Taking Cover
by NPR
Latest episode
Listen to 'We Keep Us Safe' on NPR's Embedded podcast
Listen to 'We Keep Us Safe' on NPR's Embedded podcast
About this podcast
It was the worst Marine-on-Marine friendly fire incident in modern history. But it's not in the history books. An explosion in Fallujah, Iraq left three dead, a dozen wounded, and – for high-ranking officials – a dilemma. So, why were the families of the deceased lied to? Why did the reports mysteriously disappear? And why do survivors still have to wonder about what happened on the worst day of their lives? Taking Cover, an NPR investigative series from the Embedded podcast, isn't just a show about unraveling blue-on-blue tragedy during the Iraq war. It's about what happens when we send our young to war. It's a story of betrayal, brotherhood, and what's owed – to families, the wounded and to the American public.
Episodes
- Listen to 'We Keep Us Safe' on NPR's Embedded podcast · 3 min · Episode 1In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation in the wake of George Floyd's killing…
- A Good Guy from NPR's Embedded · 39 minNew from NPR's Embedded: Marine Sgt. Joshua Abate was in the middle of a routine polygraph test to receive top-secret clearance when he made an extraordinary admission: He had…
- Accountability · 9 min · Season 1 Episode 8In this Taking Cover update, a U.S. senator wants answers from the Marines about what went wrong - and we meet an Army soldier still serving on active duty who's been denied the…
- The Gulf School · 55 min · Season 1 Episode 7Tom and Graham meet Shihab's brother in Baghdad — but he's wary. They also visit Fallujah, to find the schoolhouse and talk with people who were on the other side of the…
- Cover-Up · 55 min · Season 1 Episode 6The team turns to Pat Tillman's family for help. Duncan Hunter the elder, and the younger, respond to NPR's questions... kind of. A breakthrough in the search for the interpreter…
- Up the Chain · 59 min · Season 1 Episode 5Tom and Graham work their way up the chain of command, looking for someone — anyone — who can explain how and why this incident was buried. One general claims he can't recall the…
- Finding David · 54 min · Season 1 Episode 4As Tom and Graham work to track down the men in the courtyard, one of the wounded Marines has long remained elusive. His former comrades wonder if he's even still alive…
- JAGMAN · 44 min · Season 1 Episode 3Hoping to get their hands on the official investigation, the NPR team flies to Tucson. But problems begin shortly after arrival. The widow of a man who died in the explosion…
- Stand-To · 49 min · Season 1 Episode 2The wounded are evacuated. The battle subsides. Now the men of Echo 2/1 begin to wonder: What happened? The Marine Corps says "no records exist" but Tom and Graham find testimony…
- Danger Close · 49 min · Season 1 Episode 1NPR's Pentagon Correspondent, Tom Bowman, receives a shocking tip from a trusted source: A deadly explosion during the Iraq War was an accident—friendly fire, covered up by the…
- Introducing: Taking Cover · 3 min · Season 1Hosted by NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and Graham Smith of the Investigations unit, Taking Cover isn't just a show about the worst Marine-on-Marine friendly fire…
