Medal of Honor Podcast: Recent Episodes
Evergreen Podcasts
Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories from the Civil War to present day include recipients who were originally overlooked for the medal as well as those who were celebrated at the time.This podcast is made in partnership with The National Medal of Honor Museum.
On a raid in a Taliban compound, Master Sergeant Petry was wounded in both legs when an enemy grenade landed by his wounded comrade. Without thinking twice, Petry saved his friend by throwing the grenade back and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his self-sacrifice.
Flying over a thousand miles to his target, 2ndLt Hughes’s B-24 Liberator took heavy fire from enemy flak, yet continued with the mission of bombing burning enemy oil fields.
After enlisting for a second time, Corporal Joseph Vittori was sent to the Republic of Korea at the beginning of the Korean War. Alone in a position of his company’s defense, Vittori held off hundreds of enemy fighters to the death, and was awarded the Medal of Honor.
When Corporal Roberts’ tank sank into 10 feet of water, his first instinct was to save his gunner, knowing only one of them could escape. Because of his self sacrifice, Roberts was awarded the Medal of Honor.
LTJG Koelsch was one of two Navy pilots to receive the Medal of Honor during the Korean War. Flying his helicopter deep into enemy territory, he attempted to rescue a downed Marine pilot and resisted capture after being shot down.
When PFC Austin’s observation post was spotted and overrun, his only instinct was to save his fellow Marines. Austin sacrificed his life to save another Marine from a deadly grenade, and then took a bullet for him. Because of his sacrifice, Austin was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
2ndLt Sudut received a battlefield commission during the Korean War and twice cleared a bunker alone that was stopping his platoon’s attack on a hill. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Chief Boatswain’s Mate James Williams served as a patrol boat commander in the Vietnam War, intercepting enemy boats on the Mekong River. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for fighting through an ambush against over 50 armed enemy boats.
An escaped slave, Color Sergeant Smith fought in the American Civil War’s Western Theater and Sherman’s March. When his regiment’s color sergeant was killed in battle, Smith grabbed the colors and inspired his men despite the fierce enemy fire. Nearly 140 years after the battle, Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Ken and the Medal of Honor podcast team would like to thank you all for your support as listeners. Stay tuned tomorrow for a rerelease of a special episode.
On a classified assignment, CMSgt Etchberger’s radar site came under heavy attack from NVA forces. Etchberger was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving his fellow airmen at the cost of his own life.
Specialist 4 Larry Dahl originally joined the Army as a truck driver, but when the enemy started ambushing convoys, he became a gunner too, serving on a truck named “Brutus.” Dahl was awarded the Medal of Honor for jumping on a grenade and saving the lives of his truck’s crew during an ambush.
At the end of a months-long battle to capture Okinawa, Cpl Bush and his Marines charged a mountain stronghold when an enemy grenade landed among them. Without hesitation, Bush jumped on it, saving their lives.
Harold Gonsalves sacrificed his own life for the sake of his fellow Marines and their mission at the Battle of Okinawa. He was the only Latino Marine to earn the Medal of Honor during World War II.
Holocaust-survivor and Hungarian immigrant Tibor Rubin received the Medal of Honor for his incredible resilience as a prisoner of war in Korea. Despite saving the lives of up to 40 fellow prisoners, he served under an anti-Semitic sergeant who blocked his nomination for the Medal four separate times.
The standard bearer for his unit, Joseph De Castro carried the Union Flag into the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. He was the first Latino to receive the Medal of Honor for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg.
George Sakato's courageous solo charge up a German-held hill during World War II inspired his platoon to follow and complete their mission, capturing more than 30 enemy soldiers. Initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Sakato's award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000 along with 21 other veterans of Asian descent.
John Chapman, the first airman since Vietnam to be awarded the medal, earned his Medal of Honor during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan.
Corporal Rodolfo (Rudy) Hernandez received the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Korea, after he was launched a solo attack armed only with a bayonet and a few grenades.
Though he hated the term "conscientious objector", Corporal Desmond Doss was the first in history to receive the Medal of Honor. He refused to shoot or even to carry a weapon, but served as a medic and saved dozens of lives in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. His story was told in the 2017 Oscar-winning film "Hacksaw Ridge", played by actor Andrew Garfield.
The first Black American to earn the Medal of Honor, William Harvey Carney nearly died at Fort Wagner in the Civil War - but he never once let the Union flag touch the ground.
The only US Senator so far to receive both the Medal of Honor and the President Medal of Freedom, Senator Daniel Inouye lost his right arm fighting in World War II. He went on to serve nine terms in the Senate and was the highest-ranking Senator at the time of his death in 2012. Read the AUSA's graphic novel about Sen. Inouye for a gripping retelling and illustration of his story.
PFC Olive earned the Medal of Honor for his selfless act of bravery in Vietnam. At only 18 years old, he sacrificed his own life to save four of his fellow soldiers. He was the first Black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor during Vietnam. PFC Olive also earned a mention in the recent Spike Lee film, Da 5 Bloods - the character Otis says, "I would be the first cat in line if there was a film about a real hero, you know, one of our blood. Somebody like Milton Olive."
M.Sgt. Juan Negrón fought with the Borinqueneers, an all-Puerto Rican regiment, in Korea. He did not originally receive the Medal of Honor, but was one of the 24 veterans to whom President Obama awarded the medal in 2014 - veterans who should have received it in the first place, but had been overlooked due to their race or religion.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor. She fought her whole life to become a surgeon, to serve her country, and to achieve full rights for women. She refused to wear women's clothing and even testified before Congress on behalf of women's suffrage, but was never fully recognized for her groundbreaking work.
The first Native American to receive the Medal of Honor since the 1880s, Lt. Col. Childers served in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam. He earned the Medal of Honor for his bravery at Oliveto, Italy in 1943.
The last surviving Marine to have received the Medal of Honor during World War II, Woody Williams' heroism was vital to American efforts in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
William "Pits" Pitsenbarger flew in helicopter rescue missions to treat and evacuate wounded soldiers and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his selfless actions near Cam My, Vietnam in 1966. Pitsenbarger's heroism was the subject of the recent film The Last Full Measure, starring Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Irvine as Pitsenbarger.
Before Audie Murphy was a 1950s Hollywood star, he earned a Medal of Honor for his bravery in Germany during World War II.
John Chapman, the first airman since Vietnam to be awarded the medal, earned his Medal of Honor during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan.
Jacob Parrott received the first Medal of Honor ever awarded for his participation in the Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil War.