Covering every hamlet and precinct in America, big and small, the stories span arts and sports, business and history, innovation and adventure, generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love, past and present. In short, Our American Stories tells the story of America to Americans.
About Lee Habeeb
Lee Habeeb co-founded Laura Ingraham’s national radio show in 2001, moved to Salem Media Group in 2008 as Vice President of Content overseeing their nationally syndicated lineup, and launched Our American Stories in 2016. He is a University of Virginia School of Law graduate, and writes a weekly column for Newsweek.
For more information, please visit ouramericanstories.com.
Why Memorial Day Matters: The Uncle Lee Habeeb Never Knew, Killed in WWII
A Medal of Honor Recipient Through the Eyes of His Father
On this episode of Our American Stories, before Lee Brice turned the story into the hit song I Drive Your Truck, Paul Monti was driving his late son Jared’s pickup truck through the back roads of Massachusetts just to feel close to him again. Jared Monti, a U.S. Army soldier later awarded the Medal of Honor, was killed in Afghanistan while trying to save a fellow soldier pinned down under enemy fire.
Paul Monti shares the story himself in an interview he gave to Our American Stories shortly before his passing in 2022.
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Karl Marlantes: How I Came to Terms with My Navy Cross
On this episode of Our American Stories, Karl Marlantes, a Vietnam War veteran and the award-winning author of Matterhorn and What It Is Like to Go to War, received the Navy Cross after leading an assault during a brutal battle in Vietnam. Long after the fighting ended, he found himself thinking less about the medal and more about the young Marines who fought alongside him.
Marlantes joins us with a deeply personal account of his service and the young men he served beside
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Remembering The USS Indianapolis: The Worst Naval Disaster in American History
On this episode of Our American Stories, The USS Indianapolis left Guam in July 1945 after delivering critical cargo connected to the Manhattan Project. But before she could make it to her next destination, a Japanese submarine would strike the cruiser, leaving hundreds of sailors and Marines sinking in shark infested waters. While the story gained popularity from Jaws, the details itself are more harrowing from the men who lived through it.
The story later reached a wider audience through Jaws, but the details come from men who lived through it. The late Edgar Harrell, the last surviving Marine from the downed ship, shares the real-life story of that fateful day.
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Why Robert E. Lee’s Estate Became Arlington National Cemetery
On this episode of Our American Stories, Arlington National Cemetery is the nation’s most iconic military burial ground, but its origins are more surprising than many Americans realize. Elliott Drago of the Jack Miller Center shares the little-known story behind the founding of Arlington Cemetery, from its roots on the former estate of Robert E. Lee and the Custis family to its transformation into a Union military cemetery during the American Civil War.
Along the way, Drago explains how Union leaders intentionally turned Lee’s former home into a burial ground for fallen soldiers and why Arlington remains one of America’s most enduring symbols of sacrifice, remembrance, and military service, especially each Memorial Day.
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John Moses Browning: The Mormon Inventor Behind Modern Pistols and Machine Guns
On this episode of Our American Stories, as a boy growing up in Ogden, Utah, John Moses Browning worked beside his father in a small gunsmith shop along the pioneer trails of the American West. Decades later, the rifles, pistols, and machine guns he designed would appear in the hands of soldiers around the world. From the legendary M1911 pistol to the weapons carried by American troops during two world wars, Browning’s inventions helped redefine modern firearms. Nathan Gorenstein, author of The Guns of John Moses Browning, shares the remarkable story.
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A Listener's Childhood Story: Rollerskating in the Farmhouse
On this episode of Our American Stories, in a world that moved a little slower, one little girl found her freedom on four wheels. Joy Neal Kidney, author of Leora's Dexter Stories and a regular contributor to Our American Stories, takes us back to her childhood home just outside Dexter, Iowa, where a pair of roller skates and an open farmhouse created memories that stayed with her for a lifetime.
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At 16, Pregnancy Gave Her a Reason to Change Her Life
On this episode of Our American Stories, by the time Teri Neal became pregnant at sixteen, she had already dropped out of school and fallen deep into drug culture. She had grown up watching addiction consume nearly everyone around her and expected her own life would end the same way. Then her son gave her a reason to believe something else was possible. Teri shares the remarkable story of her life, her recovery, and the bond that changed both her future and her son’s.
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The Story of America: Andrew Jackson and the Rise of the Common Man [Ep. 21]
On this episode of Our American Stories, for decades after the founding of the United States, the presidency remained in the hands of polished Virginia statesmen and political insiders. Then came Andrew Jackson, a frontier fighter who built his reputation at the Battle of New Orleans and carried his popularity straight into the election of 1828. To his supporters, Jackson represented the “common man” at a moment when more Americans were gaining a voice in politics.
As part of our Story of Us—Story of America series, Bill McClay, author of Land of Hope, explains how Andrew Jackson shattered the old political order and helped launch the era known as Jacksonian democracy.
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The First Pilot At Ground Zero Recalls His First Jobs
On this episode of Our American Stories, Peter Braxton’s first day as a military pilot began in the skies above September 11 attacks on 9/11. But that was just one of several first jobs that helped shape his life. From high-stakes military missions to everyday roles in civilian life, Braxton reflects on the early experiences that defined who he became and the lessons he carried with him along the way.
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