TIL in 1982 William Shatner paid $10,000-15,000 to an ex-Green Beret named Bo Gritz leading a mercenary force on a raid into Laos
Shatner said he was buying "the rights to Gritz's life story". But by paying before the "POW rescue" raid happened, while Gritz was actively & openly fund-raising for the raid, was he basically helping to fund the raid?
Perhaps less surprisingly, Clint Eastwood also chipped in $30,000.
And even less surprisingly, the raid was a complete failure and Gritz was never able to provide any evidence whatsoever of US POWs in South East Asia after the end of the US-Vietnam War.
Gritz was supposedly an inspiration for fictional characters including John Rambo and Hannibal Smith of The A-Team... and later became involved in various far-right activities (including becoming the "unwitting" presidential running mate of KKK leader David Duke), more conspiracy fantasies & setting up his own religious/military commune.
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https://theoutline.com/post/7984/rambo-last-blood-vietnam-bo-gritz-sylvester-stallone
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Via https://www.metafilter.com/212803/The-Vietnam-myth-that-gave-us-all-those-Rambo-movies
More info:
- Wikipedia - Bo Gritz
- Time - Colonel Gritz's Dubious Mission (Apr. 04, 1983)
https://theoutline.com/post/7984/rambo-last-blood-vietnam-bo-gritz-sylvester-stalloneOpen linkView original on piefed.social
There's a two parter of Begind the Bastards on Bo Gritz
When was it released, roughly? I used to listen to BtB, but kind of got bored with as Robert fails to realize these days that not every person deserves a two-, three- or four-parter.
I mean, when the childhood of a bastard isn't funny or noteworthy, it shouldn't take more than 4 minutes to cover. Something changed in this regard, over the past couple of years. Not sure what happened.
I still listen to BtB occasionally, but only when it comes to bastards of whom I am already familiar.
18 and 20 of November 2025 It was a live show.
I usually skip those that seem too bleak, I don't like to end the episode more depressed than when I started.
oh boy there was one recently where they didn't even get to the guy in the first episode.
Hell yeah, I remember listening to The Dollop about this dude and realizing he was part of the reason for all the POW/MIA flags when I was growing up lol
Link to the first part on YT: here
The fake real Rambo
Also, the real fake Rambo!
The turns have tabled
That is the story line of a Gene Hackman movie called Uncommon Valor that was released in 1983.
I wonder if they bought the rights from Shatner and company?
It is an interesting life story.
Did they put something in his milk?!