logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
50m 57s

The Sunday Story presents: Taking Cover,...

NPR
About this episode
The worst Marine-on-Marine friendly fire incident in modern history happened during the war in Iraq. In Spring 2004, an explosion rocked a schoolhouse in the city of Fallujah. It left three dead and a dozen wounded. But you won't read about it in the history books. In fact, the event seems to have been scrubbed from the official record. 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 that day? Today, we begin to uncover the truth. We bring you the first episode of Taking Cover, an investigative series from NPR's Embedded podcast. It's a story of betrayal, brotherhood and what's owed to families, the wounded, and the American public.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Trump Visits Kerr County, Trump And Putin, DOGE And Farmers' Data
President Trump is visiting Kerr County, Texas to meet with first responders and families affected by the flash floods. The cozy relationship between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin may be turning sour, and an NPR investigation reveals that DOGE recently got ... Show More
13m 21s
Jul 10
Texas Vigil, Flood Danger Zones, Ukraine Air Defenses
Hundreds of mourners gathered in the football stadium at Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas to remember those who died in last week's flash floods. An NPR investigation finds that flood risk data from FEMA is out of date, and Russia is intensifying its attacks against Ukraine.W ... Show More
13m 39s
Jul 9
Texas Storm Toll, Trump's Foreign Policy, Supreme Court Allows Federal Layoffs
Rescue and recovery efforts trudged on for a fifth day after devastating floods hit central Texas, President Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House as they worked to make a Gaza deal, and the Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to move for ... Show More
12m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Introducing: Taking Cover
Hosted 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 incident in modern history. It's a story of betrayal, brotherhood, and what's owed—to families, the wounded ... Show More
3m 12s
Mar 2023
Stand-To
The 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 before an obscure Congressional subcommittee that says otherwise. The team also finds that promises m ... Show More
48m 29s
Jun 2022
Portraits of Grief From Uvalde
This episode contains strong language.Gemma Lopez, 10, watched a movie in class that day. Jacob Albarado, a Border Patrol officer, was getting his hair cut when he heard there was a gunman at his daughter’s school, where his wife is a teacher. Ricardo Garcia, a hospital groundske ... Show More
28m 23s
Jan 2022
The Civilian Casualties of America’s Air Wars
Four years ago, Azmat Khan, an investigative reporter for The Times Magazine, told us the story of Basim Razzo, whose entire family was killed in a U.S.-led airstrike in Iraq. His story helped reveal how American air wars were resulting in a staggering number of civilian deaths.A ... Show More
36m 32s
Sep 2021
Special Episode: What Does It Mean to 'Never Forget'?
Two planes hijacked by Al Qaeda pierced the north and south towers of the World Trade Center. A third slammed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. A fourth crashed in an open field outside Shanksville, Pa. All in less than 90 minutes.What, exactly, do you remember? What stories do ... Show More
12m 49s
May 2024
The SAS murders and the conspiracy to cover them up - Part 1
The Sunday Times’ investigative team, Insight, has combed through 6,000 top secret documents to piece together the story of multiple military and government cover ups into the murder of civilians during the Afghan conflict. Today, in part one, we hear about the senior special for ... Show More
29m 38s
Dec 2021
Texas After the Storm: An Update
This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran.With most natural disasters, the devastation is immediately apparent. But when a winter storm hit Texas, some of the damage was a lot ... Show More
33m 36s
Jun 2019
Deadliest Fire... Best kept secret
A controversial fire that extinguished the lives of 21-black boys, in segregation-era Arkansas. Who were these boys? How did this happen? The idea of brushing history under the rug is largely been Arkansas's past, says Dr. Brian Mitchell, History professor of UALR. Now 60 ye ... Show More
2m 41s
Mar 2023
Danger Close
NPR'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 Marine Corps—and the son of a powerful politician may have been involved. He partners with an old pal, ... Show More
49m 23s