named James Fleming. Despite being low on fuel and facing a wall of enemy fire, Fleming refused to turn back. The rescue mission seemed destined to fail, but a split-second decision would earn Fleming the nation’s highest military honor. Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription. Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods  Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez  Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm Episode resources: “SOG Combat in Cambodia: Under the Gun at Tango Five-One” by Randy Harrison, Soldier of Fortune Magazine, August 1982  Green Hornets: The History of the U.S. Air Force 20th Special Operations Squadron by Wayne Mutza (Schiffer Military History, 2007)  Secret Green Beret Commandos In Cambodia: A Memorial History of MACVSOG's Command and Control Detachment South (CCS) And Its Air Partners, Republic of Vietnam, 1967-1972 by Fred S. Lindsey (AuthorHouse, 2012)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Introducing Season Three 06.05.2026 3m

  What turns an ordinary person into a legend? Host and Army veteran J.R. Martinez returns with stories of split-second decisions that changed the course of history.  Hear about harrowing escapes from prisoner-of-war-camps, daring flights to the farthest reaches of the globe, miraculous rescues, and acts of self sacrifice that will never be forgotten. These stories are about what it takes to become a hero and what happens after. Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm/plus and use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription. This season, you’ll hear the stories of:  James Fleming: the Vietnam pilot who flew a helicopter into a death trap to save his men Edouard Izac: the WWI sailor who escaped a U-boat and a moving train to deliver enemy secrets George Sakato: the Japanese-American soldier who turned grief into a one-man army for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team Richard Byrd: the world’s most famous explorer who might’ve faked his flight to the North Pole  Florent Groberg: the man who tackled a suicide bomber to save his team in Afghanistan Richard Pittman: the one-eyed Marine who tricked his way into Vietnam to hold a jungle trail alone Joseph Rodriguez: the  Korean War soldier whose bravery was fueled by his love for a girl back home Clarence Sasser: the combat medic who crawled through a flooded rice paddy trying to help as many soldiers as he could Joshua Chamberlain: the college professor whose bayonet charge saved the Union at Gettysburg The Four Chaplains: four men of different faiths who sacrificed themselves to save their fellow soldiers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Showing Up On Veterans Day 11.11.2025 26m

  To mark Veterans Day, host J.R. Martinez sits down with producer Ryan Sweikert to talk about what he’s learned from the stories of veterans who have received the Medal of Honor, how to talk to veterans about their service, and the moments that shaped his life, both in the service and afterward. Medal of Honor Season 3 is coming on May 27th, 2026. In the meantime, we want to hear from you. We’ve put together a listener survey. Tell us what you love about the show. What we can improve on. Stories you think we've missed. To take the survey, follow this link: bit.ly/mohsurveySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Carl Sitter: When Faith Led the Fight 13.08.2025 33m

  The Chosin Reservoir was one of the most brutal battles of the Korean War, with overwhelming enemy forces and deadly weather. Into that fight came Captain Carl Sitter, a pudgy guy who wasn’t even supposed to be there. His inspiring leadership in the face of terrible odds came down to one thing: faith. We’re committed to making Medal of Honor even better, and you can help! Leave your feedback for the show by filling out our listener survey at http://bit.ly/mohsurvey Episode's bibliography: O'Donnel, Patrick K. “Give Me Tomorrow.” Grand Central Publishing, October 25, 2011.https://www.amazon.com/Give-Me-Tomorrow-Greatest-Story/dp/0306820447. Sterner, C. Douglas, Pamla M. Sterner, Dwight Jon Zimmerman, and Scott Baron. “Beyond Belief: True Stories of American Heroes that Defy Belief.” Independently Published, November 16, 2021. https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Belief-Stories-American-Heroes/dp/B09M57XDCV. Hardy, Gordon. “Above and beyond: a history of the Medal of Honor from the Civil War to Vietnam by Congressional Medal of Honor Society.” Boston Pub. Co, May 3, 1985. https://www.amazon.com/Above-beyond-history-Congressional-1985-05-03/dp/B01F820WNE. Simmons, Edwin H. Frozen Chosin U.S. Marines at the Changjin Reservoir. USMCU, 2002. https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Frozen%20Chosin%20US%20Marines%20at%20the%20Changjin%20Reservoir%20%20PCN%2019000410000.pdf.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Sailor Who Escaped Slavery 06.08.2025 34m

  Enslaved on a plantation in South Carolina, Robert Blake had little chance for freedom. Then came a surprise battle, a bold choice, and a new mission in life: serving in the U.S. Navy. Robert’s heroism would make him the first Black sailor to receive the Medal of Honor. But what happened next is… a total mystery. We’re committed to making Medal of Honor even better, and you can help! Leave your feedback for the show by filling out our listener survey at http://bit.ly/mohsurvey Episode bibliography: Reidy, Joseph P. “Black Men in Navy Blue During the Civil War.” Navy and Marine, 2001. https://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/1862blackinblue.htm Jowdy, Laura. “Who Was Robert Blake? The Mystery of a Black Medal of Honor Recipient.” Congressional Medal of Honor Society, March 6, 2025 https://www.cmohs.org/news-events/medal-of-honor-recipient-profile/who-was-robert-blake-the-mystery-of-a-black-medal-of-honor-recipient/. Frazier, Herb. “Little-known Civil War hero once enslaved on South Santee.” Charleston City Paper, June 2, 2023. https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2023/06/02/little-known-civil-war-hero-once-enslaved-on-south-santee/. “Whatever Happened to Robert Blake and the Battle of Legareville, SC.” Civil War Traveler (Blog), January 5, 2024.https://civilwartraveler.blog/2024/01/05/whatever-happened-to-robert-blake-and-the-battle-of-legareville/ The Frog of History. “The First African American Medal of Honor Recipient is Missing.” YouTube video. June 27, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aYHT8va5uM&t=233s Quarstein, John V. “Ben Butler and the Contrabands.” The Mariners Museum and Park, May 28, 2021. https://www.marinersmuseum.org/2021/05/ben-butler-and-the-contrabands/ National Archives. “Black Soldiers in the U.S. Military During the Civil War.” National Archives and Records Administration, October 4, 2023.https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war#:~:text=The%20black%20troops%2C%20however%2C%20faced,more%20harshly%20than%20white%20captivesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Salvatore Giunta Didn’t Want to Be a Hero 30.07.2025 37m

  On a moonlit mountaintop in Afghanistan, Salvatore Giunta ran through a hailstorm of bullets to save a fellow soldier– his best friend– from capture. It was a heroic decision, but Sal didn’t see it that way. This is the story of an extraordinary band of brothers– and how Sal learned to live with what he did. We’re committed to making Medal of Honor even better, and you can help! Leave your feedback for the show by filling out our listener survey at http://bit.ly/mohsurvey Episode bibliography: Giunta, Salvatore and Joe Layden. Living with Honor: A Memoir. Threshold Editions, December 4, 2012. https://www.amazon.com/Living-Honor-Memoir-Salvatore-Giunta/dp/1451691467.  Junger, ​​Sebastian. “Into the Valley of Death.” Vanity Fair, January 2008. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/01/afghanistan200801.  Edwards, Elisabeth. “Korengal Valley: Why the Region Is Nicknamed the ‘Valley of Death’.” War History Online, Oct 24, 2022. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/articles/korengal-valley.html.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  How Marine Dan Daly Lived Forever 23.07.2025 34m

  Dan Daly has been described as “America’s Fightin’est Marine,” who shouted that famous phrase, “Come on you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” Here, we explore Dan’s legendary (and crazy) adventures– and how his incredible bravery helped shape the modern Marine Corps. We’re committed to making Medal of Honor even better, and you can help! Leave your feedback for the show by filling out our listener survey at http://bit.ly/mohsurvey Episode bibliography: Dieckmann, Edward. Dan Daly: Reluctant Hero. Marine Corps Gazette, November 1960.  https://archive.org/details/sim_marine-corps-gazette_1960-11_44_11/page/24/mode/2up Roberts, Charley. "Devil Dog" Dan Daly: America's Fightin'est Marine. McFarland, November 4, 2021. https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Dog-Dan-Daly-Fightinest/dp/1476686769  O’Connell, Aaron. Keystone Battle Brief: The Boxer Rebellion, China 1900. Marine Corps History Division, United States Marine Corps University, 2019. https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/HD/Brief%20Histories/Boxer%20Rebellion%20Lecture%20Notes.pdf?ver=2019-05-23-084222-070  Iber, Patrick. “The Marine Who Turned Against U.S. Empire.” The New Republic, January 11, 2022.  https://newrepublic.com/article/164825/smedley-butler-marine-critic-american-empire.  Gleichauf, Justin F. “Old Marine Corps—‘The Fightin’est Marine'.” U.S. Naval Institute, January 1990. https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1990/january/old-marine-corps-fightinest-marine  Hough, F. O.  “Daly of the Horse Marines.” Marine Corps Gazette, November 1954. https://archive.org/details/sim_marine-corps-gazette_1954-11_38_11/mode/2up?q=Daly&view=theater  Naval History and Heritage Command. “Daniel Joseph Daly” Modern Biographical Files in the Navy Department Library, May 18, 2021. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research-guides/modern-biographical-files-ndl/modern-bios-d/daly-daniel-joseph.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.