Our American Stories
Our American Stories
Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can ref…Follow the podcast:
How a College Student Saved Ulysses S. Grant’s Tomb
On this episode of Our American Stories, General Ulysses S. Grant led the Union Army to victory in the Civil War and later served two terms as the 18th president of the United States. Today, he is buried at Grant’s Tomb in New York City, the largest presidential tomb in the country and one of the c…
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Fifty Years Later, I Returned to the Place I Once Called Home
On this episode of Our American Stories, as a boy growing up in Kansas City, Roger Rench’s life changed suddenly when his father took a job as a golf pro in the small town of Sheridan, Iowa. The move meant trading city life for a tiny community and living inside the clubhouse of the Lakeview Countr…
07:59
The Story of America: Why the Constitution Needed the Federalist Papers [Ep. 12]
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Constitution emerged from the Constitutional Convention in 1787, its future was far from certain. The document still needed to be ratified by the states, and fierce debate quickly followed. Supporters argued that the new framework of government woul…
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Why I Climbed Into a Dumpster to Play Cards with a Homeless Man
On this episode of Our American Stories, acts of kindness often begin in ordinary moments. For Paul Kotz, a regular contributor to Our American Stories, one of those moments started behind a building with a deck of cards and a brief conversation with a homeless man. What followed was unexpected: Ko…
07:59
Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch: Ep. 15
On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spent more than forty years serving a life sentence in Alabama. Each call traces the shape of faith, regret, and forgiveness inside a place built for punishm…
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He Grew Up Without Reliable Water—Now He’s Turning Wastewater Into Drinking Water
On this episode of Our American Stories, around the world, access to clean water is something many take for granted, but for Manny Singh, it was a problem he experienced firsthand growing up in India, where water shortages were a daily reality. Now, as president of Koch Membrane Systems, Singh is …
10:49
One Leg, Thirteen World Records, and an Incredible Athlete
On this episode of Our American Stories, Amy Palmiero-Winters is one of the most accomplished athletes in adaptive sports. She holds 13 world records for distance running, completing marathons and endurance races using a prosthetic leg. Her journey into competitive running began after a life-chang…
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The Hard Truths and Joys of Foster Care
On this episode of Our American Stories, Kimberly McCullough shares the beauty, and heartbreak, of walking through the foster care and adoption process. Through her experiences as a foster mother, McCullough reflects on the tension at the heart of foster care: the hope of reunification, the deep bo…
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“Knock on Wood” & “Kick the Bucket”: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions (Pt. 11)
On this episode of Our American Stories, as part of his ongoing series on the origins of everyday expressions, Andrew Thompson, author of Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red, shares the fascinating backstories behind the phrases “knock on wood” and “kick the bucket,” among others. These familiar …
09:28
The B-24 Mission My Dad Never Talked About
On this episode of Our American Stories, Tom McManus thought he understood hard work. As an NFL rookie with the Jacksonville Jaguars, training camp pushed him to his limits. But during one quiet conversation with his father, he discovered what real hardship looked like. At the same age Tom was gri…
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