On this episode of Our American Stories, growing up in rural Alabama, Edie Hand shared an idyllic childhood with her three younger brothers, known as the Blackburn boys. Days were filled with horses, imagination, and dreams of the futures they would one day live.

Those dreams were cut short by tragedy. One by one, Edie lost all three brothers, each death arriving in a different season of her life and leaving a deeper mark than the last. What remained was grief, memory, and a promise made to the last brother she held, to tell their story and live with kindness, courage, and purpose.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, growing up in rural Alabama, Edie Hand shared an idyllic childhood with her three younger brothers, known as the Blackburn boys. Days were filled with horses, imagination, and dreams of the futures they would one day live. Those dreams were cut short by tragedy. One by one, Edie lost all three brothers, each death arriving in a different season of her life and leaving a deeper mark than the last. What remained was grief, memory, and a promise made to the last brother she held, to tell their story and live with kindness, courage, and purpose.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

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 refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our 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 refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;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&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

A Sister’s Love Through the Tragic Loss of Her Three Brothers

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4caef863-9042-4651-a651-b3d80163caa5/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, Greg Giltner spent nearly three decades with the Oklahoma City Police Department and later served as a police chaplain. His role was not to preach or persuade, but to show up. On the worst days of an officer’s life, and on the worst day in Oklahoma City’s history.

Giltner shares how a mentor known simply as Chaplain Poe taught him that real ministry often means silence, presence, and compassion. From officer-involved shootings to line-of-duty losses, and from personal grief to the aftermath of the bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, this is the story of what it means to serve those who serve, and why sometimes just being there is everything.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, Greg Giltner spent nearly three decades with the Oklahoma City Police Department and later served as a police chaplain. His role was not to preach or persuade, but to show up. On the worst days of an officer&rsquo;s life, and on the worst day in Oklahoma City&rsquo;s history. Giltner shares how a mentor known simply as Chaplain Poe taught him that real ministry often means silence, presence, and compassion. From officer-involved shootings to line-of-duty losses, and from personal grief to the aftermath of the bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, this is the story of what it means to serve those who serve, and why sometimes just being there is everything.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

The Police Chaplain Who Showed Up on Oklahoma City’s Worst Day

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6f71bd11-0289-4006-83d3-b3d80163caa6/transcript

Marker 01

On this episode of Our American Stories, most people know the story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Fewer know what happened next. After flames destroyed the heart of the city and left more than 100,000 people homeless, Chicago didn’t collapse. It rebuilt faster and bigger than anyone thought possible. Businesses reopened while the rubble was still smoking. New buildings rose within months. And in just a few decades, the city transformed itself into a global center of commerce, architecture, and innovation.

Chicago historian Tim Samuelson, the city’s first official cultural historian, tells the largely forgotten story of how Chicago’s location, grit, and can-do spirit made one of the greatest urban recoveries in American history possible, and how that recovery gave birth to the modern skyscraper and the Chicago we know today.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, most people know the story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Fewer know what happened next. After flames destroyed the heart of the city and left more than 100,000 people homeless, Chicago didn&rsquo;t collapse. It rebuilt faster and bigger than anyone thought possible. Businesses reopened while the rubble was still smoking. New buildings rose within months. And in just a few decades, the city transformed itself into a global center of commerce, architecture, and innovation. Chicago historian Tim Samuelson, the city&rsquo;s first official cultural historian, tells the largely forgotten story of how Chicago&rsquo;s location, grit, and can-do spirit made one of the greatest urban recoveries in American history possible, and how that recovery gave birth to the modern skyscraper and the Chicago we know today.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

The Great Chicago Fire Was Devastating. The Recovery Was Extraordinary.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5685e52f-1b7a-488c-97ea-b3d80163caa2/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, beards may feel like a modern trend, but they’ve been shaping ideas about manhood for thousands of years. In some eras, a clean-shaven face signaled order, discipline, and respectability. In others, a beard stood for strength, rebellion, or independence.

Christopher Oldstone-Moore, the author of Of Beards and Men, and a history teacher at Wright State University, tells the surprisingly rich story of how facial hair has risen and fallen alongside changing ideals of masculinity — from ancient Egypt and Greece to royal courts, revolutions, Hollywood, and today’s bearded resurgence.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, beards may feel like a modern trend, but they&rsquo;ve been shaping ideas about manhood for thousands of years. In some eras, a clean-shaven face signaled order, discipline, and respectability. In others, a beard stood for strength, rebellion, or independence. Christopher Oldstone-Moore, the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBeards-Men-Revealing-History-Facial%2Fdp%2F022647920X&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C790fdbdba7e047b6c88708de5776938d%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639044363976971856%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=cG9iM4Q%2FB78OCD9vpZ2LbZaTSlhGl6X88IEqDh72TDI%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Of Beards and Men</a>,&nbsp;and a history teacher at Wright State University, tells the surprisingly rich story of how facial hair has risen and fallen alongside changing ideals of masculinity &mdash; from ancient Egypt and Greece to royal courts, revolutions, Hollywood, and today&rsquo;s bearded resurgence.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Why Men Grow Beards: A Cultural History of Masculinity and Facial Hair

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e77b107e-d7d6-404a-893a-b3d80163caa5/transcript

A Sister’s Love Through the Tragic Loss of Her Three Brothers

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