Shot down over Vietnam, Bud Day escaped from a prison camp and ran barefoot and wounded through the jungle. What happened to him over the next five long years is a brutal testament to his strength and heroism. And what his wife did while she waited for his return is proof of the power of hope– and love.

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:

Coram, Robert. “American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day.” Back Bay Books, June 2, 2008. https://www.amazon.com/American-Patriot-Life-Wars-Colonel/dp/0316067393.

Shot down over Vietnam, Bud Day escaped from a prison camp and ran barefoot and wounded through the jungle. What happened to him over the next five long years is a brutal testament to his strength and heroism. And what his wife did while she waited for his return is proof of the power of hope&ndash; and love.
We&rsquo;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 <a href="http://bit.ly/mohsurvey">http://bit.ly/mohsurvey</a>
<hr>
Episode bibliography:
Coram, Robert. &ldquo;American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day.&rdquo; Back Bay Books, June 2, 2008. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Patriot-Life-Wars-Colonel/dp/0316067393">https://www.amazon.com/American-Patriot-Life-Wars-Colonel/dp/0316067393</a>.

Rewarded for bravery that goes above and beyond the call of duty, the Medal of Honor is the United States’ top military decoration. The stories we tell are about the heroes who have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism and courage that have saved lives. From Judith Resnik, the second woman in space, to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice, these are stories about those who have done the improbable and unexpected, who have sacrificed something in the name of something much bigger than themselves. Every Wednesday on Medal of Honor, uncover what their experiences tell us about the nature of sacrifice, why people put their lives in danger for others, and what happens after you’ve become a hero.

Special thanks to series creator Dan McGinn, to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Adam Plumpton.

Medal of Honor begins on May 28. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear ad-free episodes one week early.  Find Pushkin+ on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm.

Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin
Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

Rewarded for bravery that goes above and beyond the call of duty, the Medal of Honor is the United States&rsquo; top military decoration. The stories we tell are about the heroes who have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism and courage that have saved lives. From Judith Resnik, the second woman in space, to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice, these are stories about those who have done the improbable and unexpected, who have sacrificed something in the name of something much bigger than themselves. Every Wednesday on Medal of Honor, uncover what their experiences tell us about the nature of sacrifice, why people put their lives in danger for others, and what happens after you&rsquo;ve become a hero.
Special thanks to series creator Dan McGinn, to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Adam Plumpton.
Medal of Honor begins on May 28. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear ad-free episodes one week early.&nbsp; Find Pushkin+ on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at&nbsp;<a href="http://pushkin.fm/" data-stringify-link="http://Pushkin.fm" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Pushkin.fm</a>.
Subscribe on Apple:&nbsp;<a href="http://apple.co/pushkin" data-stringify-link="http://apple.co/pushkin" data-sk="tooltip_parent">apple.co/pushkin</a> Subscribe on Pushkin: <a href="http://pushkin.fm/plus" data-stringify-link="http://pushkin.fm/plus" data-sk="tooltip_parent">pushkin.fm/plus</a>

Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage

Bud Day: A POW’s Incredible Story

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ef065653-2a1f-4bb1-9105-b302010cb9cc/transcript

We're sharing episodes this month from another Pushkin podcast we think you'll enjoy. 

In Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources—including Sarah, herself—to tell this sprawling tale.

Episode 3: (10:18) Jess and Jake speak with Sarah and learn about her past life. As a social worker, she really knew how to listen to people. But when Jake and Jess interview two of Sarah's former friends, a darker picture emerges.

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 bit.ly/mohsurvey.

We're sharing episodes this month from another Pushkin podcast we think you'll enjoy. In Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be&mdash;until she wasn&rsquo;t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources&mdash;including Sarah, herself&mdash;to tell this sprawling tale. <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-cover-presents-snowball/id1520478402?i=1000707998398">Episode 3:</a> (10:18) Jess and Jake speak with Sarah and learn about her past life. As a social worker, she really knew how to listen to people. But when Jake and Jess interview two of Sarah's former friends, a darker picture emerges. We&rsquo;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 <a href="http://bit.ly/mohsurvey">bit.ly/mohsurvey</a>.

From Deep Cover: The Confidante

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f15245e0-f072-4c0f-8dae-b3af010daf2c/transcript

We're sharing episodes this month from another Pushkin podcast we think you'll enjoy. 

In Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources—including Sarah, herself—to tell this sprawling tale.

Episode 2: (05:38) In her home state of Rhode Island, Sarah builds her reputation as a celebrated war hero. But as her public profile grows, so do the quiet doubts.

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 bit.ly/mohsurvey.

We're sharing episodes this month from another Pushkin podcast we think you'll enjoy. In Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be&mdash;until she wasn&rsquo;t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources&mdash;including Sarah, herself&mdash;to tell this sprawling tale. <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-cover-presents-snowball/id1520478402?i=1000707996205">Episode 2:</a> (05:38) In her home state of Rhode Island, Sarah builds her reputation as a celebrated war hero. But as her public profile grows, so do the quiet doubts. We&rsquo;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 <a href="http://bit.ly/mohsurvey">bit.ly/mohsurvey</a>.

From Deep Cover: The Poster Child 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0e98957c-48d5-4ee9-84ab-b3af01043914/transcript

We’re gearing up for an all new season of Medal of Honor in 2026, but in the meantime we're sharing episodes from another Pushkin Industries podcast we think you'll like. 

It’s called Deep Cover and it’s all about people who lead double lives and the lengths they’ll go to deceive others. This last season, they covered the stolen valor story of Sarah Cavanaugh. Sarah Cavanaugh is a civilian woman who claimed to be a decorated veteran, a Marine who saved her comrades, and a young woman fighting cancer. She was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. 

Lies tend to be fragile, wilting under their own weight as they get bigger. Not in the case of Sarah Cavanaugh. The bigger her lies grew, the more real they became. But she never served in the military, never received any awards, and defrauded veteran organizations out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jake Halpern and investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel this epic six-year deception that upended the lives of countless people. 

Here's episode 1 of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah (00:16). Stay tuned to hear the full six-episode series on this feed throughout the next few weeks. 

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 bit.ly/mohsurvey.

We&rsquo;re gearing up for an all new season of Medal of Honor in 2026, but in the meantime we're sharing episodes from another Pushkin Industries podcast we think you'll like. 
It&rsquo;s called Deep Cover and it&rsquo;s all about people who lead double lives and the lengths they&rsquo;ll go to deceive others. This last season, they covered the stolen valor story of Sarah Cavanaugh. Sarah Cavanaugh is a civilian woman who claimed to be a decorated veteran, a Marine who saved her comrades, and a young woman fighting cancer. She was everything people wanted her to be&mdash;until she wasn&rsquo;t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah.&nbsp; Lies tend to be fragile, wilting under their own weight as they get bigger. Not in the case of Sarah Cavanaugh. The bigger her lies grew, the more real they became. But she never served in the military, never received any awards, and defrauded veteran organizations out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jake Halpern and investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel this epic six-year deception that upended the lives of countless people. Here's episode 1 of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-cover-presents-snowball/id1520478402?i=1000707010592">Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah</a> (00:16). Stay tuned to hear the full six-episode series on this feed throughout the next few weeks.&nbsp; We&rsquo;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 <a href="http://bit.ly/mohsurvey">bit.ly/mohsurvey</a>.

Introducing Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9bd5bd41-0acf-413a-b4d9-b3ad00f946ef/transcript

Bud Day: A POW’s Incredible Story

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Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage

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