The best stories need a few key elements: conflict, bad guys and, above all, heroes. The combination is even better if the story has all three and happens to be true. This is what makes Medal of Honor stories so engrossing. Valor in the face of the enemy, the real risk to life and limb, and the requirement of at least two sworn eyewitnesses not only make the award hard to receive, but make the award citations really great reading.

Master storyteller Malcolm Gladwell realized that in 2024, when he launched a new podcast, “Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage.” Beyond simply retelling the amazing Medal of Honor stories, Gladwell took the venture a step further, exploring why ordinary soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines (also one Coast Guardsman) suddenly risk their lives in these incredible tales of gallantry. He also looked at the nature of sacrifice and what happened after they became heroes.

A new season of “Stories of Courage” will start streaming on May 26, 2025, with new episodes beginning on June 2. This season also comes with a new host, Army veteran J.R. Martinez, who was wounded by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2003. The attack required 34 surgeries, including multiple skin grafts, but Martinez survived. In the months and years that followed, Martinez became a motivational speaker and actor (who also won “Dancing with the Stars” in its 13th season).

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Gladwell fans, especially those of his “Revisionist History” podcast, can rest assured they’re still getting the high-quality storytelling they’ve come to expect.

The first season brought some incredible stories of courage under fire. It included John Chapman, the first airman to receive the medal since the Vietnam War, along with Tibor Rubin, a Holocaust survivor who later joined the Army to fight in Korea. It also told the story of Alwyn Cashe, who pulled six of his men out of a burning vehicle under enemy fire, while being on fire himself. Rounding out Season 1 were Michael Thornton and Thomas Norris in Vietnam; Douglas Munro, the Coast Guard’s only recipient; Dr. Mary Walker, the only female recipient; “Harlem Hellfighter” Henry Johnson; and more.

Season 2 will be just as varied. Where the first season explored the Citizen’s Medal of Honor, this season will look at the Space Medal of Honor and one of its recipients, “Challenger” astronaut Judith Resnik. It will also feature the legendary Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to receive two Medals of Honor, and Jefferson DeBlanc, a Marine Corps fighter pilot who became an “ace in a day,” shooting down five Japanese planes, despite a fuel leak.

The new season of “Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage” starts on May 26, 2025, with a discussion between Gladwell and Martinez. New episodes in the series start streaming on June 2.

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