My Life, My Story bonus: Daniel, facing the tiger

The Korean War is often called “the forgotten war,” but in this episode of the “My Life, My Story” podcast, we bring you the unforgettable story of Daniel, who was a prisoner of war in Korea for an astonishing 38 months.

Daniel was one of hundreds of captured U.S. soldiers who endured what has come to be known as the Tiger Death March. He shared his story with us more than 60 years after his release in 1953.

We’re releasing this episode on Veteran’s Day, and if you listen to the Daniel’s story, you’ll hear how significant the holiday is to him personally.

Hearing stories like these can help us remember why it is we celebrate Veteran’s Day in the first place. If you like this one, we hope you’ll check out more stories in our podcast, which launched in September. We’ve collected over 5,000 stories since 2013, and our podcast has given us an opportunity to showcase some of our favorites.

One of the central goals of the My Life, My Story program is to help health care providers get to know their patients better. That goal syncs up with the concept of Whole Health, which is VA’s approach to care that supports the health and well-being of each Veteran by developing personalized health plans based on values, needs and goals. In other words, Whole Health focuses on what matters to the Veteran instead of what is the matter with the Veteran.

A link to our podcast – and more materials about the My Life, My Story project – can now be found within the Whole Health website. Check it out by clicking here: https://www.va.gov/wholehealth/circle-of-health/me.asp

Seth Jovaag is a writer, editor and producer for the My Life, My Story project.