American Heroes: A Memorial Day TISIT Digest

American Heroes: A Memorial Day TISIT Digest

From The Internet Says it’s True by Michael Kent

May 25, 2026 · 44 min · Season 10 · Episode 282

About this episode

This episode features a digest of four American heroes in honor of Memorial Day.

To observe Memorial Day this year, we’re running a digest of 4 American heroes. Story #1: Peter Conover Hains was born before the Civil War and still wore a U.S. Army uniform in World War I. He fired one of the Civil War’s first naval shots, built ports and canals, and returned to active duty at age 77. His legacy spans over half a century of American warfare — and four generations of service. Story #2: Billy Mitchell is often referred to as the Father of the United States Air Force. He was the first one to suggest that airplanes could be used to drop bombs on enemy naval ships. But a recent visit to a museum with my father illuminated a really bizarre fact: Billy Mitchell predicted the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 17 years before it happened. In this episode, we learn all about Billy Mitchell, military aviation history and his amazing prediction. Story #3: In 1976, a skirmish at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea led to the brutal murders of two Americans. The skirmish began over the trimming of a tree. The result was the most expensive tree-trimming in history. America and South Korea returned to the tree with all of their military might in a show of force…

People in this episode

Host: Michael Kent

Topics covered

  • American heroes
  • military history
  • Memorial Day
  • aviation
  • war stories

Keywords

  • Memorial Day
  • American heroes
  • military aviation
  • Billy Mitchell
  • Eugene Bullard

Mentioned in this episode

Places: United States, South Korea, North Korea

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