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Malcolm Gladwell's New Podcast Series

Everyone loves a good story; few stories are more engaging than Medal of Honor citations. They have everything anyone could ever want in a story: danger, suspense, and a fierce battle against overwhelming odds. Most importantly, they have a hero – and every story needs a hero. 

No one recognizes this more than Malcolm Gladwell. He's a journalist and author who has been telling stories for most of his life. Gladwell is the longtime host and mind behind the Revisionist History podcast and author of "The Tipping Point" and "The Bomber Mafia." His newest work recognizes the powerful and real-life stories of America's greatest heroes: Medal of Honor recipients.  

"Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage" is a nine-part podcast series from Pushkin Industries and iHeartPodcasts that profiles the life and heroism of a new Medal of Honor recipient each week. It also explores ideas like what makes a hero, why people are willing to risk their lives for others, what humans are really capable of doing when a situation calls for it, and the true nature of sacrifice. 

"We tell stories about heroes because of a simple fact about the human mind: Courage is contagious," Gladwell explained in a statement. "And when you hear about someone doing something heroic, it makes you want to be a hero too. And these days, we could use more heroes." 

The first season of "Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage" will take us all the way back to the Civil War, with the story of Mary Walker, the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor, and Douglas Munro, the only Coast Guardsman to receive the award. It also brings us to the story behind "Harlem Hellfighter" Henry Johnson's Medal of Honor, which took place during World War I but wasn't upgraded to the nation's highest award for gallantry until 2015 due to the prevailing racism of the era. 

Other recipients profiled in season one include Mike Thornton, Alwyn Cashe, Tibor Rubin, Jay R. Vargas, Robert Bush, and John Chapman, spanning American conflicts from the Civil War to the Iraq War. New episodes of "Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage" will be released each Wednesday starting June 26, 2024, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere.