On this special Memorial Day episode of Uncomfy, host Julie Rose sits down with retired U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer Gary Zelinski, author of “A Walk Among Heroes: Searching for America’s Better Angels,” to discover the hidden stories buried at Arlington National Cemetery. From boxing legend Joe Louis to Audie Murphy’s unsung wife, Pamela Opal Lee, Zelinski shares the deeply personal journeys that led him to uncover the silent heroes of our nation’s military past—and why he believes the families of service members deserve our honor just as much as the fallen themselves.

What does Memorial Day mean to you? Who are the heroes in your family? Tell us in the comments or email us at uncomfy@byu.edu.

Get Gary's book, “A Walk Among Heroes: Searching for America’s Better Angels” - https://garyzelinski.com/books/
Check out Julie’s other podcast, Top of Mind with Julie Rose - https://lnkfi.re/TopofMind

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Episode transcript - https://uncomfypodcastbyu.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-hidden-heroes-of-arlington-and-what.html

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:44 Memorial Day and Arlington National Cemetery
01:13 Intro to Gary Zelinski: A Walk Among Heroes
01:28 Gary's Personal Connection to Arlington
03:56 Joe Louis: A Hero Beyond the Ring
06:51 The Story of Pamela Opal Lee
09:32 Honoring Military Families
11:11 Reflections on Memorial Day
14:44 Conclusion