"We want the public sentiment to turn away from war and towards reconciliation."

This week on Story Behind the Stone, we speak with Professor Anoma Pieris and Arthur Tsakonas from the University of Melbourne about the Yokohama War Cemetery and the exhibition they co-curated at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.

Eucalypts of Hodogaya is more than an architectural story. It’s a reflection on memory, diplomacy, and the quiet power of collaboration. Anoma and Arthur share how Australian and Japanese architects worked together in the 1940s to build a cemetery that honors the dead and invites the living to reflect.

In this episode:
- Learn how a Japanese garden design shaped a Commonwealth cemetery
- Hear the story of a POW who taught architecture in a prison camp
- Discover why reconciliation is central to the exhibition’s message

“They're ordinary people who in a moment of time on the battlefield, courage met circumstance, and they did something extraordinary.”

This week on Story Behind the Stone, we speak with Mike Caldwell and Kevin Basik of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. Together, they’re building a museum, a monument, and a movement to help people reconnect with the values that hold a nation together.

Mike shares how the museum’s design reflects the weight and meaning of the medal, while Kevin introduces the Griffin Institute, a leadership hub helping people face life’s battles with courage, character, and clarity.

In this episode:

- Hear how the Griffin Institute is helping leaders define their creed
- Find out why Arlington, Texas was chosen as the home for the museum
- Discover how Medal of Honor stories are being used in classrooms and corporate boardrooms

"I didn’t go looking for it. It found me."

This week we speak with Cyndi Benavides, Army veteran and founder of the nonprofit Mallory Cemetery, a historic cemetery tucked into the heart of Franklin, Tennessee.

In this episode, Cyndi shares how a quiet walk in 2020 turned into a mission of preservation, storytelling, and connection.

In this episode:

- Learn how one veteran became the voice for a forgotten cemetery
- Hear about the Revolutionary War patriot, John Mallory, buried on site
- Find out how Cyndi rallied the community behind the cemetery's restoration following a devastating hurricane