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Sharing And Preserving The Stories Of Our Lives

The body of Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich is buried at Congressional Cemetery on July 2, 1988. Matlovich, recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart in Vietnam, became a gay rights figure during his five-year battle against the Air Force, which discharged him in 1975 for homosexuality. In 1980 Matlovich settled with the Air Force and received an honorable discharge. Ira Schwartz /AP hide caption

itoggle caption Ira Schwartz /AP

'A Perfect Soldier': Remembering A Warrior In The Battle Against Homophobia

When Leonard Matlovich showed up on Time with the headline "I Am a Homosexual," it shocked many. The decorated Vietnam veteran spent the end of his life advocating against anti-gay discrimination.

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The Fennell family, in a photograph taken in 1999, several years after their kidnapping — posing with the very car they were kidnapped in. Courtesy of Janette Fennell hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Janette Fennell

In A Tight Spot, Abducted Family Struggled For Freedom — And Hope

Trapped in a car trunk by kidnappers, Janette Fennell and her husband fought to get free — and save their baby, who'd been in the car, too. Now, years later, Fennell tells the story to her grown son.

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Erik and Jenna, in the classroom. "My advice to you is be brave," Erik tells her. StoryCorps hide caption

itoggle caption StoryCorps

Iraq Vet Offers A Heartfelt Lesson For His Student: 'Real Men Cry'

Erik Booker now teaches middle school in South Carolina, but he also served in the Iraq War — just like the father of one of his former students, Jenna. She has a few important questions for him.

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An oral history project called The Great Thanksgiving Listen encourages people to record interviews with loved ones over Thanksgiving weekend. Courtesy of StoryCorps hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of StoryCorps

This Thanksgiving, Listen To (And Interview) Your Elders

StoryCorps has an assignment as generations gather this Thanksgiving: Document the stories and voices of a grandparent or elder.

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Marilynn Hillerman with her daughter, Andrea Crook, on a visit with StoryCorps. StoryCorps hide caption

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After A Breakdown, A Secret Breaks Free From A Family's Closet — And Heals

Surprised by a mental health crisis, Andrea Crook refused medication — until her grandfather called. Her illness inspired him to reveal an old secret, which "changed everything," she says.

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The aircraft hijacked by George Giffe, in Jacksonville, Fla., shortly after the hijacking occurred on Oct. 4, 1971. Courtesy of Andy Downs hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Andy Downs

In The Long Shadow Of A Hijacking, The Children Seek A New Peace

Years ago, Angelia Sheer's mentally ill father hijacked a plane, killing everyone aboard — including Andy Downs' father. But out of the tragedy, they've forged a bond of their own.

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Noramay Cadena, with Chassitty at Cadena's first graduation from MIT in 2003. Courtesy of the Cardena family hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the Cardena family

From Factory To Classroom: A Worker, A Student — And A Mother

Noramay Cadena left the factories where her parents worked to travel cross-country for school. Now with degrees from MIT, the engineer recalls her journey, with the daughter she raised along the way.

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Elliott, who is a retired associate professor of counselor education, during her recent visit to StoryCorps. StoryCorps hide caption

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A First And Lasting Love, Long Before The World Would Let It Live

In her 20s, Glenda Elliott fell in love with a woman, well before the modern gay rights movement. Now 75, Elliott looks back on a shared love that couldn't be — and that she's cherished all her life.

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Feliciano stands at the gravesite of his wife, Rosa. "She's buried here," he says. "So Green-Wood Cemetery is ground zero for me." Courtesy of Isaac Feliciano hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Isaac Feliciano

At A Brooklyn Cemetery, A Place Of Work — And An Enduring Memorial

After Isaac Feliciano's wife was killed on Sept. 11, he kept going to work at the cemetery, where he's been for 21 years. These days it's also a return to his own "ground zero": his wife's gravesite.

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When he came back from Afghanistan, Army Pfc. Brian Orolin was eager to return to his life as a father and husband. But he had trouble holding on to a sense of purpose, his wife says. StoryCorps hide caption

itoggle caption StoryCorps

After Afghanistan, A Father Came Home — Then Disappeared

Army Pfc. Brian Orolin returned from Afghanistan in 2011, suffering from paranoia and headaches. Three years later, he walked out on his wife and daughters; he hasn't been seen since.

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Former Colo. Clerk Says Same-Sex Marriage In 1975 Generated Hate

Decades ago in Boulder, Colo., Clela Rorex issued a groundbreaking marriage license to the first openly gay people she'd ever met. This conversation first aired on July 18, 2014, on Morning Edition.

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Heyn, in action in Baltimore's Fells Point with that night's feature attraction: Jupiter's moons. Kevin and Sonia McCarthy/Courtesy of Herman Heyn hide caption

itoggle caption Kevin and Sonia McCarthy/Courtesy of Herman Heyn

Stargazing From The Street Corner, Telescope And Hat In Hand

Herman Heyn has stood on a Baltimore street corner with a telescope almost nightly for 27 years. He does it for tips, for love of the stars — and for the hope he may inspire the same love in others.

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Ian Spencer Cook for StoryCorps

Monica Harwell (right) and her daughter Andrea Cleveland at StoryCorps. StoryCorps hide caption

itoggle caption StoryCorps

Power Worker's Legacy: Lines Installed, Doubters Defied, Daughter Inspired

Monica Harwell was the first woman to climb utility poles for Con Edison in New York. The men she worked with didn't think she could do it, but Harwell never let them paint her into a corner.

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Roberto Olivera eventually went on to law school at the University of Southern California, and his mother was there to see him graduate. StoryCorps hide caption

itoggle caption StoryCorps

To Save Him, One Mom Told Her Son, 'Leave, And Do Not Look Back'

Roberto Olivera felt he needed to stay around to protect his mother and sister, but his mother wouldn't let him make that choice. "I know she believed I had a place on the other side," he says.

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Newspaper clippings of young Donnie Dunagan from the early '40s. Courtesy of Donnie and Dana Dunagan. hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Donnie and Dana Dunagan.

Maj. Bambi: Meet The Marine Who Was Disney's Famous Fawn

A gritty Marine, Donnie Dunagan fought in Vietnam, earned decorations for his service and retired as a major. But all his life, there was one thing he could never escape: He was the voice of Bambi.

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Stephen Wright, on his front porch in fall 2000. Courtesy of the Wright family hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the Wright family

The Teen Who Didn't Make It — And The Nurses He Moved Along The Way

Wilson Matthews and Jeanne Yeatman worked as flight nurses for years. But it's the memory of one patient in particular, and his mom, that reminds them daily: "We're taking care of somebody's family."

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Mary Johnson-Roy spoke with Oshea Israel at StoryCorps in Minneapolis. StoryCorps hide caption

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At The End Of A Murder Sentence, A Redemption Forged From Forgiveness

As a teen, Oshea Israel killed another young man at a party. Years later, as the end of his prison time approached, Israel met the mother of the man he murdered — and earned her forgiveness.

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Dr. Martin Couney holds Beth Allen, one of his incubator babies, at Luna Park in Coney Island. This photo was taken in 1941. Courtesy of Beth Allen hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Beth Allen

Babies On Display: When A Hospital Couldn't Save Them, A Sideshow Did

Among Coney Island's sideshows a century ago, one was different: an exhibit of premature infants. The show funded Dr. Martin Couney's pioneering work — and saved thousands, including Lucille Horn.

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CME Futures Pits To Close. 'It Was A Great Run,' Traders Say

After 167 years, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is expected to close the Futures Pits at the Chicago Board of Trade on Monday. In this StoryCorps, we hear from two longtime traders.

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Anny Pena, 30, and Jonny Pena, 32, met when they were both stationed in Arizona. StoryCorps hide caption

itoggle caption StoryCorps

Two Marines, One Deployment And The End Of A Marriage

Marine Staff Sgt. Jonny Pena and Sgt. Anny Pena met when they were stationed in Arizona. They married, had kids; she left the service, he went to Afghanistan. But both say he returned a changed man.

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Yvette Benavidez Garcia and her husband, Rene, dropped by the StoryCorps studios to reminisce about Yvette's father, Roy, a Medal of Honor recipient whose daring rescue mission in Vietnam cast ripples into his later life as a father. StoryCorps hide caption

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For A Medal Of Honor Recipient, Wounds Of War Lingered Into Fatherhood

Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez led a mission to save eight soldiers in Vietnam — and nearly died in the process. Decades later, his daughter recalls a father who believed honor wasn't won, but earned.

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Civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, left, and Walter Naegle, right, became partners in the 1970s and were together until Rustin's death. Decades before gay marriage was an option, Rustin adopted Naegle to lend legal protection to their relationship. StoryCorps hide caption

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Long Before Same-Sex Marriage, 'Adopted Son' Could Mean 'Life Partner'

Civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and his life partner, Walter Naegle, wanted to legally protect their relationship. But it was the early 1980s, when marriage wasn't an option — and adoption was.

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