Avsnitt
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During the Iraq War, U.S.M.C. Infantry Major Scott A. Huesing led Echo Company, 2nd battalion, 4th Marines through some of the worst combat in Ramadi, in Al Anbar Province in Iraq. He shares his account of the harsh realities of dense urban combat, and what helped his men persevere—especially their sense of camaraderie and 'family,’ that persists decades later as his soldiers and their families continue to build their lives stateside.
Scott served in the Marines for 24 years. His book "Echo in Ramadi" follows his company through a classic account of modern warfare, and he notes the leadership lessons he absorbed as he worked to help the young people in his team—some still teenagers!—survive under the most terrible conditions imaginable.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
David Ambroz was one of three kids raised by a single mother with mental health issues. In his book, "A Place Called Home," he describes his Dickensian childhood surviving a flawed parent, life on the streets, and a social services system seemingly designed to deprive his family of the help they needed.
When his mother grew too violent, David was initially relieved to be put in the foster system, despite being separated from his siblings. But things went from bad to worse, until finally he found a family that helped him find acceptance and balance into his young adulthood.
David overcame the odds and went on to become very successful--completing college, and earning a law degree.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
Saknas det avsnitt?
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In his book, “Poisoner-in-Chief,” (Henry Holt & Co.) former New York Times reporter and prolific author, Stephen Kinzer describes the shadowy man responsible for setting up one of the most infamous U.S. government programs. In 1953 during the “Cold War,” MK Ultra was initiated to develop techniques to brainwash people to act as our ‘programmed’ agents, in response to the paranoid misconception that Communist regimes had already succeeded in this objective, as in the film “Manchurian Candidate.”
Kinzer describes how Sidney Gottlieb coldly led this CIA-sponsored program based on heinous human research salvaged from the Nazis and Japanese, unleashing brutal experiments involving drugs, torture, sensory deprivation, and sexual abuse on human subjects. Gottlieb next went on to establish his moniker “Poisoner-in-Chief” as he led efforts to develop assorted poisons and delivery techniques, arming the CIA as it sought to assassinate various figures and world leaders including Fidel Castro.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
"Damn the Valley" is the mantra of every soldier from 2 Fury who fought in this infamous Taliban stronghold and is also the title of guest Will Yeske's memoir. Operating as the gateway to Kandahar, this area saw months of the fiercest combat—yielding a 52% casualty rate as coalition forces attempted to pacify this hotspot in 2009 and 2010. At one point, the entire prosthetics unit of Walter Reade Hospital was filled with men who had patrolled that deadly area, and yet it garnered little attention from government officials or the media.
Serving in the 1st platoon, Bravo Company, 2-508 Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne, Will shares his dramatic and moving account with the aim of making us all aware of the price paid in blood and tears when we deploy military forces overseas.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
Elmer Miller was born in upstate New York into a large farming family that was part of a strict Amish community. Standing under four feet tall as a grown man, Elmer talks about the reality of life inside this group; how he confronted his own limitations and rebellious spirit; and ultimately his decision to leave and pursue life in the wider world with the "English."
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
Ryburn Dobbs breaks down his work as a forensic anthropologist and scientist and separates fact from fiction, as in TV programs like "Bones," explaining how real forensic investigations work. He shares details from his cases, and how his examination of bones help revealed critical clues as the police worked to solve murder cases.
Now retired, Ryburn continues to consult episodically on cases, and is also now the author of a series of mystery books based on his cases, including his latest book, "Where the Blood is Made."
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
Moritz Fuchs was a private in the 1st infantry division, 26th regiment, when he was sent overseas after D-Da,y to help fight German forces in the Huertgen forest, which saw some of the worst fighting in the whole war and claimed over 30,000 U.S. casualties.
After being wounded and recovering, he later served in the Harz mountains of Germany. After the war, he was appointed bodyguard to the Chief Prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials and was a witness to all the historic proceedings. Father Fuchs describes his impressions of the trials and how they deeply affected him.
Immediately following his discharge and return to the U.S. he enrolled in seminary school and became a priest, serving for over 60 years until 2018 when he passed away at age 92.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
As part of a military unit so secret that its team members are not permitted to speak about it--except now for the first time ever!--Adam Gamal (not his real name) is not who you might expect to find in such a unit. But he's exactly the person who's most effective.
Born in Egypt, he emigrated to the U.S. to avoid Islamic extremists; worked two jobs while getting his degree; and then enlisted in the U.S. Army. He describes his deployments to the Middle East and Africa; being wounded; and the various cultural and anti-Muslim prejudices he dealt with as he rose in the ranks.
Adam is joined by Kelly Kennedy, co-author of their new book, "The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America's Most Secret Military Operatives." (St. Martin.)
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
U.S. Army Major General Gregg F. Martin (ret.) was the epitome of a successful military officer—an inspirational leader brimming with energy, intelligence and creativity. He shot up the leadership ranks of the U.S. military.
During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, he commanded the 130th Engineer Brigade as they cleared the way and rebuilt bridges to facilitate the takeover of the Euphrates River Valley, Baghdad and beyond. Working nonstop and seemingly indefatigable, he inspired the people he led and impressed his superiors, which resulted in numerous awards and promotions.
Unknown to him, the mental pressure of combat triggered a disposition to bipolar disorder. And, the same extraordinary mental clarity and energy that had previously been a blessing turned into a nightmare of full-blown mania and depression, which resulted in the end of his distinguished military career. General Martin is with us today to share his struggle and journey to recovery and managing his condition, as described in his book, "Bipolar General." (Naval Institute Press)
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
David Holdridge served as a platoon leader in the U.S. Infantry outside of Chu Lai, Vietnam suffered a catastrophic injury, and has since devoted his life to delivering humanitarian aid to people suffering from starvation, exploitation, and in war zones around the world in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. From Saigon to Gaza, he relates his journey.
Inspired to write his book "The Water Above," David brings important wisdom as he shares his insights into working effectively within various cultures to give help to the people who need it.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
A different kind of war story and hero: Lt. Mary Balster was a charming Midwestern teenager (the apple of her father's eye) when she enlisted as a nurse at the outbreak of WWII. She proved invaluable on the front lines as a German-speaker, but was unprepared for the nonstop workload; the filth; the horrible injuries and desperation; the quickly formed friendships; having to care for enemy combatants; and being one of a handful of women surrounded by thousands of GIs. Patton insisted on keeping his field hospital close to his front lines, (in order to more quickly care for the wounded) and Mary had her share of challenges and adventures. Her daughter NCR Davis shares highlights from her mother's diaries and war history, including her never-diagnosed PTSD, from her biography, "For the Boys."
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
Award-winning journalist Sam Quinones lays out the facts behind the meth and fentanyl drug crisis in the U.S.:
He expertly describes how mass manufacturing has made these drug ubiquitous, cheap, and infinitely more potent, and thus unlike any other drugs--legal or illegal--ever consumed by human beings. Sam explains how today’s meth has triggered an abrupt rise in homelessness, and why these drugs and so destructive to users, their families, and ultimately all of us.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
Janina Melberg was a brilliant mathematician posing as a Polish Countess Janina Suchodolska to hide her Jewish identity during the Nazi occupation in WWII Poland. She simultaneously joined the both the Polish Welfare Council (RGO)--and secretly the Polish Underground--and bravely organized food and relief supplies for Poles incarcerated in the infamous Majdanek Concentration Camp.
Co-authors Elizabeth B. White and Joanna Sliwa trace the long-hidden history of this remarkable and previously unknown woman, and how they posthumously discovered and researched her story for their book, "Counterfeit Countess." (Publisher) Janina ended up escaping to the U.S. following the war, ultimately finishing her academic career at the University of Chicago.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
Jim “Wild Carrot” Shorten-Jones served as a team leader (One-Zero) in MACV-SOG during the height of Vietnam War, and ultimately in the Army, Navy and Air Force. In another exciting chapter in America's "secret war" in Laos and Cambodia, Jim shares his adrenaline-fueled war stories as team leader of RT-Delaware, and also recounts the non-stop life of adventure he has led since--including his work as a U.S. Air Force Pararescueman (PJ) saving people stranded far out at sea.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
Jim “Wild Carrot” Shorten-Jones served as a team leader (One-Zero) in MACV-SOG during the height of Vietnam War, and ultimately in the Army, Navy and Air Force. In another exciting chapter in America's "secret war" in Laos and Cambodia, Jim shares his adrenaline-fueled war stories as team leader of RT-Delaware, and also recounts the non-stop life of adventure he has led since--including his work as a U.S. Air Force Pararescueman (PJ) saving people stranded far out at sea.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
When FBI Special Agent Nikki Badolato arranged a live meetup with a man looking to 'rent' her infant daughter as part of a sting, she was shocked to see how presentable and 'normal' this 30-something man was. Now, after a two-decade career, Nikki and Rolling Stone journalist Alex Morris lay out the state of domestic human trafficking, how pedophile rings work, and what we should all know about the fight to save hundreds of thousands of children trafficked in the U.S. every year.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
U.S. Coast Guard Veteran Martha La Guardia-Kotite shares inspiring stories of bravery from her book, “So Others May Live—Coast Guard’s Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death.” These brave men and women put their lives at risk to rescue people in the greatest peril. Among the stories is that of a baby rescued from a boat in the middle of a hurricane.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
One dark night in Austin, Texas, onlookers watched in horror as musician Gary Wimmer was struck head-on by a speeding car, ramming his head into the front grill and hurtling him into the air until he landed on the pavement. When he stood up minutes later, seemingly unharmed, people were confused and unbelieving at his lack of injury. So were the emergency room doctors.
While unconscious, Gary experienced a near-death experience, or NDE. What Gary experienced in that minute or two changed his life forever, sending him on a voyage beyond space and time, giving him a glimpse of the secrets of the universe and bringing back a message of hope and positivity.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
In part two of this interview, Roger Lockshier lays out his dramatic experiences as a helicopter pilot serving in Vietnam. In 1968, at the height of the war, he was routinely sent in on his Huey gunship to support or rescue MACV-SOG Green Beret soldiers secretly operating in Laos and Cambodia. Roger shares his 'birdseye' perspective on several missions—including the most dramatic helicopter rescue you’ve ever heard. He also expresses his admiration of the incredible bravery of his “Huey” crew and his comrades-in-arms, including the Montagnards, Brus, and Vietnamese he befriended.
Like many of those who served in these operations, Roger was sworn to silence for decades. We're honored to share his story.
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com -
In this two-part interview, Roger Lockshier lays out his dramatic experiences as a helicopter pilot serving in Vietnam. In 1968, at the height of the war, he was routinely sent in on his Huey gunship to support or rescue MACV-SOG Green Beret soldiers secretly operating in Laos and Cambodia. Roger shares his 'birdseye' perspective on several missions—including the most dramatic helicopter rescue you’ve ever heard. He also expresses his admiration of the incredible bravery of his “Huey” crew and his comrades-in-arms, including the Montagnards, Brus, and Vietnamese he befriended.
Like many of those who served in these operations, Roger was sworn to silence for decades. We're honored to share his story. (Part II airs 2/28)
Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com - Visa fler