This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected.
That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years.
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A G C D is the morning rush of tea. E F G H Hurry up and don't be late. E F G H Hurry up and don't be late. Lingo kids, only suitable for kids. If it gets stuck in mom's head, that's not our problem.
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And we continue with our American stories. More people have ventured into outer space than have been to where the Titanic rests. two and a half miles down on the ocean floor. Lowell Lytle has been one of the privileged few who has seen the Titanic first hand. Lowell has played the part of Captain Smith at Titanic events all over the globe and has been entertaining guests at the Titanic Museum for more than 15 years.
Here's Loa Lytle to tell his story and the story of the Titanic's last hero. How do you do? This is Loa Lytle. I have an unusual story to tell you. I was.
Homeminding my own business way back in 1987. I heard about the Titanic. They've discovered it. And um When do you know? I got a phone call.
From the designer that was building an exhibit Orlando on the Titanic. Mm-hmm. He called me and he said, Lol. We've gone through 350 actors here in Orlando. Can't find a captain.
He said, I told these men I know someone that could play that part. He's my next door neighbor. I used to be a lead singer of one of my rock and roll bands. I had eight bands for 22 years, touring the United States and Canada. And I went over there on a hoot just to see what it was all about.
He opened the door and there were six men sitting around the table, and he said, Gentlemen, here's Captain Smith. They took one look at me and they said, Yep, you're it. I didn't know what the captain looked like, but an hour later I went through that souvenir shop. and I saw the front page of the New York Times, nineteen twelve. Picture of Captain Smith looking right at me.
And my first thought was my neighbor has taken my picture and pasted it on the front page of the New York Times. He shouldn't do that. That's wrong.
Well, I was there for about two years. And then I heard they were going to dive to the Titanic, and I thought, oh, that would be nice if I could do that.
So I called them and they said no. I waited two weeks and I called him again and I said, I'd like to go down to the Titanic. And they said, no, no, that's for archaeologists and important people. wealthy people, people have climbed Mount Everest. Millionaires.
I waited two more weeks and I I you know, I remember. Winston Churchill made a famous speech during World War II. He said, We will fight him in the air, we will fight him on land, we will fight him at sea, but we will never surrender. I remember that he was invited to speak at Harvard University. After the war.
And the professor said to the students, get your pads and pens ready. Because when this man speaks, it's wisdom. They flew him over from England. The old man hobbled up the microphone and he said, never give up. Never, never, never, never give up.
And he turned around and sat down. I never forgot that. That was the best speech I ever heard. I call him again. And I said, I'm the captain of the Titanic.
I'm in front of the camera. I'm in everyone's home. I'm the one that's talking about your exhibit. I believe if the media could say this man's been down to see this ship, More people would be interested in what I have to say about it. and you'll get more people there and you'll make more money.
It got quiet on the other end of the phone, then the man said, I think you're right. Come along.
So I actually packed up and I went to St. John's, Newfoundland. That's where you leave from. And I got there and they looked at me and they said, you're too tall. You won't fit in there.
I said, I'll fit in there.
Now I'm six foot four. I'm the tallest and the oldest that's ever been down to the tight tanning. I was 68 at the time. I said I'll fit in there.
Well, we don't have a fire soup big enough for you. Fire sued. What's this about a fire?
Well, you'll be breathing 100% oxygen. It could flash to a fire like Apollo 1 did.
Well, if that's the case, I'll be burnt to a crisp in ten seconds. What good is a suit? They said, well, your name will be written on it. It's for identification. Identification I'm that tall guy down there.
Well, anyway, I got in the suit. That suit was a little too small. But I did get in one.
Now when I and I got on the academy tells that Russian thy vessel, I notice on the back end of one of those subs a protective shield that went around the propeller. was held together with duct tape.
Now that doesn't breed a lot of confidence. And I'm thinking to myself, do I really want to do this? All I could think of is, well, I've lived a long life, I'm 68.
Okay. If I die, I know where I'm going. That's the important thing. And if I come back I'll have a story to tell. And I came back and I'd been telling that story for 21 years all around the world.
I told it in Shanghai, China for two weeks. I told it in Singapore for two weeks I've been at every state in the United States, every providence in Canada, where they've had these Titanic exhibits.
Sometimes two or three times, different cities One day I was eating dinner.
Now there's twice as many people out there. That would like to go down, that would get a chance.
So I knew I didn't have any chance, but. While I was eating, That fellow that I talked to on the phone came over to me, bent over and said to me, Lowell, you're going down in the morning. And what a unique and original voice we're listening to. And that is, of course, the voice of Loa Lytle. who plays the part and has been playing the part of Captain Smith.
When we come back more... of Loa Lytle's story here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here, and I'd like to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, or wherever you get our podcasts. Any story you missed or want to hear again can be found there daily. Again, Please subscribe to the Our American Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
It helps us keep these great American stories coming. Definitely. Feeling when you check your bank account and your paychecks days away. And of course, your calendar's all. Good news!
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Member FDIC. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter.
Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way.
The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q.
Warning. The following song has been rated dangerously catchy and may not be suitable for grown-ups. B, B, C. Tea in the morning. brush your teeth.
A D C D in the morning for shooting E F G Lingo kids, only suitable for kids. If it gets stuck in mom's head, that's not our problem. Everything kids love. Download now for free. You've watched racing.
Now get behind the wheel. At Kaizen Autosport Racing School in VIR, professional race drivers teach you how to drive faster, safer, and with more confidence on one of America's legendary racetracks. Never driven on track? We'll get you started. Already experienced, we'll take you to the next level.
Ready to race? Earn your competition license and learn real wheel-to-wheel racecraft. Stop watching, start driving. Go to racevir.com. That's racevir.com.
And we continue with Our American Stories and with Lowell Lytle's story. about being one of the privileged few. Who's seen the Titanic? First hand, and who also happens to play the part of Captain Smith at Titanic events all over the globe. Let's return to Loah Lytle and his story.
Oh my goodness, my heart began to pound. I couldn't believe it. They're gonna let me go down. to the Titanic.
Well, Fox Television followed me all around like I was an astronaut.
Now you the first of all you gotta take your shoes off In the event that you pick up any oil from that mothership walking on the deck. And breathing 100% oxygen, it could, if there's a spark, that would be it.
So I took my shoes off, I got inside. And with my long legs, wouldn't you know, I kicked over the oxygen tank. Boy, it didn't take long before that Russian pilot came alive and straightened that thing out.
Now I I got no place to sit. I meant a ball. and six and a half feet in diameter. Nineteen inches thick. And there's three grown men in there.
And it takes two and a half hours to get down two and a half miles to the wreck side. They turn off all the lights to conserve the batteries.
Now they turned that hatch down tight and I knew then I couldn't change my mind. I can't see anything. All I can do is think about what I'm about to see. I'm not going to see a movie, I'm going to see the real thing. And when they turn out the lights The Russian pilot says we're almost there.
And I didn't like what I saw. We were going too fast and we bounced off the ocean floor. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Of course, it took five minutes for all that dust to settle down.
And the first thing that I noticed was the sea life. It was so strange, there's no light that far down on the ocean floor, no sun.
So the crabs are white, the starfish that 13 inches in diameter. Five points, but none of them any larger than her little finger.
Now when they turn on the lights Moments later, I was right over the bow, the same spot where Jack in the movie held out his arms that I'm the king of the world. I went right over that spot. I said, take me to the captain's cabin. James Cameron said the side was already gone. They took me there.
I was five feet from the captain's bath for ten minutes while they were changing film. I found a wrench down there, the mouth on it was 13 inches across. Sticking straight up in the ocean floor, like somebody throwing a javelin. And I notice While I was picking items up, off the ocean floor. There was a hat.
It looked like a derby hat. and it was in mint condition. There's no current that far down. And I told the Russian pilot to go get that, and they did. There are two mechanical arms on the outside of that sub.
and he picked it up and they pushed a button and a basket went out from underneath. and he let go of it to fall into the basket, and it disappeared like a cloud. The microorganisms are eating up that ship at such a tremendous rate, it's gonna. be an orange spot on the ocean floor within a hundred years.
Now I think that hat was probably made out of felt. Had it been made out of leather, it probably couldn't make it. Because those microorganisms that do not like the tanning process of leather, it repels them. There's shoes and hats and bags. That's why you see those things.
found enough items and I thought to myself, I just want to stay focused on this and not get involved emotionally. But after an hour and a half, All I could think of was what really took place that night. 1500 souls slipped into eternity. All of them had plans to get to New York and start a new life. It never happened.
Life can be short, folks. Make sure you tell your loved one every day how much you love them. And you better know where you're going because it's going to happen to every one of us. We're all going to die one time or another. When it happens, it'll be too soon.
Just remember this, eternity is a long time to be wrong. Get it right. In fact, there's a story. about a second class passenger, his name is Reverend John Harper, There's a book entitled The Titanic's Last Hero. It's about Reverend Harper.
And he was on his way to Chicago. to preach. He had a a revival service before he left. And he told the people In that service he said he was going to go to New York on that new ship called the Titanic. the next week.
After the service, one of the one of his parishioners came up to him and said, Reverend, I have a bad feeling about that ship. I have an ominous feeling that something bad's going to take place. I feel so strongly about it. I want to I want you to go to New York, but I... I I don't want you to get on this sh the ship.
Please take the Lusitania. I'll even pay for your ticket. Reverend Harper thought about it. He says, No, the Apostle Paul wouldn't run away from danger. If anything happens, he says, I'm ready.
And it happened. And when the Titanic started to go down, That Baptist minister ran around the deck shouting, Women and children and unsaved people Get aboard the lifeboats. You just can't keep these Baptists quiet. He even gave his lifees to a man. That was not a Christian.
His daughter Anna was standing right next to him. And his sister-in-law was standing next to him. They both survived. The sister-in-law overheard the Reverend when he gave that life vest to that man. He said, Here, take this, I don't need it.
I'm not going down, I'm going up. He's in the water now. Twenty-eight degrees. It feels like a thousand knives stabbing it. Then a man drifted by on a piece of wood, and Reverend Harper shouted to the man, Are you saved?
The man said no. Reverend Harper shouted, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. The man drifted off into the dark and later the current drew him back. And Reverend Harper again shouted to the man, Are you saved yet? The man said, I can't honestly say that I am Reverend Harper's last words were Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
And with that the Reverend slipped under the water and went to that frozen watery grave. There were 12 people pulled from the water that night. Six of them lived. That man was one of them. And that story was told a few weeks later in Hamilton, Ontario by that same man who said, I listened to Reverend Harper's last message and became a believer in Jesus Christ with two miles of water beneath me.
Titanic's Last Hero REVER. JOHN HARPER. God bless you, folks. And what a piece of storytelling. by Lowell Lytle.
Not only his story, but not only his passion for the Titanic, but telling the story of the Titanic's lest hero as well, as perhaps only he can do. We haven't had many better storytellers on this show. and many better stories. A special thanks to Loa Lytle. For sharing his story, He has been entertaining guests at the Titanic Museum for more than 15 years.
He is also the author of the inspiring read. Diving into the deep. Loa Lytle's story. The story of the Titanic. Here on Our American Stories.
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Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com.
Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage.
Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. Warning. The following song has been rated dangerously catchy and may not be suitable for grown-ups.
One. Two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Knock, knock, knocking at the door. Knock, knock, knocking at the door.
Five, six, who is it? Five, six, who is it? It's Callie and Ellen. It's Callie and Ellie. Lingo kids, only suitable for kids.
If it gets stuck in mom's head, that's not our problem. Everything kids love. Download now for free. You've watched racing.
Now get behind the wheel. At Kaizen Autosport Racing School in VIR, professional race drivers teach you how to drive faster, safer, and with more confidence on one of America's legendary racetracks. Never driven on track? We'll get you started. Already experienced, we'll take you to the next level.
Ready to race? Earn your competition license and learn real wheel-to-wheel racecraft. Stop watching. Start driving. Go to racevir.com.
That's racevir.com.
