StoryCast '21: EP 14/21 Taking Down Saddam
Unreliable Witness | Storycast
Sky News
4.3 • 728 Ratings
🗓️ 13 September 2021
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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: [email protected]
For more on this story go to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The first 100 days, bills are passed, executive orders are signed, and presidencies are defined. |
| 0:06.7 | And for Donald Trump's first 100 days, Rachel Maddo is on MSNBC five nights a week. |
| 0:12.5 | Now is the time, so we're going to do it. |
| 0:14.4 | Providing her unique insight and analysis during this critical time. |
| 0:18.3 | How do we strategically align ourselves to this moment of information, |
| 0:22.6 | this moment of transition in our country? |
| 0:24.3 | The Rachel Maddow Show, weeknights at 9 p.m. Eastern on MSNBC. |
| 0:32.8 | You're listening to episode 14 of Storycast 21. I'm Jane Secker. |
| 0:40.0 | In March 2003, less than two years after the 9-11 attacks, |
| 0:45.0 | the US-led military coalition set about toppling the then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. |
| 0:51.5 | Long seen as a destabilizing influence in the Middle East, Saddam Hussein's invasion of |
| 0:56.6 | Kuwait in 1990 brought about the first Gulf War with a U.S.-led coalition. This time, he stood |
| 1:03.2 | accused of amassing weapons of mass destruction and having ties with the Islamic terror group Al-Qaeda. |
| 1:09.6 | Among those involved in the ground invasion |
| 1:11.3 | was an idealistic U.S. Marine |
| 1:13.5 | who would soon find himself |
| 1:15.0 | at the center of one of this century's most iconic moments. |
| 1:19.5 | This is Taking Down Saddam. |
| 1:23.3 | From where you were earlier at the Palestine Hotel. |
| 1:26.4 | I can't hear it. |
| 1:28.3 | Can you hear me, David? Can you tell us the name of the randabas Hotel. I can't hear you. Can you hear me, David? |
| 1:29.3 | Can you tell us the name of the roundabout? |
... |
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