Heroes Behind Headlines

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 special forces unit, is classified. However, when Extortion 17 went down, all available personnel were alerted to their position.

Nicholas and his team rushed to the location, contending with potential improvised explosive devices along the way. They hoped to help survivors among the 38 passengers of the twin-rotor Boeing CH-47 ’Chinook’ helicopter, including a service dog and its handler.

The crash of Extortion 17 was the largest single loss of life in the history of both SEAL Team 6 and the Afghan War.

We highly recommend Nicholas Moore’s book, ‘Run to the Sound of the Guns: The True Story of an American Ranger at War in Afghanistan and Iraq’.

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 dangerous. A degenerative disorder, it causes those living with it to experience a shortage of collagen that affects connective tissues, which support vital functions of the body including skin, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, internal organs and bones. Unfortunately, while treatments can help manage symptoms, there is no cure. Jameela is also a survivor of anorexia. While many are familiar with the eating disorder, most people do not realize that it has the highest cause of death for any mental illness.

Through all of these challenges, Jameela’s career has soared. As an actress, despite EDS, she was able to do a number of her own stunts playing the supervillain ‘Titania’ on She-Hulk. As an activist, she is a leading critic of diet culture and body image marketing, particularly on social media - and is currently campaigning to introduce two bills to the United States Senate to combat these destructive influences in society.

Jameela’s spirit is both inspiring and hilarious and we thank her for sharing her incredible story with us.

In case you missed any of Heroes Behind Headlines, check out this special episode with some of our listeners' favorite moments to date.

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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.

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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 corners of humanity. HBH is honored to welcome, directly from Ghana, Emmanuel Azeteng Ayarick.

Living in a two-room hut in Ghana, Azeteng noticed what many people around him had: migrants were disappearing. He knew full well that the people behind this apparent human trafficking operation were without question some of the most vile and wicked on earth. Nevertheless, in an act of unimaginable bravery he decided that, on his own, he would infiltrate a group of migrants to try and gather evidence which he could then deliver to western government authorities.

Azeteng spent his horrifying investigation surrounded by the complete disregard of human rights and frankly human life. Daily, he was face-to-face with murder, gang rape and other atrocities. He was even sold into slavery himself, before an incredible escape.

Human trafficking is responsible for countless deaths, including over 10,000 migrants in the Sahara desert alone, every year. Despite the fact that much of the world moved on long ago, over 24 million people still live in modern day slavery.

We thank Azeteng for his time and his truly remarkable courage, as he is living proof that one man of modest means can make a difference.

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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 Technical Sergeant Josh Apple.

When most people hear about air strikes they think of missiles launched from miles and miles away. However, when Americans are in contact with the enemy, ‘Danger Close’ air strikes often turn the tide of the battle. These strikes are not possible without the incredible work of a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), also often referred to as Air Combat Controllers, who are on the ground directing lethal air assets in real-time with remarkable precision. Under-appreciated and under-reported, it is impossible to overstate the critical role JTACs play in US military operations worldwide. 

When Josh Apple and the SEALs received word that a reporter and her cameraman were being closed in on in urban Mosul, they knew the stakes were enormous. The race to save them was a race against fatal consequences, which likely would have played out in the very public fashion which ISIS prefers. 

Josh Apple is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal for Combat Action. We are honored that he took the time to tell this amazing story and we thank him and all of our Air Combat Controllers for their vital and truly spectacular work.

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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 in the US Navy Reserves for more than 19 years - and as a result has been stationed in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Bahrain, amongst others. Tim discusses the story of his encounters with the Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as his struggles with mental health which followed. 

The long term effects of military service on reservists are largely underreported and can be even more jarring than those effects on our enlisted men and women. Reservists are often expected to transition in and out of their deployments seamlessly. These transitions carry immense challenges which can change lives forever. 

Tim Sanchez is currently a Senior Director at Roberts & Ryan, and we sincerely thank him for taking the time to share his story.

Thanks for listening and don’t forget to download, subscribe, rate, and review Heroes Behind Headlines.

In 2012, an Al-Qaeda sleeper cell was planning 2 potentially devastating attacks in the United States and Canada - at the same time. To prevent catastrophe, a Muslim undercover FBI agent had to gain to the trust of the extremely dangerous Al-Qaeda operative planning the attacks. HBH is thrilled to welcome FBI agent and author Tamer Elnoury.

Already an experienced undercover officer, Tamer joined the FBI after 9/11 in an elite unit of the brand new Joint Terrorism Task Force. When he was given the assignment to go undercover and investigate Chiheb Esseghaier, he did not realize that he would soon be racing to stop two separate terrorist attacks.

Chiheb Esseghaier was a renowned doctor - and an incredibly important member of Al-Qaeda. In 2012 he traveled freely throughout North America and the world pursuing medical research. Simultaneously, he was running two sleeper cells. Furthermore, he was one of the very few in contact with Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the hand-picked successor to Osama bin Laden.

Tamer Elnoury is a patriot and a hero who saved the lives of untold innocent people. He appears under a pseudonym for his own protection. 

We highly recommend the New York Times bestselling book ‘American Radical’ by Tamer Elnoury and Kevin Maurer.

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On October 3, 1993, a US Army operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, which was supposed to take 45 minutes, lasted for more than 18 hours. Delta Force operators had surgically and swiftly taken high value targets supporting warlord Mohamed Farrah Aydid into custody. However, when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed, the original plan to leave the city had to be abandoned - and then another Black Hawk went down. Tragedy ensued in the form of the longest sustained firefight since Vietnam. HBH is deeply honored to welcome US Army Delta Force Command Sergeant Major Tom Satterly, and his amazing wife Jen. 

Off the battlefield, the Satterly's are just as heroic. They are remarkably open about their own mental health struggles and now run the All Secure Foundation, which has helped thousands of combat families with PTSD and other mental health issues which arise from the complex toll of military service.

Even as the overnight battle in Mogadishu was winding down, the violence was still incredibly dangerous, to the extent that Tom and a small group of remaining soldiers could not be driven or air-lifted out of the city. As depicted near the end of the 2001 blockbuster movie ‘Black Hawk Down’ directed by Ridley Scott, Tom and that small group had no choice but to run through RPG and AK-47 fire and out of downtown to safe harbor. That specific action is so legendary in military circles that every year around early October current and former soldiers gather to run what is now known as the ‘Mogadishu Mile’ to pay homage almost 30 years later.

To this day, the public knows very little about the US military’s most secretive and advanced Special Operations Unit, which goes by the official name of US Army First Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D). It is most commonly known as Delta Force, where Tom Satterly spent 20 of his 25 years in the Army. Tom led hundreds of missions, including Operation Red Dawn, which captured none other than Saddam Hussein. He is the recipient of numerous medals including 5 Bronze Stars, with 2 for Acts of Valor. 

Tom and Jen Satterly are a true inspiration and we thank them for their groundbreaking work, commitment and courage. If you are suffering from PTSD or know someone who is, please look into the All Secure Foundation for help. And make sure to check out the book Tom co-authored, ‘All Secure: A Special Operations Soldier's Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront’.

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We are excited to welcome former Navy SEAL Sniper, Team Leader, Platoon Commander, Troop Commander and Task Unit Commander, as well as bestselling author and producer of 'The Terminal List' television series based on his book: Jack Carr to HBH. Jack shares incredible insights into how his love of reading and writing shaped his life beginning at a young age and helped him discover his career. Jack tells us the story of what he considers one of the defining moments of his time as a SEAL Sniper in Iraq, and it may surprise you.

During 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, Jack transitioned from an enlisted SEAL sniper to a junior officer leading assault and sniper teams in Iraq and Afghanistan, to a platoon commander practicing counterinsurgency in the southern Philippines, to commanding a Special Operations Task Unit in southern Iraq throughout the tumultuous drawdown of U.S. Forces. Jack retired from active duty in 2016 and lives with his family in Park City, Utah. 

Make sure you check out all that Jack has going on: his podcast ‘Danger Close with Jack Carr’, his latest New York Times Bestselling novel, ‘In The Blood’, and ‘The Terminal List’, a new television series on Amazon Prime Video starring Chris Pratt, based on Jack’s book of the same name.

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In World War II, an American bomber pilot’s combat service was to last for 25 missions. However, most did not survive to see their 10th. In October 1943, John ‘Lucky’ Luckadoo began his 22nd mission. The assault on Bremen, Germany was to utilize dense cloud cover to shield the B-17 Flying Fortresses. However, when they arrived, the clouds had disappeared, and 50 American pilots and crew members would lose their lives. HBH is honored to be joined by Kevin Maurer, the author of ‘Damn Lucky: One Man's Courage During the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History’, and special guest - 100-year-old John ‘Lucky’ Luckadoo.

The Nazi submarine pens outside of Bremen  were extremely well-fortified by anti-aircraft munitions and German Luftwaffe fighter planes. Even with the expected cloud cover, the mission was to be harrowing. However, when the expected advantage was nowhere to be found, Second Lieutenant John ‘Lucky’ Luckadoo thought this mission may be his last.

Like 10 million other brave young Americans, ‘Lucky’ answered the call and joined the US military after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. He trained as a pilot with the US Army Air Force and was assigned to the 100th Bomb Group stationed in Thorpe Abbotts, England, where he flew bombing runs over France and Germany to destroy the Nazi war machine. A true hero, his amazing career included being awarded a Purple Heart as well as a French Legion of Honor Award, France’s Highest Honor.

Kevin Maurer is an award-winning journalist and NYT bestselling author. Be sure to check out his outstanding new book, ‘Damn Lucky: One Man's Courage During the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History’, along with his other acclaimed work.

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