StoryCorps: Hawaiʻi's Military Voices
In June 2022, HPR teamed up with StoryCorps to gather audio conversations from Hawai‘i residents about their military experiences.
Whether it's stories of service... stories of being marginalized... or stories that fall somewhere in between... these stories are as nuanced and diverse as our island communities.
The Military Voices Initiative provides a platform for veterans, service members, and military families to share their stories. In doing so we honor their voices, amplify their experiences, and let them know that we — as a nation — are listening.
A selection of locally produced StoryCorps segments aired Oct. and Nov. 2023 during Morning Edition (weekdays 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.) and All Things Considered (weekdays 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.). A one-hour special featuring Hawaiʻi's Military Voices aired on Nov. 25 on HPR-1.
StoryCorps’ mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. As part of the Military Voices Initiative, all recordings have been archived at the Library of Congress.
These interviews were recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world, and facilitated by Hazel Diaz, Isabella Gonzalez, Cole Johnston and Franchesca Peña. Audio was produced for Morning Edition and All Things Considered by John Kalani Zak. He shares his perspective on working with the Military Voices Initiative segments in his producer's notes.
Local support for this series comes from Hawaiʻi Pacific University.
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John Zak hosts an hour-long special that honors those who have served. Listen to stories from Hawai‘i residents about their experiences in and with the military.
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As a young man, Steven Jensen dedicated himself to helping others. He noticed that veterans returning from Vietnam were having difficulty with civilian life. These observations helped to inspire Jensen's desire to become a Navy chaplain.
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Col. Jennifer Walker always wanted to be a doctor. The Army offered her the education she needed and the opportunities she sought to hone her skills as a physician. She and her husband, Chad Walker, discuss her distinguished 20-year career.
