War Stories W/ Oliver North

This is the story of an American military legend - the recipient of America's highest decorations for valor: The Medal Of Honor, The Distinguished Service Cross, seven Silver Stars - and more than a dozen awards from allied nations. From the time he graduated 1st in his class from West Point until he retired with 50 plus years of service, he was a complex combination of valor and vanity, a figure of legendary victory and terrible loss. To this day, he is one of the most controversial military leaders in U.S. history. I'm Oliver North - and in this War Stories podcast you will learn more about General Douglas MacArthur than you ever knew - from people who knew him best - those with whom he served - those who loved him - and the president who fired him. Stay with us for the remarkable life story of a man who honed his battle skills in the trenches of World War I and who still inspires future generations of soldiers and military planners. You'll hear how this legendary leader enjoyed great victories - and pers

When we filed our first "sitrep" from Kuwait on Thursday, 6 March, 2003, neither my field producer nor I had the answer to the #1 question from FOX News HQ in New York City: "When will hostilities against Saddam Hussein commence?" Two weeks later we could answer the question - because we were embedded with the U.S. Marines who were the first to fight. I'm Oliver North, and in this FOX News War Stories podcast you can join cameraman & field producer Griff Jenkins and me as we cover the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom - from pre-hour action - and the first American combat losses, through the liberation of Baghdad and to the capture of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Come with us as we keep company with America's newest generation of heroes as they topple Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and his bloody regime that terrorized the Iraqi people for more than 25 years. The voices and sounds you hear in this podcast are the real thing - captured on our microphones during vicious gunfights while we were embed

By the spring of 1972, the Vietnam War - in which my U.S. Army brother and I both served - was supposed to be "winding down." President Richard Nixon's commitment to "Vietnamization" - training, equipping & "supporting" the South Vietnamese government & military - was well underway. In February 1972, the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne - the last U.S. ground combat division in The Republic of Vietnam - headed home. By March 1972, U.S. combat troop levels "in country" had dropped from a high of 500,000 American Soldiers & Marines in 1969 to just two Army brigades guarding fixed installations and a few thousand U.S. "advisors" embedded with South Vietnamese forces. With President Nixon facing re-election - and making overtures to Beijing & Moscow - North Vietnam's General Vo Nguyen Giap convinced the Politburo in Hanoi that the spring of 1972 was the "perfect time" to strike a devastating blow against the U.S. supported government in Saigon. Giap chose noon, Thursday, 30 March - the eve of Good Friday and Easter

"Leave no one behind." It's a sacred promise our military makes to all who serve in uniform. To keep that pledge, in October 2003 The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command - JPAC - was created by President George W. Bush with the mission of finding and bringing home America's missing in action - no matter where or when they were lost. I'm Oliver North, and in this War Stories podcast you will meet members of a military unit unlike any other in the world. The Pentagon dubbed it - "JPAC" - The Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command. In 2010, in between deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan & other hot spots, our FOX News War Stories team was dispatched to document how JPAC accomplished their unique military mission. We began at JPAC headquarters at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, where 18 teams of specialized investigators, forensic scientists and active-duty military personnel were based when not deployed around the globe. These JPAC teams had a daunting task: traversing trackless deserts, snake infested jungles, re

He was the world's most wanted criminal, with a 25 million dollar bounty on his head. For almost ten years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden was on the run, his whereabouts unknown. On May 1, 2011, under cover of darkness, a US special operations team lead by Navy SEALs descended over a compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. Within forty minutes, Osama bin Laden was dead. It was a perfectly executed, covert mission of American Special Ops. In this 'boots on the ground' episode of "War Stories," you'll get a gripping, inside understanding of covert intelligence collection, high risk meets with clandestine informants, and rapid response capture-kill missions. From three month-long embeds with US soldiers and Marines, Special Operations units and the DEA, our "War Stories" team takes you on heart-thumping raids into Taliban strongholds, and you'll meet the unsung heroes who fight in the shadows to take down the Taliban. And from Kabul, General David Petraeus, the commander of all U

A remote combat base in the Vietnamese highlands, Khe Sanh was the scene of one of the most ferocious and controversial battles of the Vietnam War. The 6,000 Marines and soldiers at the base were surrounded by a massive North Vietnamese enemy force numbering more than 20,000. From January through April 1968, they endured unrelenting enemy fire, heavy casualties and dwindling supplies of ammunition, food and water. Overhead, B-52s dropped more tons of bombs than had been dropped on any one place in history. This transformed what were once lush, green mountains into a barren dustbowl that resembled the surface of the moon. Through it all, the Americans held their ground and broke the back of the enemy. But U.S. military commanders decided to abandon the base soon after the siege was broken. This left many of the Marines and soldiers who defended it extremely bitter. In this action-filled episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," get to know several of the men who nearly lost their lives at this dangerous a

They put their own lives in danger to rescue their fallen comrades. They are the warriors of medicine, a special breed tested at every turn. They are the medics, corpsmen, nurses and doctors who often risk their own lives to save the lives of others. In this exciting episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll meet a brave World War II nurse who was captured by the Japanese and spent nearly three years behind bars as a POW. And, you'll hear from one of the nurses who served in the real MASH unit during the Korean War. This episode also features the only known audio recording of military action that led to a Medal of Honor for "Dustoff" pilot Patrick Brady. You'll hear pilot Brady on the day he rescued more than 50 injured Americans, despite being shot down three times in different helicopters. These amazing tales of battlefield bravery will move and inspire you. And they'll demonstrate why today's nearly 1.4 million men and women in our armed forces so confidently put their lives in the hands of thes

When the call went out for America's first ski troops, men of the mountains came running and set in motion a story that would become legendary in military history. They came from all walks of alpine life to converge on a brand new base high in the Colorado Rockies...world champion ski racers, ski jumpers, mountain climbers, muleskinners, and guides. These men would become the elite 10th Mountain Division, America's fighting winter warriors. These ski troops would face one of the toughest tasks of the Second World War: breaking Hitler's iron grip on the steep mountain faces of Italy. In this gripping episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll hear of their battles with bitter cold, blinding snow, and tough German troops desperately holding on to their last line of defense. And you'll hear from Senator Bob Dole as he recounts his four-year struggle to recover from terrible wounds he suffered during a heroic attempt to save one of his men during the 10th's bloodiest battle. You will discover why there

This is a story that has all the ingredients of a Hollywood thriller, including high-tech espionage, Communist villains and American military heroes captured and subjected to brutal torture for months on end. But this is no Hollywood movie. It is the true story of the USS Pueblo and her brave crew of 83. In this podcast, you will hear about an incident that began in January 1968 and still resonates today. The USS Pueblo, an American surveillance vessel, was on her maiden voyage under orders to gather intelligence on North Korea. But the North Koreans had other plans. For the first time in some 150 years, an American Navy ship was seized in international waters. The astonishing action nearly brought the United States to the brink of war, and the staggering intelligence loss from the ship's capture compromised national security for nearly two decades. Hear from the men who endured eleven months of brutal captivity, including the ship's commander, Lloyd "Pete" Bucher, who returned home only to face court-mart

Guadalcanal was "a place the no one ever heard of." History would show this small island from the Solomon chain near Australia would prove to be the first steppingstone on the road to Tokyo and ultimate victory in the Pacific. But getting there would be nothing short of hell. Beginning in August 1942, this was America's first ground offensive in World War II against the Japanese who had been unstoppable in the Pacific. In some of the fiercest combat ever recorded, more than 7000 Americans would die fighting on these distant shores. Japan endured losses of more than thirty thousand. Our Navy sustained some of its greatest losses in history. On this compelling episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you will go inside Operation Watchtower as Admirals Chester Nimitz and Ernest King lock horns with General Douglas MacArthur about strategy in the Pacific. And you will meet and hear from two Marines, ace pilot Joe Foss and machine gunner Mitch Paige, as they recount harrowing battles for Henderson Field. Bo

The long war in Iraq may finally be coming to an end. Our War Stories team was there when it started, and has chronicled how it has been fought ever since. This compelling episode of War Stories was compiled during six lengthy embeds with U.S. forces in the land between the rivers. You are there with the Marines of the 3/2 in "Operation Matador" as they go hunting for terrorists along "rat lines" near the Syrian border. You'll meet Iraqi commandos and security forces and hear in their own words how they perceive the War on Terror. Go inside joint raids in the city of Ramadi where tips from local citizens contributed to the seizures of weapon caches and terrorist propaganda. And we pay tribute to those Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice in Operation Matador so that others may live free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this War Stories podcast you are going to hear the story of a U.S. And allied tactical victory and a strategic defeat. It was 1968. Here in the U.S. there were anti-war riots, anti-draft riots, the assasination of Martin Luther King - and even more riots. In Vietnam 500,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines were fighting a war that was broadcast into American living rooms every evening on the nightly news. On 17 January 1968, President Lyndon Baines Johnson delivered his State of the Union address - and reassured Congress and the American people that we were winning the war. Less than 2 weeks later - as the Tet new year celebrations began, the North Vietnamese army and the Vietcong launched a massive surprise assault on more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. The "Tet Offensive" shifted the fighting from the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam to the streets of Saigon and the imperial city of Hue. The terrible images of dead and wounded seen back home had the effect on America that t

It is one of the Vietnam War's most famous battles. The locals called it "Dong Ap Bia" or "Mountain of the Crouching Beast"; the Americans came to know it as Hamburger Hill. But what do you really know about the fight? Risking serious injury due to unexploded bombs and ordnance, "War Stories Investigates" journeyed to the top of Hamburger Hill. We traveled over 8,000 miles and, in doing so, "War Stories" became the first journalists or camera crew to visit Hamburger Hill since the Vietnam War. This unprecedented expedition will provide you an amazing understanding of what it is was like to do battle on this rain forest-covered mountain. In May of 1969 the famed 101st Airborne Division launched "Operation Apache Snow." The goal was simple: enter the A-Shau Valley, find the enemy and kill them. But, even a good plan never survives first contact with the enemy. From the beginning of the war, the A-Shau's steep, jungle covered slopes and valleys were an enemy stronghold. This American and South Vietnamese ass

It's been called The Forgotten War. Many in this country remember Korea as the setting for the film and television comedy series M.A.S.H. But for the 18 million who fought there, there was nothing funny about it. In this podcast, we bring you the story of the battle of the Chosin Reservoir - The Frozen Chosin - one of the coldest battles since Napoleon set foot in Russia. This is a story of exceptional bravery and courage above and beyond the call of duty. An epic tale of endurance and perseverance, not just by a small handful of troops, but by the thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, including some British commandos. These are the people who made up the X Corps in Korea during that terrible winter of 1950. Join us for the unforgettable story of true heroism as War Stories brings you The Battle for the Frozen Chosin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special edition of "War Stories with Oliver North," come along for an insider's tour of the historic USO (United Service Organizations). Oliver North travels from Hollywood to Washington D.C. to the battle zones inside Iraq to bring you the USO in action. Up close and in person, you'll hear stories from entertainers of all eras who have traveled to these dangerous areas for more than 60 years to give service and smiles to our troops. North talks with Hollywood icons and musical legends such as Mickey Rooney, Johnny Grant, Connie Stevens, Ann-Margret, Wayne Newton, Bo Derek and Bob Hope's son, Tony. They share their recollections of performing from steamy islands in the South Pacific to the jungles of Vietnam, to bases all over the world. Plus, acclaimed actor Gary Sinese sits down with North to share his pride in working with the USO since being inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. Then, hear how rocker Joan Jett tells of her dedication to performing for the troops in places that "aren't c

The North African desert... Its mysteries have made it a land of intrigue and espionage and armies have fought over it almost since time began. In November 1942 American and British troops landed on its shores to begin the first offensive against the axis powers. Three months later, in February 1943, American troops first encountered Hitler's Panzer divisions in a bloody battle at Kasserine Pass. These were battles fought in the barren trackless terrain of North Africa, where inexperienced leaders and raw American soldiers, some just weeks out of recruit training saw the horror of war for the first time. In this exciting episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll hear the stories of five army soldiers who survived their first time under fire against a combat-hardened German army, led by Erwin Rommel -- "the desert fox." From this bloody first offensive against Hitler emerged a battle-tested American army. The skills they honed in 1942 and 1943 in the north African desert are still used today. Learn

After two years of Operation Inherent Resolve, ISIS still holds Mosul, Iraq's second largest city--terrorizing, murdering and enslaving its 1.5 million citizens into the hell of the Islamic State.  Lt. Col. Oliver North and the "War Stories" team travel to the frontlines inside Iraq to see how the battle is being fought against a barbaric enemy. "War Stories" embeds with the Peshmerga--the Kurdish fierce fighting forces--who have had the most success fighting ISIS in Iraq.  Cameras are rolling when we take you inside a gun battle with ISIS that rages on the outskirts of Mosul as citizens flee the city. And see the humanitarian efforts as NGOs or non-governmental organizations hand out much needed food and water to the refugees under siege. We take you to the trenches in the Iraqi independent province of Kurdistan where they have literally dug into the ground to keep ISIS fighters from moving in. You'll also hear the stories from the victims of ISIS rescued from Mosul. In addition, this FOX News special exp

Gen. George S. Patton was one of the most fascinating military figures to dominate the last century. Quite simply, he was a genius for war. But at 11:45 on the morning of December 9, 1945, Gen. Patton was en route to a pheasant hunt near Mannheim, Germany, when his Cadillac staff car suddenly collided with a two-and-a-half ton U.S. Army truck. Twelve days later, the four-star general -- who had triumphed against Hitler's best from North Africa to Europe -- was dead. The Army concluded it was merely a traffic accident, but others believe it was an assassination attempt. On VE Day May 8, 1945, American GIs were ready to return home. But George Patton wanted to keep fighting. The always-outspoken general was vocal about who his new enemy was: the Russians. Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower disagreed, and so did many others in Washington. In this episode of "War Stories Investigates with Oliver North," we'll explore the rumors, myths and conspiracy theories surrounding Patton's mysterious accident

The beautiful island of Cuba, once a hotspot for American tourists in the 1940's and 1950's, is now an oppressed nation of 11 million people governed by a ruthless communist dictator. In this gripping episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll see how Fidel Castro brought a country together with promises and hope, and then tore it apart in one swift grab for power. You'll witness how Castro committed this ultimate betrayal through a campaign of murder, mayhem and lies to his fellow countrymen. Learn how as a Catholic schoolboy, who once wrote letters to President Roosevelt, Castro rose to command an army of idealistic revolutionaries to overthrow Fulgencio Batista. You'll bear witness to Castro's 1959 victorious entrance into the city of Havana from the man who rode alongside him. In a rare firsthand account, Oliver North interviews Huber Matos, one of Castro's most trusted commanders. Matos was betrayed, tortured and jailed by Castro for 20 years. You will meet the brave men who fought for

When Vice president Lyndon Baines Johnson accompanied President John F. Kennedy to Dallas in November of 1963, Johnson's long political career seemed to be over. With rumors abounding that Kennedy was going to drop him from the ticket in the upcoming 1964 election, Johnson had resigned himself to returning to a quiet life on his Texas ranch. Then an assassin's bullet forever changed Lyndon Johnson's political fortune. In this special biography episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll see how a former Texas school teacher made a rapid ascent through the ranks in Washington to become a political powerhouse. Lady Bird Johnson's home movies will give you a behind-the-scenes look at three decades of her husband's life. Former speech writer Harry Mcpherson reflects on how Johnson pushed sweeping civil rights reforms and dramatically expanded federal social programs through a reluctant congress. And you'll hear how LBJ got what he wanted by using the legendary "Johnson treatment." Johnson's gradual e