The Battle of Gettysburg is a pivotal event in the history of our country, but not broadly understood.

Attorney-turned-historian Allen R. Thompson digs into a Civil War controversy: How the decision-making of Generals Lee and Longstreet on July 2nd, 1863, resulted in the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg – and ultimately the loss of the war. In his book, In the Shadow of the Round Tops, Thompson compares eyewitness accounts to narratives formed after the war and shows how political and personal agendas have influenced the telling of history. 

His deep research helps restore the reputation of General James Longstreet, Lee's second-in-command, who many historians have blamed for the Confederate defeat. 

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

In 1970, only ten percent of doctors were women. Living in Oklahoma, Cynthia Mackey was a young woman and mother who dreamt of becoming a doctor. Her first husband wouldn't let her go to school and then was killed flying cocaine for Pablo Escobar. Her second husband didn't approve either. Finally, as a single mom, she decided to finish medical school in Grenada. She was close to achieving her dream, when a communist revolution swept the island, and she was accused of being a CIA agent.  Dr. Mackey's story reminds us of the obstacles women have had to overcome and the unusual barriers they had to break through in order to realize their dreams.

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Investigative journalist Bill Conroy shares his experiences covering the Mexican drug trade and the infamous Juarez Cartel. From his gripping book "Dispatches from the House of Death," Bill describes the site of numerous drug-related executions, and the flawed response of U.S. law enforcement agencies charged with combatting organized crime from over the border.



Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Today, Vincent Vargas is an actor, producer and writer, best known for his role in the hit TV series Mayans M.C. But several years ago Vincent Vargas was patrolling our southern border as a proud member of U.S. Border Patrol – one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United States. The grandson of an undocumented immigrant himself, Vince discusses the myriad challenges agents face as they deal with coyotes, people in distress, drug dealers, and heaps of criticism. The main problem, according to Vince, is misunderstanding. In this episode and in his new book Borderline: Defending the Homefront, he helps shed light on the realities that both Border Patrol agents and those seeking entry to the US face every day. 

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

FBI agent Giovanni Rocco talks about life undercover as he went inside the real "Sopranos" crime family of New Jersey. In a case of life imitating art, Giovanni describes the real-life characters he dealt with; the deadly politics inside the 'family;' how they felt about the TV show; and how he managed to penetrate this closed society and use their greed against them--all while living a normal life only a few miles away. This is one of the wildest stories ever in the annals of the fight against organized crime!



Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

R.J. Cipriani grew up on the hardscrabble streets of Philadelphia and at 10 years of age, he sold pretzels to factory workers everyday before he went to school. He became a gambler at the age of 16. 

Many years later, he cared for his beloved mother Regina for six years, who was stricken with Alzheimers.

When Regina passed he was grief stricken and took his last $5,000 and turned it into millions at the blackjack tables in Atlantic City and then Las Vegas. He was so successful that for the past 23 years under the moniker Robin Hood 702, he’s donated well over a million dollars to people in need. He also became a Confidential Human Source (CHS) for the Feds.  He talks about this unusual career, helping the FBI takedown a money-laundering, drug-dealing ring, and his current fight against corruption in Las Vegas that's been going on for forty years.

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

UK-native Dean Stott, a former  SBS-member, leverages his international experience as the British equivalent of a US Seal Team Six operative as he works with his wife Alana to aid governments, private groups, and individuals in dangerous situations around the globe.  Now based in Southern California, they lay out how they started their very successful company, and share some of their client adventures. Their secret in helping in a crisis? Avoid conflict and make friends with local people around the world. Hear the Stotts tell their special story of helping people in need and forging a successful private and business partnership!



Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Thom Whitehead and Sydney Wilkinson are post-production experts in the film industry who used their skills to closely examine a forensic copy of the most famous amateur movie in history - one that captures the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. What they found is shocking - clear evidence that the film had been  tampered with before it was shown to the public. It begs the question: Who tampered with the film and why? Of the 50 Hollywood film experts who viewed the film and saw what Thom and Sidney saw, only two were willing to go on record.



Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Patti Naughton is one of the first female operatives recruited as the drug wars heated up in the late 70's and early 80's. Patti was instrumental in helping to make dozens of cases against organized drug traffickers, including the Detroit mafia and the Outlaw motorcycle gang. As a woman, her role was especially dangerous. In this episode, Patti speaks about how she chose a career in criminal justice, her cases, and importantly, about overcoming fear.



Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Former member of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, journalist and author Christopher Whitcomb shares his perspective on the crisis in the Middle East.

This timely conversation shares one man's perspective, as the world's focus is trained on Israel and the Middle East. Chris describes his visit to Gaza to meet Yasser Arafat, as well as his observations about violent crises and the path to resolution. Chris's career later led him into the media, and he also shares his view of how stories are crafted in modern newsrooms.


Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com