Heroes Behind Headlines

Russian and Chinese-backed rebels were making deadly headway in Oman during its Civil War of the early 1970s. In support of the Western-allied Sultan, the British Army secretly deployed nine operators from its most elite unit, the SAS. HBH is honored to have today’s guest, Pete Winner, with a special appearance by Sekonaia ‘Tak’ Takevisi, two of the nine SAS heroes who took on over 400 Omani rebel...

Captain John Pruitt III joins HBH to tell incredible stories of his time in the US Coast Guard, a branch of the military few people know much about. John’s stories are remarkable. At the start of the Iraq War, he conducted dangerous anti-mining missions and was chased by Iranian Navy missile boats in the Persian Gulf. Furthermore, he spearheaded an enormous undercover cocaine seizure worth over $2...

Human trafficking is a $150 billion-a-year business that thrives in war zones and is arguably more lucrative than arms sales. Lurata Lyon joins HBH and bravely tells her unimaginable story of survival during the Balkan Wars across Eastern Europe in the 1990s. Lurata was kidnapped into human trafficking as a teenager when the war engulfed her home country of Serbia. She was destined for a life of s...

The story of the young CIA operative who helped launch the Contra War in Nicaragua. Ric Prado joins HBH and tells of his first mission in the CIA.  Long before the US operations in Central America became public, he was embedded in supporting the Nicaraguan Contras. With very little experience at the time, Ric found himself alongside brave local rebels at the tip of the spear. That was just the beg...

Legendary SEAL Team 6 operator Don Mann joins HBH for a special episode. During Don’s incredible career as a Naval Special Warfare operator he served in SEAL Teams 1 and 2 before being recruited to Team 6. He was both the Advanced Training Officer and Weapons of Mass Destruction Officer for SEAL Team 6.

Fred Reynolds joins HBH to tell the story of a shootout that could have escalated the 1992 Los Angeles riots into something far worse. He discusses his experiences as a black police officer during one of the nation's most significant racial conflicts, and the long-lasting effects the riots have had on policing. Fred grew up in gangland Detroit, deciding to leave a path destined for prison - o...

CIA Officer Doug Laux joins us to explain how he developed a network of spies to track down the man responsible for running the Taliban's lethal IED network, which at the height of the Afghan War was responsible for over 80% of US and Coalition deaths.

International private investigator Omar Khan joins us to explain the incredible story of how he infiltrated the Chinese Triads' global criminal organization, and crippled their multi-billion dollar counterfeit cigarette smuggling business…in less than a month.

Legendary FBI Special Agent Mike McGowan describes the unknown true story of how he and an FBI undercover ‘all-star team’ delivered a massive blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, directly leading to the arrest of infamous cartel kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.

The real stories behind the headlines you know, told by the heroes you don’t. Heroes Behind Headlines is an explosive new podcast, featuring new, incredible interviews every episode. First-hand accounts of the harrowing operations which have shaped the world over the past half-century. Hosted by NYT and international bestselling author, Ralph Pezzullo. GUrQKedOy0prLXp69Ayn