Under Fire: An American Story
by Oliver L. North
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Details the life of Oliver North explaining why he became involved in the "Iran-contra" affair and covert operations of the government.Tags
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The Iran Contra affair seems like such old news now, but it was somewhat interesting reading this account of it from one of the principal players. It is written in a very straightforward manner and is not particularly engaging. North pleads his case in several points, attesting to his innocence by explaining how he got swept up in the events that lead up to the scandal. Judge him how you may this book is in interesting case study in the working of our modern day political system. Sadly, things haven't gotten any better since North's day--the philosophy that "the end justifies the means" is still alive and well!
This is one of those true stories that reads like a novel- fast paced, gripping, and even though you know "how it all ends," hard to put down. For a reader who can put aside political pre-conceptions about the events and the people involved and just enjoy the story, this can be a real treat.
I don't care what anybody says, this Marine is a true American hero and I hold him in the highest regard
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28 Works 3,192 Members
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 show more 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) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Dedication
- For Betsy, my best friend
- First words
- Being fired is never a pleasant experience, which is why it's normally done behind closed doors.
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- Members
- 564
- Popularity
- 52,104
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.70)
- Languages
- Dutch, English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 6
