A living legend of MACV-SOG and the Green Berets, John "Tilt" Stryker Meyer shares some of the most daring first-person stories of combat ever told! Inserted by Kingbee helicopter into the dense jungle along the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos and Cambodia during the height of the Vietnam War, Tilt and the US and indigenous members of Strike Force Idaho deployed on one impossible top-secret mission after another, spying on, harassing and taking it to the North Vietnamese and Vietcong despite a casualt...
Aug 21, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 11
A living legend of MACV-SOG and the Green Berets, John "Tilt" Stryker Meyer shares some of the most daring first-person stories of combat ever told! Inserted by Kingbee helicopter into the dense jungle along the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos and Cambodia during the height of the Vietnam War, Tilt and the US and indigenous members of Strike Force Idaho deployed on one impossible top-secret mission after another, spying on, harassing and taking it to the North Vietnamese and Vietcong despite a casualt...
Aug 14, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Kelsi Sheren grew up in rural Canada, joining the Canadian military at 18, where she was trained to fire the powerful M777 howitzer. Deployed to Afghanistan in 2008, Kelsi was assigned to multi-national teams serving alongside British and American soldiers, responsible for searching Afghan women as the team entered villages, a task forbidden to her male comrades in that Muslim country. On one mission, the dramatic death of a fellow soldier and friend to an IED triggered a very debilitating case ...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 9
Since fleeing Communist Poland and arriving in the USA in 1984, Drago Dzieran has daily pledged to become a better American in gratitude for his life here. He describes growing up in post-war Soviet-controlled Poland, where he and his family knew fear, hunger, and oppression. Jailed for being part of the Soviet-toppling Solidarity movement, he relates what it is like to speak out against censorship and totalitarian rule. He then jumped at the chance to emigrate to the U.S. and live in our free a...
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Former Head of Detectives of the Compton Police Department turned award-winning writer, Frederick Reynolds tells the story behind his gripping new non-fiction book Saint Bloodbath , about a series of brutal murders that took place in a homeless encampment in Long Beach, California in 2008. Joining Fred are Detective Mark McGuire (LBPD) and Captain Martin Rodriguez (LASD) who both played key roles in solving the unusual, complicated case involving the murky culture of the marginalized, the Nuthoo...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Self-described working class writer and factory worker Frank Bill speaks candidly about the personal stories that inform his searing new novel Back to the Dirt, and the psychological and physical devastation that has ripped through his home turf of southern Indiana. Inspired in part by the story of his father, a Marine who served in Vietnam as an infantryman and mine sweeper, and pictures Frank, as a boy, found in father’s closet. Frank Bill provides us with visceral evidence of the problems aff...
Jul 17, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 6
On December 5, 2005, Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Israel “DT” Del Toro’s life changed in a flash of light when the Humvee he was riding in ran over an IED in southeastern Afghanistan. The resulting explosion and fire burned over 80% his body. Doctors gave him only a 15% percent chance to survive. What they didn’t count on were the promises he had made to his wife, son and father, his courage and the remarkable strength of his heart, mind and soul. Heroes Behind Headlines Executive Producer R...
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Shot down over Formosa and facing a firing squad, Sgt. John Shott – radio operator and rear gunner of a B-25 Mitchell bomber – spent the remainder of World War II starving in a Japanese POW camp. Today we’re deeply honored as he tells his inspiring story. Heroes Behind Headlines Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com
Jul 03, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 4
When today’s guest Christopher Fulton inherited the Cartier watch President Kennedy wore the day he was assassinated, little did he know that he was holding the single most compelling piece of evidence that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone and the fatal shoot was fired from in front of the limo. What happened to Christopher next is chilling. Heroes Behind Headlines Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Our guests today are Bronze Star-recipient Maj. Fred Galvin and author Sal Manna, authors of A Few Bad Men – the incredible true story of an elite team of US Marines set up to take the fall for alleged Afghanistan war crimes they did not commit, and their leader (Major Galvin) who fought for the redemption of his men. Heroes Behind Headlines Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Today’s guest, former Hollywood Homicide detective Steve Hodel, has solved over 300 cases in his career. He had retired with many honors when his father died and he was confronted with his most difficult and most emotionally challenging case ever. He discovered that his father George Hodel had been one of the most terrifying, prolific and diabolical serial killers to ever live. Perhaps George Hodel’s most notorious victim was Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, whose nude, surgically bisected...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Charlene Hummert had been strangled to death using a dog collar when her body was found in her SUV in the parking lot of a grocery store on March 21st 2004. The murderer planted a series of handwritten letters, pretending to be Charlene’s non-existent stalker, in an attempt to draw police attention away from himself. However, due to the expert testimony of a forensic linguist, the jury needed less than an hour to deliberate and convict Charlene’s own husband, Brian, of her gruesome murder. HBH i...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 44
On the 26th of December 1944, Lt. John Fox commanded a mere 70 Americans - all of whom were black - against a massive German assault. The mountaintop village of Sommocolonia, along Italy’s northern most border, stood between the Germans and the strategic port of Livorno, 40 miles south. If successful, they would have choked off supplies to the Allied forces. In Lt. John Fox’s first and only battle, his heroism stopped that from happening. John repeatedly called for defensive artillery fire to sl...
Nov 15, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 43
A retired Green Beret simply could not lose another soldier in the Global War on Terror. He called together a group of Special Forces veterans from the Army, Navy and CIA to join him in one last mission. As the US withdrew after 20 years in Afghanistan and the Taliban seized control, their friend, an American-trained Afghan commando, had to be saved. However, that would be just the beginning of their remarkable evacuation efforts. It is our sincere honor to welcome US Army Lt. Col. Scott Mann. A...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Some of the most ferocious fighting in recorded human history took place on a tiny Pacific Ocean island between February 19th and March 26th 1945. The United States Navy and Marine Corps invaded Iwo Jima, which was being held by The Imperial Japanese Army, protecting the island’s two separate air fields. Raymond Salvie was one of the incredibly brave Marines who fought and survived these weeks in hell. This historic interview is one of many conducted by Joe Messineo over the past decade, as part...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 41
A ten year old Belgian girl found herself sold into a murderous pedophile network by her own mentally ill mother. Despite living in hell, the little girl still loved her mother and believed that someday she would find love in another person as well. Surrounded by betrayal, violence and a near-death experience - among other horrors - she faced an almost certain demise. HBH is honored to welcome Anneke Lucas as our guest. Severe and organized child abuse is among our world’s greatest horrors. To s...
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 40
As one of 128 siblings, and part of a much larger Mormon Cult known as ‘The Order’, Jacob Kingston hardly stood out. However, that changed when he realized he could use his small biofuel company to scam the US Government out of hundreds of millions of dollars. To make this possible, he reached out to an unlikely partner: the head of Los Angeles’ ruthless Armenian Mafia, whose nickname was ‘The Lion’. We are excited to welcome award-winning author, producer and journalist, Michele McPhee, whose l...
Oct 17, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Master Sergeant Changiz Lahidji has served on more Special Forces A-teams than anyone in history. If that wasn’t impressive enough, he is also the very first Muslim to wear the US Army Special Forces Green Beret. An absolute legend during his 24 years as a Green Beret, Changiz has served America in every war since Vietnam - including over 100 combat missions in Afghanistan alone. He has traversed dozens of other theaters of operation. His amazing and heroic time in the Army is unlike any other. ...
Oct 14, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 38
In the early 1990s, gang warfare and the crack cocaine epidemic took hold of South Los Angeles. The violence spiraled out of control, to a scale which grabbed national attention. During this, the most dangerous period in LA’s history, a criminal with an automatic weapon tried to kill an officer at close range. Fortunately for that officer, the weapon malfunctioned, and a chase began. HBH is honored to welcome retired LA Country Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detective and author: Danny R Smith. T...
Oct 10, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Being accepted to work at the CIA is highly difficult. The interview process is long and secretive - and applicants and their references are often vetted without ever knowing it. Once accepted, very few go on to practice espionage. That distinction is reserved for those invited to the CIA’s top secret and legendary training program known as ‘The Farm’. Fewer still actually graduate the program and become Case Officers or as they are most commonly referred: Spies. HBH is excited to welcome back f...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Raymond Salvie enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1944 at the height of World War II. By the end of February 1945 he found himself part of the US military’s massive Pacific Campaign, landing on the beaches of Iwo Jima. The infamous 5-week battle of Iwo Jima is regarded as some of the fiercest fighting in modern military history. At one point Raymond fired mortars from the same position for 4 straight days. By battle’s end there were 27,000 American casualties and 18,000 Japanese were killed or u...
Sep 29, 2022•5 min•Season 1Ep. 35
In the late 1970s Iran fell into violent revolution, as Ayatollah Khomeini installed an Islamic fundamentalist government. This forced millions of citizens opposed to his system of rule to flee their home nation, as refugees. Armin Armiri was only thirteen when his family left the only country they had ever called home. Forced to spend his teenage years in refugee camps, Armin finally arrived in America in 1989, without money, family, or friends. Starting out as a busboy, he eventually became ma...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 34
As the Cold War was taking shape in 1953, the United States accepted Lockheed Corporation’s proposal to build the U-2 spy plane, out of absolute necessity. The program has been such a massive success for the US military and CIA, that the plane remains in service today over 64 years later. However, only one black woman has ever flown the U-2. We are honored to welcome United States Air Force Col. Merryl Tengesdal. Colonel Tengesdal’s remarkable journey began in the Bronx. Despite facing enormous ...
Sep 19, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Introducing ‘Rapid Fire’, new short-form episodes of Heroes Behind Headlines featuring our host Ralph Pezzullo himself, telling an amazing story about an incredible hero. There is no better person with whom to begin, particularly during the week of September 11, than CIA Case Officer Gary Berntsen. Gary is the man the CIA picked to lead the first Americans into Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11. Armed with less than 500 total CIA and Special Operations personnel - along with US air power and over ...
Sep 16, 2022•7 min•Season 1Ep. 32
August 6th, 2011. Wardak Province, Afghanistan. 15 SEAL Team 6 operators and 23 allied personnel traveled on board a helicopter with call sign “Extortion 17”. Tragically, the aircraft was struck by a Taliban-fired rocket-propelled grenade and crashed. Moments later, an urgent rescue mission was launched. HBH is honored to welcome the man who led that mission: author and retired US Army Ranger Sergeant First Class Nicholas Moore. Every mission and movement of SEAL Team 6, the Navy’s most elite sp...
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Easily breaking bones and having to do “death math” to judge if an activity is safe enough for you on a daily basis creates countless challenges. But that is what living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) requires. To overcome those enormous hurdles, and now star as a supervillain in the brand new Marvel television series ‘She-Hulk: Attorney At Law’ on Disney+, is nothing short of incredible. HBH is excited to welcome actress, activist, writer and comedian, Jameela Jamil. EDS can be incredibly da...
Aug 29, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 30
In case you missed any of Heroes Behind Headlines, check out this special episode with some of our listeners' favorite moments to date. Thank you to our loyal audience for your feedback, and if you are one of our many new listeners, take a listen to these highlights, pick any episode to start with and catch-up today. With over 100 more episodes already planned, we will continue to bring all of you more of the headlines you know, told by the heroes you don’t. And remember to subscribe, download, ...
Aug 26, 2022•2 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Human trafficking is a $150 billion global industry, which remains severely underreported. One of the epicenters for this barbaric business is Western Africa, where lawlessness has reigned for generations. Fortunately, one man decided to go undercover to try and help take down the people behind these atrocities. On his own and utilizing only a $34 pair of glasses with a hidden camera, he put his life at risk. Four months and 6,000 miles later, he miraculously survived a journey into the darkest ...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 28
In November of 2016, Mosul was the epicenter of the intense battle to drive ISIS out of Iraq. CNN reporter Arwa Damon, her cameraman, and an Iraqi security convoy were ambushed and trapped behind ISIS enemy lines. A US Navy SEAL platoon quickly activated to save them. However, as hundreds of ISIS fighters were closing in, the only chance of a rescue was with the assistance of incredibly precise and powerful air strikes. Luckily, embedded with the SEALs that day was our guest: former US Air Force...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Very few people have a lifestyle in which it is entirely possible to be working on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and then two weeks later find yourself on an unbelievable deployment with US Special Forces in Afghanistan. However, as a reservist, that is exactly the life one lives. HBH is excited to welcome Navy Reserve Lieutenant Commander Tim Sanchez. Since 9/11 Tim has had held a number of lucrative positions on and off Wall Street. He has also been a commissioned officer i...
Aug 08, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 26
