Imagine that one day you're enjoying a rather blissful life assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas. And a few days later you find yourself in the sweltering deserts of Saudi Arabia because of Saddam Hussein's attacks on Kuwait. That's exactly what happened to military spouses Leslie and Michael Carroll.
The full interview will be preserved in the Library of Congress. Access the full interview between Leslie and Michael at the StoryCorps archive.
See more local stories from the Military Voices Initiative at hawaiipublicradio.org/storycorps
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
In June 2022, HPR teamed up with StoryCorps to gather audio conversations from Hawai‘i residents about their military experiences. 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. These interviews were facilitated by Hazel Diaz, Isabella Gonzalez, Cole Johnston and Franchesca Peña.
The audio segments were 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. HPR and StoryCorps encourage our community to tell their own stories using the StoryCorps app. Learn more at StoryCorps.org.
Local support for this series comes from Hawai‘i Pacific University.