Growing up in the 1930s in Memphis, Tennessee, Phil Larimore is the ultimate Boy Scout—able to read maps, put a compass to good use, and traverse wild swamps and desolate canyons. His other great skill is riding horses.
Phil does poorly in school,...
Yesterday
The Ancient World's Best Military Technology Was Constantinople's City Walls
On May 29, 1453, Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II captured Constantinople, bringing an end to over a thousand years of Byzantine rule. The city's formidable walls, which had stood nearly impenetrable for eight centuries, finally fell to hisforces. With its conquest, Constantinople was de ... Show More
39m 36s
Oct 20
Edgar Allen Poe’s Self-Sabotage, Early Death, and Path to Becoming America’s Greatest Poet
In the summer of 1849, Edgar Allan Poe knocked on the door of his friend John Sartain's Philadelphia workshop, wild-eyed and without luggage. He had fled a train in New Jersey after overhearing passengers plotting to kill him. His senses had grown so acute, he said, that he could ... Show More
46m 12s
Sep 2022
A World War II Story of Survival, Love, and Redemption
<p>Amidst the epic clashes of armies and navies that make war such a fascinating subject, lie the smaller human interest stories that prove just as compelling. One such story is that of World War II soldier Joe Johnson Jr., which is told by Marcus Brotherton in a newly published ... Show More
44m 7s
Apr 2022
EP250: The True Story of A Desert Storm “Top Gun” Pilot and St. Louie Louie: Have Pool Cue, Will Travel
On this episode of Our American Stories, Brigadier General Jim “Boots” Demarest will be telling the heroic tale of Capt. Steve Phillis from his book, Five Nickels: True Story of the Desert Storm Heroics and Sacrifice of Air Force Captain Steve Phillis. Mark O'Brian tells the stor ... Show More
38m 13s
Jan 2021
239. The Wings of Pegasus, by George Chatterton - Episode 1
Brigadier George Chatterton's memoirs, read by Al Murray, tell the extraordinary story of his time as a soldier for the British Army who then went on to become the Commander of the Glider Pilot Regiment during the Second World War. A Goalhanger Films production Produced by Joey M ... Show More
26m 2s
Sep 2025
Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner’s Story in WWII
On this episode of Our American Stories, Clarence Smoyer, a gunner in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Armored Division—“Spearhead”—became one of World War II’s most unlikely heroes. In Cologne, his Pershing tank faced Gustav Schaefer’s Panzer in a duel captured on film, now one of history’s ... Show More
38m 16s
Feb 2023
Bearing Witness: One Black Troop's Trip to Buchenwald
On this episode of Our American Stories, Rona Simmons, author of The Other Veterans Of World War II, Stories from Behind the Front Lines, tells the story of Bill Scott, an African American combat engineer and photographer from Alabama who became one of the "black angels" for pris ... Show More
20m 18s
Apr 2022
EP263: Life Beyond My Wildest Dreams: Professional Dog Walker and One Black Troop's Trip to Buchenwald
On this episode of Our American Stories, Ryan Stewart shares his story of how canines have helped him get through life's adversities. Rona Simmons, author of The Other Veterans Of World War II, Stories from Behind the Front Lines, tells the story of Bill Scott, an African America ... Show More
38m 13s