StoryCast '21: EP 14/21 Taking Down Saddam

StoryCast '21: EP 14/21 Taking Down Saddam

Author: Sky News September 13, 2021 Duration: 18:01
From Pauls Valley in Oklahoma, USA, Miles Hill always dreamed of joining the US Marine Corps.
Growing up, family life was coloured by US military history - his grandparents served in World War Two and Korea. So when al Qaeda terrorists attacked the US on 11 September, 2001, it set in motion a chain of events that brought Hill to Iraq in 2003, as part of the Marine Corps.

An idealistic 19-year-old, Hill had little understanding of geo-politics, but it was his absolute conviction that the world would be a better place without the Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi dictator had been a destabilising influence in the region since the 1990 Gulf War. Now accused of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) as well as forging links with al Qaeda terrorists, Hill and his fellow Marines were tasked with leading the ground invasion and deposing Hussein. On the morning of the invasion, military leaders warned of the bloodiest urban battle in US Marine Corp history. By the end of that day, Miles Hill would find himself at the centre of one of this century’s most iconic moments.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
Taking down Saddam is episode 14 of the 21-part series StoryCast ’21

CREDITS

‘Taking down Saddam’ was produced and written by Rob Mulhern.
Recordings and digital Tom Gillespie
Special thanks to Miles Hill and David Chater.
Presented by Jayne Secker
Sound Design, Rob Mulhern
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Archive, Simon Windsor
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Chris Scott
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: storycast@sky.uk
For more on this story go to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

From Sky News, Unreliable Witness | Storycast is an investigative series that digs into complex, real-world stories where the truth is often obscured. The current season examines the unsettling case of Ellie Williams, a young woman whose detailed allegations of sexual assault and grooming in her hometown led to a major police investigation and public outrage-before she was ultimately jailed for lying. But this podcast goes beyond the headlines of a false accusation. Reporters Jason Farrell and Liz Lane navigate the difficult terrain of this story, asking what powerful motivations could drive someone to construct such an elaborate fiction, and whether, buried beneath the proven deceit, there might be other, more nuanced realities left unexplored. It’s a careful, thoughtful look at how stories are shaped, believed, and sometimes weaponized, with profound consequences for everyone involved. Recognized with a Gold award for Investigative Journalism at the New York Festivals Radio Awards, this podcast delivers meticulous reporting that challenges easy conclusions, making it a compelling listen for anyone interested in the intersections of society, justice, and human behavior.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Unreliable Witness | Storycast
Podcast Episodes
StoryCast '21: EP4/21 Migrant Rescue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:01
On January 15, 2016, Brussels based Sky News Correspondent Mark Stone received a desperate text message from Syrian refugee, Bassel Shekhany. Shekhany had recently sought asylum in Germany and explained that his family a…
StoryCast '21: EP3/21 Marathon Man [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:12
In Vienna, on October 12, 2019, Kenyan distance runner and decorated Olympian, Eliud Kipchoge, set out to become the first person to run a marathon in under two hours — a challenge deemed impossible by many experts in th…
StoryCast '21: EP2/21 The hunt for Raoul Moat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:13
StoryCast '21: On 3rd July 2010, Sue Sim, Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, received a call in the middle of the night, to say there’d been a double shooting in a quiet suburb of Newcastle. Specialist police units,…
StoryCast '21: EP1/21 Miracle Boy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:34
StoryCast '21: On 26th December 2004, one of the deadliest disasters in modern history played out when a Tsunami led to almost 230,000 deaths in south east Asia. Amid the devastation, a Sky News camera crew discover an 8…
Trailer: Storycast '21 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38
Using the timeframe of the last 21-years, Sky News’ multi-award-winning podcast returns to some of this century's biggest news stories, using the focus of extraordinary personal stories defined by these events. New episo…
Polonium & the Piano Player: PART 4 - The Reckoning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:56
With relations between London and Moscow deteriorating, Derek Conlon escapes to a new life, but destiny and the nuclear poison appear to have decided his fate. Narrated by Diana Magnay. Written and produced by Robert Mul…
Polonium & the Piano Player: PART 3 - Victims and suspects [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:33
As one of the biggest police investigations in British history gets underway, Derek Conlon is astonished to learn that he too has been poisoned. But having crossed into the world of espionage, that’s only the beginning o…
Polonium & the Piano Player: PART 2 - The Poisoning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:17
A former KGB agent takes us deep into the world of the Russian spies who have just poisoned Alexander Litvinenko and piano player Derek Conlon using a miniature nuclear weapon.(Episode 3 released 27th July).Narrated by D…
Polonium & the Piano Player: PART 1 - A Nuclear Connection [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:15
Ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is lured by Russian agents to a meeting in a 5-star London hotel. What happens next will change his life, the relationship between the UK and Russia, and suck the hotel's piano player Dere…
Introducing...Polonium & the Piano Player [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05
Two Russians agents release a miniature nuclear weapon in a 5-star London hotel. But former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is not the only victim? From Sky News StoryCast.