On this episode of Our American Stories, when Dolly Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" in 1973, she wasn't writing about a romantic breakup. She was saying goodbye to her longtime friend, mentor, and business partner, Porter Wagoner. The song became a country hit, but its journey was only beginning.

Along the way, the song caught the attention of Elvis Presley, whose manager demanded half of the publishing rights before he would record it. Parton refused. Years later, actor Kevin Costner helped introduce the song to Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard, turning it into one of the best-selling singles in music history. Our own Lee Habeeb shares the remarkable story behind a song that transformed the lives of everyone who touched it.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when the United States withdrew from Vietnam, many of its allies in Southeast Asia were left behind to face Communist reprisals, imprisonment, and even death. Desperate families fled Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia in search of safety, but few knew where they would go.

Then an extraordinary letter arrived in Iowa. What followed was one of the most successful refugee resettlement efforts in American history. Matthew R. Walsh, author of The Good Governor, shares the story of Governor Robert Ray, the Iowa leader who opened his state to thousands of refugees and helped transform countless lives in the process.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, few athletes have ever reached the heights of Pete Maravich. Known simply as "Pistol Pete," he became one of the greatest basketball players in history, dazzling fans with his ball-handling, scoring, and creativity on the court. He achieved nearly everything he dreamed about as a boy: college stardom, professional success, fame, wealth, and admiration from millions.

But in the final years of his life, Maravich began asking deeper questions. Why, after achieving everything he had worked for, did he still feel empty? In this remarkable talk, recorded just days before his death in January 1988, Pistol Pete reflects on his lifelong pursuit of success, his struggles with alcohol and searching for meaning, and the faith that ultimately transformed his life.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Shiloh Carozza McCall shares how, in the worst of circumstances, she came to realize that the man she was dating was the rare kind of person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Shiloh is a regular contributor to Our American Stories.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, when the U.S. Postal Service introduced Parcel Post in 1913, Americans suddenly had a cheap new way to ship packages across the country. What postal officials didn't anticipate was how creatively people would use it. Families mailed eggs, butter, bees, and even entire building supplies through the postal system. In one famous case, a bank in Utah was shipped brick by brick through the mail.

Then came the children. Taking advantage of a loophole in the rules, some parents discovered it was cheaper to mail their sons and daughters than buy them train tickets. For our Rule of Law series, Christopher Warren of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum shares one of the strangest and most surprisingly true stories in American postal history.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, the First World War ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. But not before one last man fell. His name was Henry Gunther, and he died just moments before peace officially began. Why he charged forward, and how his death came to symbolize the senselessness of war's final moments, is a story often overlooked.

Craig Du Mez of the Grateful Nation Project shares the true story of Henry and the motivations that ultimately led him to become the last American casualty of a war that had already ended in words, but not yet in action.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, before the Stars and Stripes became the national banner, another symbol of liberty flew over American ships. Known as the Pine Tree Flag, or the "Appeal to Heaven" flag, it was one of the earliest wartime flags of the American Revolution. In 1775, George Washington ordered it raised on six schooners that made up the first naval force of the colonies. Its white field and green pine tree drew from New England symbolism, while its motto reflected John Locke's political philosophy that, when all earthly appeals failed, justice could be sought from above.

For the colonists, it was both a patriotic emblem and a symbol of liberty at a time when independence was still a daring idea. Our regular contributor, Ashley Hlebinsky, brings the story of this early American flag to life, connecting its 18th-century symbolism to the broader tradition of U.S. flags.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, The American flag that flies over state capitols, schools, and battlefields across the country began as a high school assignment. Robert Heft, a 17-year-old student from Ohio, created the 50-star design in 1958 and received a B-minus for his effort. When Hawaii entered the Union in 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower selected Heft's version as the official flag of the United States.

More than six decades later, Bob Heft's B-minus project remains one of the nation's most enduring symbols. Our own Greg Hengler shares the story.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in the winter of 1777, the Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, hungry, freezing, and unsure whether the Revolution would survive. Disease spread through the camp, morale collapsed, and even George Washington wondered how much longer his soldiers could endure. Then came a Prussian officer named Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a man who spoke no English but had a gift for turning chaos into order.

His relentless drills, translated by aides as he barked commands across the snow, reshaped a band of volunteers into a real army. By the spring thaw, Washington's men had become disciplined, unified soldiers ready to fight the British on equal terms. Historians Bob Drury and Tom Clavin share the story this turning point in the American Revolution, when perseverance and training at Valley Forge helped lay the foundation for American independence.

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