May 27, 2026 · 31 min · 22 segments
In 1968, in the dense jungles of Vietnam, a team of Green Berets was pinned down by an overwhelming North Vietnamese Army force. Their last hope was a young Air Force pilot named James Fleming…
JR MartinezHostJames FlemingGuest
There was thick jungle on both sides of the riverbank, bright green against the rushing brown water.
The pilot of the chopper followed its path, heading towards the sound of gunfire, towards the battle.
The mission had started with five helicopters, but three of them were already gone.
He was supposed to touch down in the middle of this mess, but even if he could get to the riverside without being shot, he knew there wasn't enough space for him to land.
There were seven soldiers down in that jungle who were about to be captured or killed by the North Vietnamese Army.
They had fought their way to the riverbank, and Jim was their only chance to get out of there alive.
Jim remembered what he told those same guys just a few hours earlier when he dropped them there.
He looked at the terrain, impossible, and then he banked his helicopter and started in.
It's awarded for gallantry and bravery in combat at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.
Each candidate must be approved all the way up the chain of command, from the supervisory officer in the field to the White House.
This show is about those heroes, what they did, what it meant, and what their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice.
There was thick jungle on both sides of the riverbank, bright green against the rushing brown water.
The pilot of the chopper followed its path, heading towards the sound of gunfire, towards the battle.
The mission had started with five helicopters, but three of them were already gone.
He was supposed to touch down in the middle of this mess, but even if he could get to the riverside without being shot, he knew there wasn't enough space for him to land.
There were seven soldiers down in that jungle who were about to be captured or killed by the North Vietnamese Army.
They had fought their way to the riverbank, and Jim was their only chance to get out of there alive.
Jim remembered what he told those same guys just a few hours earlier when he dropped them there.
He looked at the terrain, impossible, and then he banked his helicopter and started in.
It's awarded for gallantry and bravery in combat at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.
Each candidate must be approved all the way up the chain of command, from the supervisory officer in the field to the White House.
This show is about those heroes, what they did, what it meant, and what their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice.
Every episode on Radar is fully transcribed, speaker-labeled, and rich with metadata. Here is a taste of this one. Try Radar for free to see the rest.
3 of 6
One More Run In
When danger peaks, Fleming's audacity takes over
Last Man Aboard
Rescue intensifies with one soldier still missing
Promise On The Runway
Hear a heartfelt pre-mission promise unfold now
+3 more clips · 2 min 57 sec of audio in all
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
All 6 clips — the highlight moments, each cut as its own audio, with a title and a speaker
All 22 segments — the transcript broken into labeled sections, every ad read marked
All 25 topics — jump to every other episode discussing the same subject
No account is needed to search Radar.