Heroes Behind Headlines
Heroes Behind the Headlines: a new podcast featuring an explosive new story every episode. First-hand accounts of adventures and events which have shaped our world . The real stories behind the headlines you know, told by the heroes you don’t. Hosted by NYT and international bestselling author Ralph Pezzullo.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 65 minutes
- Episodes
- 172
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Professor Tore Olsson Makes History Cool Again
When he started playing video game “Red Dead Redemption 2”, (which has sold over 64 million copies) Professor Tore Olsson from the University of Tennessee was inspired to use the game's setting in th…
Israel, October 2023: Helping People Escape During a Crisis
Previous HBH guests, private security contractors Dean and Alana Stott are back—this time reporting on their work last October, after the terrorist attacks in Israel. Charged with helping Americans a…
A WWII Story Like No Other: How the Man Who Bombed Pearl Harbor Befriended the Man Who Bombed Tokyo
Three lives collide and transform in wartime: The Japanese fighter pilot, Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the attack on Pearl Harbor; the U.S. pilot Jake DeShazer, who bombed Tokyo in retaliation and became …
Firefight in the Laotian Jungle: A Riveting Story from America's "Secret War"
Lynne Black Jr., as member of RT Alabama – a recon team of the legendary MACV-SOG (“Study and Observations Group”) – fought in one of the most amazing missions of the eight-year "secret war" during …
The Horrors of an African-American Mental Asylum
In 1911, experts believed that the psychology of different races was distinct, and so, like other states, the state of Maryland founded Crownsville, a mental asylum administered by an all-white docto…
Gold Star Son Waits 21 Years to Learn of Father’s Death in Vietnam
In 1968, SSgt. Richard Fitts Sr. was a member of the legendary MACV-SOG team based in Vietnam, fighting in the ‘secret war’ in Laos, when the helicopter he was flying in crashed in the jungle in a ba…
Marine Remembers the Vicious Battle of Dai Do
In late April 1968, John K. Cordsen was a U.S. Marine on his second tour of duty when he became engaged in one of the most fiercely fought yet little-known battles of the Vietnam War. Over three days…
B-17 Pilot Shot Down Over Belgium!
Howard Snyder Jr. was a B-17 pilot bombing Nazi targets during WWII—when in February 1944 he and his ten-man crew were shot down over Nazi-held Belgium, close to the French border. His son Steve Snyd…
Leading Marines in the Fight for Ramadi
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 acco…
Growing Up Homeless
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 t…
The Man Behind MK Ultra--the Infamous Government Mind Control Program
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…
Worst Combat in the Arghandab Valley, Afghanistan
"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, t…
3 Foot, 11 Inch Amish Man Seeks Freedom!
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 in…
Solving Murder Cases with Forensic Anthropologist, Ryburn Dobbs
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 shar…
From Brutal Fighting in WWII's Huertgen Forest to Nuremberg Trials to Priest
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…
Inside the Most Secret Unit of the U.S. Military
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…
Bipolar General
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 ra…
An Exceptional American Journey: From Soldier to Humanitarian Aid Worker
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 suf…
A WWII Nurse in Patton's 3rd Army
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…
Breaking Down the Meth and Fentanyl Epidemic
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 i…