From Medal of Honor: James Fleming’s Impossible Vietnam War Rescue

About this episode

The episode recounts the heroic rescue mission of Air Force pilot James Fleming during the Vietnam War.

In 1968, in the dense jungles of Vietnam, a team of Green Berets was pinned down by an overwhelming North Vietnamese Army force. Their last hope was a young Air Force pilot named James Fleming. Despite being low on fuel and facing a wall of enemy fire, Fleming refused to turn back. The rescue mission seemed destined to fail, but a split-second decision would earn Fleming the nation’s highest military honor. Binge the full season of Medal of Honor, ad-free, with a Pushkin+ subscriptions. Sign up on the Medal of Honor show page in Apple or at  Pushkin.fm/plus and use the code MOH25 for 25% off an annual subscription. Connect with the team!  Follow Pushkin on social @pushkinpods   Follow JR Martinez @iamjrmartinez   Email the team: medalofhonor@pushkin.fm Episode resources: “SOG Combat in Cambodia: Under the Gun at Tango Five-One” by Randy Harrison, Soldier of Fortune Magazine, August 1982  Green Hornets: The History of the U.S. Air Force 20th Special Operations Squadron by Wayne Mutza (Schiffer Military History, 2007)  Secret Green Beret Commandos In Cambodia: A Memorial History of MACVSOG's Command and Control Detachment South (CCS)…

People in this episode

Host: Joel Stein

Topics covered

• Vietnam War
• military rescue
• Medal of Honor
• Green Berets
• Air Force
• heroism

Keywords

• Vietnam
• James Fleming
• Green Berets
• rescue mission
• Medal of Honor
• North Vietnamese Army
• military history

Sponsors

Pushkin+

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pushkin Industries, Medal of Honor, Soldier of Fortune Magazine

Books & works: SOG Combat in Cambodia: Under the Gun at Tango Five-One, Green Hornets: The History of the U.S. Air Force 20th Special Operations Squadron, Secret Green Beret Commandos In Cambodia: A Memorial History of MACVSOG's Command and Control Detachment South (CCS) And Its Air Partners, Republic of Vietnam, 1967-1972

More episodes of Story of the Week with Joel Stein

• David Remnick on the Stories That Shape Our Time · June 4, 2026 · 51 min
• Introducing Shaping Sounds: Stevie Wonder, DEVO, the Synth Revolution and My Life Behind the Music · May 19, 2026 · 15 min
• Jane Fonda: Hollywood Rebel, War Activist and Fitness Pioneer | From Big Lives · April 6, 2026 · 42 min
• Decoding Psychedelics with Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley from Decoding Women's Health · January 27, 2026 · 48 min
• Revisiting: The Surprising, Queer History of the 1974 Oscars Streaker · March 9, 2024 · 38 min
• The Duck Tales Bandit · September 21, 2023 · 32 min