What turns an ordinary person into a legend? Host and Army veteran J.R. Martinez returns with stories of split-second decisions that changed the course of history.

Hear about harrowing escapes from prisoner-of-war-camps, daring flights to the farthest reaches of the globe, miraculous rescues, and acts of self sacrifice that will never be forgotten. These stories are about what it takes to become a hero and what happens after.

Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at Pushkin.fm/plus and use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription.

This season, you’ll hear the stories of:

• James Fleming: the Vietnam pilot who flew a helicopter into a death trap to save his men.
• Edouard Izac: the WWI sailor who escaped a U-boat and a moving train to deliver enemy secrets.
• George Sakato: the Japanese-American soldier who turned grief into a one-man army for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
• Richard Byrd: The world’s most famous explorer who might’ve faked his flight to the North Pole.
• Florent Groberg: The man who tackled a suicide bomber to save his team in Afghanistan.
• Richard Pittman: The one-eyed Marine who tricked his way into Vietnam to hold a jungle trail alone.
• Joseph Rodriguez: the Korean War soldier whose bravery was fueled by his love for a girl back home
• Clarence Sasser: The combat medic who crawled through a flooded rice paddy trying to help as many soldiers as he could.
• Joshua Chamberlain: The college professor whose bayonet charge saved the Union at Gettysburg.
• The Four Chaplains: Four men of different faiths who sacrificed themselves to save their fellow soldiers

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To mark Veterans Day, host J.R. Martinez sits down with producer Ryan Sweikert to talk about what he’s learned from the stories of veterans who have received the Medal of Honor, how to talk to veterans about their service, and the moments that shaped his life, both in the service and afterward.

Medal of Honor Season 3 is coming on May 27th, 2026. In the meantime, we want to hear from you. We’ve put together a listener survey. Tell us what you love about the show. What we can improve on. Stories you think we've missed. To take the survey, follow this link: bit.ly/mohsurvey

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The Chosin Reservoir was one of the most brutal battles of the Korean War, with overwhelming enemy forces and deadly weather. Into that fight came Captain Carl Sitter, a pudgy guy who wasn’t even supposed to be there. His inspiring leadership in the face of terrible odds came down to one thing: faith.

We’re committed to making Medal of Honor even better, and you can help! Leave your feedback for the show by filling out our listener survey at http://bit.ly/mohsurvey

Episode's bibliography:

O'Donnel, Patrick K. “Give Me Tomorrow.” Grand Central Publishing, October 25, 2011.
https://www.amazon.com/Give-Me-Tomorrow-Greatest-Story/dp/0306820447.

Sterner, C. Douglas, Pamla M. Sterner, Dwight Jon Zimmerman, and Scott Baron. “Beyond Belief: True Stories of American Heroes that Defy Belief.” Independently Published, November 16, 2021. https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Belief-Stories-American-Heroes/dp/B09M57XDCV.

Hardy, Gordon. “Above and beyond: a history of the Medal of Honor from the Civil War to Vietnam by Congressional Medal of Honor Society.” Boston Pub. Co, May 3, 1985.
https://www.amazon.com/Above-beyond-history-Congressional-1985-05-03/dp/B01F820WNE.

Simmons, Edwin H. Frozen Chosin U.S. Marines at the Changjin Reservoir. USMCU, 2002.
https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Frozen%20Chosin%20US%20Marines%20at%20the%20Changjin%20Reservoir%20%20PCN%2019000410000.pdf.

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