A DNA Test, a Long-Lost Son, and a Journey Back to Vietnam
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, Brent Evanoff thought he had life figured out until one phone call changed everything. He learned he had a son he never knew, conceived during his time in the Army and now serving overseas in the U.S. Navy.
What followed was more than a reunion. A journey through Southeast Asia brought a family together, led Brent deep into the jungles of Vietnam, and set the stage for an unexpected act of healing when he returned a long-lost dog tag to a fellow American veteran. A story of fatherhood, service, and the surprising ways life can come full circle.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:14.1 | This is our American stories, and we tell stories about everything here on this show, |
| 0:18.9 | and we love hearing your stories. |
| 0:20.8 | Up next, a story from a listener on 1,100 K-F-A-B in Omaha, Nebraska. |
| 0:26.7 | Brett Evinoff joined the Army right before the Gulf War. |
| 0:30.0 | Here's Brent. |
| 0:36.2 | I was born in Council Plus, Iowa, raised good Midwestern values. |
| 0:40.3 | I come from a history of family serving in the military all the way back to World War I. |
| 0:47.3 | Both grandparents fought in World War II, father Vietnam era, countless aunts and uncles that had served over the years. |
| 0:55.0 | That influenced me quite a bit and I decided to join the military, graduated high school early. |
| 1:02.0 | Just didn't really quite know what I want to do in this world other than serve the military and go on to do good things. |
| 1:10.0 | December, 1989, and I as a Calvary Scout. |
| 1:14.6 | And I went through Calvary Scout training Fort Knox, Kentucky, |
| 1:19.6 | and found myself assigned to the Third Armored Calvary Regiment in Fort Bliss, Texas, May of 1990. |
| 1:25.6 | And being a new private, you know, everything's still new to me. I'm training. |
| 1:31.2 | In August of 1990, we were out on a two-week field training exercise when Iraq invaded Kuwait. |
| 1:39.7 | To all intents and purposes, Kuwait has ceased to exist as an independent sovereign nation. |
| 1:45.0 | Good afternoon, everyone. |
| 1:47.0 | Well, at this hour, Iraq remains in firm control of the tiny oil-rich country of Kuwait. |
| 1:53.0 | We had a warning order to prepare to deploy to the Middle East. |
| 1:57.0 | Didn't really understand the consequences of that. |
... |
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