How did four highly decorated American soldiers become prisoners of war in their own country? This series re-examines the US Department of Justice’s controversial prosecution following a controversial battle in Baghdad. Why did the DOJ hold multiple trials for over a decade? Was the DOJ seeking justice? Or playing politics?

On September 10, 2001, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld presents his vision for a new type of military that relies heavily on privatization.  Rumsfeld claims that he is not trying to destroy the Pentagon, but “save it from itself.”  At the exact time that he is giving his speech, four radical Jihadists are checking in to the Marriot Hotel in Herndon, VA. 

Less than 24 hours after giving his speech, Donald Rumsfeld would no longer be talking about war in the figurative sense.  He would be involved in it literally, as he bravely rushed into the embers of the West Wall of the Pentagon to save lives. 

Mike and Gina introduce the men of Blackwater’s Raven 23: Dustin Heard, a former US Marine from Maryville, Tennessee; former US Marine Evan Liberty from Rochester, New Hampshire; US Army veteran Paul Slough of Sanger, Texas; and Nicholas Slatten, a veteran of the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, of Sparta, Tennessee.

Their families and military comrades discuss the characters and reputations of these small town enlistees, and what motivated them to join the fight after the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacking attacks on New York and Washington DC.

The episode also introduces Blackwater Worldwide founder, Erik Prince.

FOR MORE:

GALLUP POLL:
62% feel U.S. made a mistake sending troops to Iraq (2007)
https://news.gallup.com/poll/28099/latest-poll-shows-high-point-opposition-iraq-war.aspx

NYT:
From Texas to Iraq, and Center Of The Blackwater case (2008)
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/us/19slough.html

SUPPORT THE MEN OF RAVEN 23:
http://www.supportraven23.com/