In this episode of Gold Star Stories, we share the life and sacrifice of Corporal Thomas Steven Hickman, a young soldier from Loogootee, Indiana, who served with courage and heart during the Vietnam War. Told through the voice of his younger brother Scott Hickman, this story reflects the love, loss, and resilience of a family forever changed by war.As time passes, stories like Steve’s risk being forgotten — but through Gold Star Stories, we’re making sure their names remain spoken and their legacies live on.⚠️ AI & Visual DisclaimerWhile this episode focuses on the audio story, accompanying visuals shared online include AI-assisted recreations used to enhance storytelling.Some scenes may not be historically or visually accurate. With limited surviving photos and resources, these recreations help illustrate moments that would otherwise be lost to time.Gold Star Stories operates on limited means, often working with only a few affordable AI generations and restored family photos to tell each story.With your support, the quality of these episodes and documentaries can grow exponentially — helping us restore real images, capture new interviews, and preserve even more voices from America’s Gold Star Families.🎖️ Support the mission:Visit GoldStarStoriesUSA.comYour tax-deductible donation through Veterans Collaborative helps us record, restore, and remember.Say their name. Remember their story. Honor their sacrifice.#GoldStarStories #Vietnam #GoldStarFamily #SayTheirNames #Veterans #Legacy #DocumentaryPodcast
All content for Gold Star Stories is the property of GoldStarStoriesUSA.com and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this episode of Gold Star Stories, we share the life and sacrifice of Corporal Thomas Steven Hickman, a young soldier from Loogootee, Indiana, who served with courage and heart during the Vietnam War. Told through the voice of his younger brother Scott Hickman, this story reflects the love, loss, and resilience of a family forever changed by war.As time passes, stories like Steve’s risk being forgotten — but through Gold Star Stories, we’re making sure their names remain spoken and their legacies live on.⚠️ AI & Visual DisclaimerWhile this episode focuses on the audio story, accompanying visuals shared online include AI-assisted recreations used to enhance storytelling.Some scenes may not be historically or visually accurate. With limited surviving photos and resources, these recreations help illustrate moments that would otherwise be lost to time.Gold Star Stories operates on limited means, often working with only a few affordable AI generations and restored family photos to tell each story.With your support, the quality of these episodes and documentaries can grow exponentially — helping us restore real images, capture new interviews, and preserve even more voices from America’s Gold Star Families.🎖️ Support the mission:Visit GoldStarStoriesUSA.comYour tax-deductible donation through Veterans Collaborative helps us record, restore, and remember.Say their name. Remember their story. Honor their sacrifice.#GoldStarStories #Vietnam #GoldStarFamily #SayTheirNames #Veterans #Legacy #DocumentaryPodcast
A mother’s love, a son’s calling. In this Gold Star Stories interview, Jill Stephenson shares the life and legacy of her only child, Corporal Ben Kopp—an athlete turned Army Ranger whose True North formed after 9/11. Jill walks us through three deployments in two years, the call no parent wants, the race from battlefield to Walter Reed, and the hard truth that followed. She also tells how Ben’s written wish to be an organ donor saved four lives, including a family friend’s—proof that courage can outlive the body. We talk about honoring final wishes, a Black Hawk flyover back home, and Ben’s resting place in Section 60 at Arlington. If this mission matters to you, help us keep these stories alive at GoldStarStoriesUSA.com.
Gold Star Stories
In this episode of Gold Star Stories, we share the life and sacrifice of Corporal Thomas Steven Hickman, a young soldier from Loogootee, Indiana, who served with courage and heart during the Vietnam War. Told through the voice of his younger brother Scott Hickman, this story reflects the love, loss, and resilience of a family forever changed by war.As time passes, stories like Steve’s risk being forgotten — but through Gold Star Stories, we’re making sure their names remain spoken and their legacies live on.⚠️ AI & Visual DisclaimerWhile this episode focuses on the audio story, accompanying visuals shared online include AI-assisted recreations used to enhance storytelling.Some scenes may not be historically or visually accurate. With limited surviving photos and resources, these recreations help illustrate moments that would otherwise be lost to time.Gold Star Stories operates on limited means, often working with only a few affordable AI generations and restored family photos to tell each story.With your support, the quality of these episodes and documentaries can grow exponentially — helping us restore real images, capture new interviews, and preserve even more voices from America’s Gold Star Families.🎖️ Support the mission:Visit GoldStarStoriesUSA.comYour tax-deductible donation through Veterans Collaborative helps us record, restore, and remember.Say their name. Remember their story. Honor their sacrifice.#GoldStarStories #Vietnam #GoldStarFamily #SayTheirNames #Veterans #Legacy #DocumentaryPodcast
