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Summary
Summary
War Stories
Author Notes
Oliver Laurence North was born on October 7, 1943 in San Antonio. He is a former United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, conservative political commentator and television host, and military historian. North was a National Security Council staff member during the Iran Contra affair, a political scandal of the late 1980s. The scandal involved the clandestine sale of weapons to Iran, which was to encourage the release of U.S. hostages then held in Lebanon. North formulated the second part of the plan, which was to divert proceeds from the arms sales to support the Contra rebel groups in Nicaragua (which had been specifically prohibited under the Boland Amendment).
North's military career started with being a platoon commander during the Vietnam War where he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He was soon promoted to Captain of Northern Training Area in Okinawa, Japan. From that level he moved on to major and then to the National Security Council where he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
Oliver North became lnown for his political commentary as host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel. He has also written several books including: American Heroes, Heroes Proved, One More Mission and The Assassins. His title Counterfeit Lies made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2014.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (1)
Publisher's Weekly Review
North is a retired Marine infantry veteran of Vietnam and was a key player in the Iran-Contra affair. This book is a mostly workmanlike presentation of his experiences as a war correspondent for FOX (which shares copyright on this book) as the U.S. invaded Iraq. Any political uproar it may cause is likely to stem largely from Pavlovian responses to the name of the author, a response that ignores that he has written both fiction and nonfiction as well as having been a Marine officer. So it is hardly surprising that he does excellent work covering a Marine aviation unit, one appointed to transport assault troops and evacuate wounded in aging helicopters-never without risk and sometimes with bloody incidents. These are vividly and knowledgeably described, as is the Marines' courage and professionalism. Nor is it surprising to witness the empathy between a retired Marine about to become a grandfather and younger Marines about to see combat. The briefer coverage of the armored units of the 4th Infantry Division is a little frustrating, and the polemics against antiwar journalists and politicians, while unlikely to offend readers who share the author's views, feel redundant. So does the capsule history of Iraq in the appendix, although well-written enough to give the author credibility as a popular historian. Even the larger issue of the linkage between a correspondent, a network and a publisher who are all politically simpatico can hardly be made into anything especially sinister without the same kind of political partisanship that the book exhibits in its less inspiring moments. DVD of Fox News North special not seen by PW. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved