This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing.
If anyone has ever said you snored loudly or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability, and concentration issues, it may be due to OSA. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on osa.com. This information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company. Mm-hmm.
So, let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there, and everywhere. But your AI can't use the data because It's here, there and everywhere. Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data.
IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives to change how you do business. Let's create smarter business. IBM. What do you do when things get tough? You don't give up.
You stand your ground. If you've been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer and have tried hormone therapy, ask your doctor about Pluvicto, Lutetium-Lu177, Vivivitide Tetrexitan. Pluvicto is not chemotherapy. It's a different treatment that targets PSMA-positive cells. Bluvicto can be used before chemotherapy for some people.
Bluvicto is a prescription treatment used to treat adults with prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or PSMA-positive MCRPC, who have already been treated with hormone therapy and are considered appropriate to delay chemotherapy. Bluvicto involves contact with radioactivity, which may increase the risk for cancer and cause fetal harm. Drink plenty of fluids, urinate often, use contraception, and talk to your doctor about ways to reduce the risk of exposing others to radiation during and after treatment. Bluvicto can cause low levels of blood cell counts, kidney problems, and infertility. Tell your doctor if you have weakness, pale skin short.
Shortness of breath, bleeding or bruising more easily, and infection or changes in urination. Side effects include decreased blood cell counts, tiredness, dry mouth, nausea, appetite loss, joint or back pain, and constipation. Ask your doctor about BlueVicto because every day without cancer progression is a victory. Visit Bluvicto.com to learn more. Protect your pet with insurance from PetsFest.
Plans start from less than a dollar a day. Visit PetsFest.com. Pet Insurance products offered and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services LLC are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company or Independence American Insurance Company. For terms and conditions, visit www.petsbest.com backslash policy. Products are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company, Independence American Insurance Company, or MS Transverse Insurance Company and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services LLC.
$1 a day premium based on 2024 average new policyholder data for accident and illness plans, pets age 0 to 10. Rewards programs are a lot like pop culture. They can be hard to keep up with. But with Venmo's new rewards program, Venmo Stash, rewards are so easy because the more you do, the more you get. And you choose the bundle of brands you get cash back at.
It's giving fiscal queen. It's giving star. It's giving up to 5% cash back at your favorite brands. Just pick a bundle of your go-to spots to shop with your Venmo debit card and earn cash back at them. Do more, get more.
With Venmo Stash. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank NA. Venmo Stash bundle terms and exclusions apply. Max $100 cash back per month. See terms at venmo.me forward slash stash terms.
And we continue with our American stories, here to tell another Hollywood goes to war story. Is our own Roger McGrath. McGrath is the author of Gunfighters, Highwomen, and Vigilantes, Violence on the Frontier. A U.S. Marine and former history professor at UCLA, Dr.
McGrath has appeared on numerous History Channel documentaries. and is a regular contributor here at Our American Stories. Peters McGrath. Peter Arties began his career in Hollywood as a technical advisor for all things military. After highly decorated service in World War II, he began appearing in movies as a character actor.
Tall, lean, and handsome, and with a military bearing, often portrayed military officers, which she had been. He appeared in five of John Ford's films, including She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande. He appeared in twenty two other films and in two television series. He worked with such directors as John Sturgis, Michael Curtiz, Raul Walsh. Robert Wise in Sam Fuller.
The lead actors in the movies Ortiz had roles in included such stars as John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Gregory Pick, Humphrey Bogart, and James Cagney. Hmm. Peter Ortiz is born in New York City in 1913. is christened Pierre, Julian Ortiz, or we'll go by Peter. His mother is an American of Swiss-German descent and his father French.
He is reared partly in New York and partly in France, and grows up speaking English, French, and German. He later acquires fluency in Spanish and Arabic, and conversational proficiency in Italian and Portuguese. is an excellent student in a private secondary school in France. and is accepted for admission to the University of Grenoble. Inspired by his reading of tales of adventure, Ortiz drops out of college after a year and joins the French Foreign Legion.
in 1932.
So He's sent to the Legion's training camp in Algeria, then a French colonial possession. He excels in his training. and upon graduation is posted to Morocco. His father. a prosperous and well-connected figure in France.
arrives in Morocco to buy Ortiz out of the Legion.
However, The now 19-year-old Corporal Ortiz will have none of it. As a venture of plenty for OTs in North Africa, provided by groups of rebels, Bedouin and Berber tribesmen, bandits and pirates. Ortiz is in several engagements and is wounded in one of them. He's awarded the Croix de Guerre twice and the Military Medal once. As his five-year enlistment nears an end, he is the commander of an armored car unit and has the rank of brevet second lieutenant.
The Legion offers him a regular rank of lieutenant if he will enlist for another five years. Ortiz decides it's time for a new adventure. and heads for Hollywood. With his Foreign Legion experience and his chest full of medals, He quickly finds work as a technical advisor for movies. with a military or North African theme.
which were popular at the time. Ortiz works as a technical advisor for almost three years when war erupts in Europe in September 1939. A month later, Ortiz quits the good life in Hollywood. flies to France. and again enlists in the Foreign Legion.
is given the rank of sergeant. but is awarded a battlefield commission as lieutenant in May 1940. He is also awarded the Quadigere for a third time. During her withdrawal the French forces in Jeered. He learns that a storage jump of gasoline has not been torched by his retreating men.
Lieutenant Ortiz. swings his leg over a motorcycle. Speeds back to the dump. And sets the gasoline on fire. The blazing fuel alerts the Germans and they open fire on Ortees.
as he races towards the French lines. A bullet penetrates his hip and grazes his spine. temporarily paralyzed. He crashes the motorcycle. Lieutenant Ortiz spends the next 15 months in POW camps.
first in Germany, then in Poland, and finally in Austria. He attempts to escape from each camp. The third time proves the charm, when he disappears from the camp in Austria in October 1941. Aided by partisans along the way, he arrives in Portugal at the end of November. Both the Free French and the British have clandestine operatives in Portugal.
and they each offer Ortiz a commission in their forces.
However, Ortiz is determined To return to the United States and see his ailing mother in California. Sailing from Lisbon, Ortiz reaches New York on December 8, 1941. The day after the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Before he heads for California, he's debriefed by both Army and naval intelligence officers. He also submits paperwork for a commission. After reuniting with his mother, and resting for several weeks, he grows restless.
wondering what's become of his application for a commission. His inquiries get no results. Fed up with the delay, in June 1942 he enlists in the Marine Corps, a natural choice for him. The arrival of Peter Ortiz at Paris Island Recruit Depot causes quite a stir. Within weeks Colonel Lewis Jones, a decorated veteran of World War One and the chief of staff at Parris Island, sends a packet to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, With Ortiz's application for a commission, and the record of Ortiz's service with the French Foreign Legion.
Also in the packet is a personal note from Colonel Jones saying, Private Ortiz has made an extremely favorable impression upon the undersigned. His knowledge of military matters is far beyond that of the normal recruit instructor. Ortiz is a very well set up man and makes an excellent appearance. The underside is glad to recommend Ortiz for a commission in the Marine Corps Reserve. and is of the opinion that he would be a decided addition to the reserve officer list.
In my opinion. He has the mental, moral, professional, and physical qualifications for the office for which he has made application.
Well, this time, Ortiz's application is acted upon immediately. and on August 1, 1942, Peter Ortiz is commissioned a second lieutenant. in the Marine Corps. He remains at Parris Island for two months as an assistant training officer. before going to parachute school at Camp Lejeune.
Already a qualified jumper, from his service with the Legion. The course is merely a refresher for our teas. At Marine Corps headquarters, it's determined that Lieutenant Ortiz. with his fluency in French, Arabic, and German. and his five years with the Foreign Legion in North Africa.
would be of exceptional value to the U.S. Army. Which landed on the beaches in Morocco and Algeria on November 8. in Operation Torch. Things are now moving fast for OTs.
On December 3, he's promoted from second lieutenant to captain, skipping the normal step to first lieutenant. On December 21, Captain Ortiz flies to Tangier, Morocco. where he's assigned duties as an assistant naval attache. A cover for his real mission of organizing and leading a patrol of Arab tribesmen. to gather intelligence behind German lines in Tunisia.
As part of an Office of Strategic Services operation. And you're listening to one heck of a story about Peter Ortiz. Born a privilege. He wants the action. He drops out of college.
He joins the French Foreign Legion. and his dad tries to buy him out. and his son will have nothing of it. comes for his second adventure after doing a good and strong stint in the French Foreign Legion to Hollywood. And then a trip to America.
He gets bored hanging with his mom. and joins the Marine Corps. And quickly the brass understands what they have, a multilingual, courageous fighter. We are going to use for great purposes. in what will be the future.
As you can tell already, espionage world. what would become our modern CIA. More of the story of Peter Ortiz here. On Our American Stories. You know what I always say?
Pressure makes diamonds. Whether it's on the court or in life, when things get tough, you've got to step up. That's right. And if you or someone you love is dealing with metastatic prostate cancer, stepping up means knowing your options. There's a treatment called Plovicto, Lutetium, Lu177, Vipipatide, Tetraxetan, and it's worth talking about.
Plavicto isn't chemo, it's a different kind of treatment that targets PSMA-positive cells, including prostate cancer cells. Pluvicto can be used before chemotherapy for some people. Plavicto is a prescription treatment used to treat adults with prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or PSMA-positive MCRPC, who have already been treated with hormone therapy and are considered appropriate to delay chemotherapy. Plavicto involves contact with radioactivity, which may increase the risk for cancer and cause fetal harm. You've got to drink plenty of fluids, urinate often, use contraception.
And talk to your doctor about how to reduce the risk of exposing others to radiation during and after treatment. It can also cause low blood cell counts, kidney problems, and infertility.
So if you're feeling weak, short of breath, bleeding or bruising easily, or notice changes in urination, tell your doctor. Side effects include decreased blood cell counts, tiredness, dry mouth, nausea, appetite loss, joint or back pain, and constipation. Look, this isn't about being tough. It's about being present. It's about being there for the moments that matter, both big and small.
So if you're in the fight or know someone who is, ask your doctor about Plovicto. Because when the pressure's on, you don't fold. You find a way. Visit pluvicto dot com to learn more. That's P L U V I C T O dot com.
This is Sophy Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or O S A, in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability, and concentration issues, it may be due to OSA. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation.
Learn more at don't sleep on OSA.com. This information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company. Mm-hmm.
So you're telling me that the AI that's meant to make everyone's job easier to manage? Just adds more to manage, on top of the thousands of apps the IT department already manages. Funny how that works. Any business can add AI. IBM helps you scale and manage AI to change how you do business.
Let's create smarter business. IBM. Protect your pet with insurance from PetsFest. Plans start from less than a dollar a day. Visit PetsFest.com.
Pet Insurance products offered and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services LLC are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company or Independence American Insurance Company. For terms and conditions, visit www.petsbest.com backslash policy. Products are underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company, Independence American Insurance Company, or MS Transverse Insurance Company and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services LLC. $1 a day premium based on 2024 average new policyholder data for accident and illness plans pets age 0 to 10. Rewards programs are a lot like pop culture.
They can be hard to keep up with. But with Venmo's new rewards program, Venmo Stash, rewards are so easy because the more you do, the more you get. And you choose the bundle of brands you get cash back at. It's giving fiscal queen. It's giving star.
It's giving up to 5% cash back at your favorite brands. Just pick a bundle of your go-to spots to shop with your Venmo debit card and earn cash back at them. Do more, get more. With Venmo Stash. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank NA.
Venmo Stash bundle terms and exclusions apply. Max $100 cash back per month. See terms at venmo.me forward slash stash terms. And we continue with our American stories and our Hollywood Goes to War series with Roger McGrath. The subject of this story today Peter Ortiz.
Let's pick up where we last left off. The Office of Strategic Services or the OSS. was the creation of Major General William Donovan. a Medal of Honor recipient in World War One. The mission of the OSS is collecting intelligence and conducting special operations behind enemy lines.
Known as Wild Bill. General Donovan says his ideal candidates for OSS operations are PhDs who can win a bar fight. McGeorge Bundy. an Army intelligence officer during World War two. and later a professor at Harvard.
and a national security advisor. said of Donovan's organization, The OSS was a remarkable institution. half cops and robbers, and half faculty meeting. With exceptional intelligence, fluency in many languages. A combat record second to none.
and an escape from a German prison camp. Peter Ortiz is exactly the kind of man Donovan wants. Ortiz.
now finds himself leading a reconnaissance patrol. behind German lines in Tunisia. during January 1943. Over several weeks, he gathers critical intelligence. until his patrol clashes with a German patrol in a fierce firefight.
Ortiz is wounded in the action. but continues fighting. And it's his accurate throws of grenades that cause the Germans to break contact. Ortiz will receive the Purple Heart. the wound he suffered.
General Donovan is highly impressed not only by Ortiz's reconnaissance patrol and his valor in battle. But also by the professional quality of Ortiz's after-action report. Donovan says he wants Ortiz assigned to the OSS full-time. Ortiz spends time Recuperating in a hospital at Algiers, he was and then at another in Washington, DC. In May 1943, The now fully recovered Ortiz is assigned to the OSS's Naval Command.
In July, he's flown to London. for training or a mission behind enemy lines in France. The mission will be to a mountainous region of southeastern France known as the Haute Savoie. which borders Switzerland and Italy. There were large numbers of Free French in the region.
particularly on the Verkor Plateau. immediately south of Grenoble. General Charles de Gaulle and other French leaders in exile, think the French partisans at Vercor, if well armed and trained, can offer stout resistance to the Germans. And divert German men and materiel from Normandy when D-Day arrives. Uh The mission to Vercor His code name Union.
On the moonless night, of January 6th, 1944, a British agent, a French agent, and Peter Ortiz. parachute onto the Verkhor plateau. They are dressed in civilian clothes, but carry their military uniforms in packs. They quickly make contact. with French partisans or maquis.
as they are known locally. and the OSS team begins to train them. The British agent later said that Ortiz, who knew not fear and did not hesitate to wear his U.S. Marine captain's uniform in town and country alike. This cheered the French.
but alerted the Germans and the mission was constantly on the move. Yeah. Cortes finds the morale of the maquis good. They willingly follow him on raids and ambushes, but they need more arms and ammunition. Ortiz coordinates parachute drops with the needed materiel and eventually has hundreds of Maquis armed and attacking Germans.
Reports of an American Marine leading Maquis raids causes the Gestapo. in the area to increase their interrogations of farmers and townsfolk. Ortiz seems a ghost like figure. Appearing here and there and then disappearing. He walks into villages in his uniform in the middle of the day to the cheers of the townsfolk.
and is gone before German soldiers or the Gestapo arrive. He leads raids that steal German army or Gestapo vehicles or set fire to German supply and ammo dumps. He sets ambushes of German patrols. He rescues four downed RAF pilots and leads them through southern France and across the Pyrenees to Spain. One night Ortiz strolls into a German occupied town.
Wearing a long cape. And enters a cafe where three German officers are drinking and cursing the maquis and the American Marine who is leading them. The filthy American swine. Please shout. They look up to see a tall, lean-faced man staring at them.
The man opens his cape to reveal a marine uniform and draws two semi-automatic Colt 45s. He opens fire before the Germans can unholster their sidearms. They're riddled by bullets. and Captain Peter Ortiz disappears into the night. In late May 1944, after nearly five months of such daring do.
Ortiz is pulled out of the core. by an airplane with special short field takeoff and landing capabilities. and flown to London. He's decorated. with the Navy Cross and promoted to Major.
Ordee spends the next two months in London preparing for another mission behind enemy lines, which is code-named Union 2. This time Ortiz will lead an OSS operational group to act as guerrillas behind German lines. The group consists of Ortees and five enlisted Marines. an Air Force captain and a French officer. A French officer will carry documents identifying him as an American marine.
All members of the group will wear their uniforms. Yeah. On August 1, 1944, They parachute from an American B-17 into a drop zone at Vercor. The parachute of one of the Marines malfunctions. and he free falls to the ground and dies upon impact.
The others land safely, and within days, Ortiz and his team are in heavy action. At one point the Germans maneuvered them into a steep walled canyon and have them surrounded. Surrender seems the only option. Bertiz tells his men of tight spots he's been in before, and if they're willing, to follow him. When night falls, Ortiz leads them crawling silently and undetected through the German lines.
On August 16, Ortiz and five others just begin to cross a road when a German troop convoy comes speeding around a curve and is suddenly upon them. The truck screeched to a halt. and out come dozens of German soldiers, firing their weapons as soon as their feet hit the pavement. The Americans raced to the protection of buildings and houses of a roadside village and returned fire. The German firepower is overwhelming though.
And the residents of the town implore the Americans to surrender before the town is destroyed. And you're listening to Roger McGrath tell the story of Peter Ortiz, who moved up the ranks of the Officer Corps in the Marine Corps. quickly. His competency, his courage. Rewarded in the field of battle, stood the test.
in this newly formed OSS, the equivalent of the modern day CIA, and not just gathering intelligence, but going behind enemy lines and conducting operations. One of them to try and divert German troops away from Normandy. Imagine the importance of an operation like that. He's ultimately awarded the Navy Cross. And we find him back at war again, even after the awards.
By the way, the description of these men in the early OSS, PhDs who can win a bar fight. half cops and robbers, half faculty meeting. And this cowboy with a refined multilingual sensibility. going into combat for the sheer adventure of it. when we come back.
More of Peter Ortiz's story. Here on Our American Stories. You know what I always say? Pressure makes diamonds. Whether it's on the court or in life, when things get tough, you've got to step up.
That's right. And if you or someone you love is dealing with metastatic prostate cancer, stepping up means knowing your options. There's a treatment called Plavicto, Lutetium, LU177, Vipipatide, Tetraxetan, and it's worth talking about. Plavicto isn't chemo, it's a different kind of treatment that targets PSMA-positive cells, including prostate cancer cells. Pluvicto can be used before chemotherapy for some people.
Pluvicto is a prescription treatment used to treat adults with prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or PSMA-positive MCRPC, who have already been treated with hormone therapy and are considered appropriate to delay chemotherapy. Pluvicto involves contact with radioactivity, which may increase the risk for cancer and cause fetal harm. You've got to drink plenty of fluids, urinate often, use contraception. And talk to your doctor about how to reduce the risk of exposing others to radiation during and after treatment. It can also cause low blood cell counts, kidney problems, and infertility.
So if you're feeling weak, short of breath, bleeding or bruising easily, or notice changes in urination, tell your doctor. Side effects include decreased blood cell counts, tiredness, dry mouth, nausea, appetite loss, joint or back pain, and constipation. Look, this isn't about being tough. It's about being present. It's about being there for the moments that matter, both big and small.
So if you're in the fight or know someone who is, ask your doctor about Plavicto. Because when the pressure's on, you don't fold. You find a way. Visit pluvicto dot com to learn more. That's P L U V I C T O dot com.
This is Sophy Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or O S A, in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability, and concentration issues, it may be due to OSA. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation.
Learn more at don'tsleep on OSA dot com. This information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company. Um So, let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there, and everywhere. But your AI can't use the data because it's here, there, and everywhere.
Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives to change how you do business. Let's create Smarter Business, IBM.
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$1 a day premium based on 2024 average new policyholder data for accident and illness plans. pets age 0 to 10. Rewards programs are a lot like pop culture. They can be hard to keep up with, but with Venmo's new rewards program, Venmo Stash, rewards are so easy because the more you do, the more you get. And you choose the bundle of brands you get cash back at.
It's giving fiscal queen, it's giving star, it's giving up to 5% cash back at your favorite brands. Just pick a bundle of your go-to spots to shop with your Venmo debit card and earn cash back at them. Do more, get more with Venmo Stash. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank NA. Venmo Stash bundle terms and exclusions apply.
Max $100 cash back per month. See terms at venmo.me forward slash stash terms. And we continue with our American stories and with Roger McGrath. Telling the story of Peter Ortiz. Let's pick up where we last left off.
On August 16, Ortiz and five others just begin to cross a road when a German troop convoy comes speeding around a curve and is suddenly upon them. The truck screeched to a halt. And out come dozens of German soldiers, firing their weapons as soon as their feet hit the pavement. The Americans raced to the protection of buildings and houses of a roadside village and returned fire. The German firepower is overwhelming though.
And the residents of the town implore the Americans to surrender before the town is destroyed. Ortiz looks at a sergeant positioned close to him and explains that Considering the circumstances, it would be best to surrender. A sergeant looks Ortiz in the eye and says, Major? We are Marines. What you think is right goes for me too.
Ortiz orders his men to cease fire and shouts at the Germans. who continue to lay down a withering fire. Finally, realizing there is no return fire, the German shooting slackens. Ortiz steps out from cover and begins walking towards the German lines. A few rounds kick up dust around him.
But Ortiz continues walking. all the while calling for the German commander. When the commander comes forward, Ortiz says he will order his men to surrender. only if the commander will guarantee the villagers will not be harmed. The commander gives his word.
and Ortiz orders his men to assemble next to him. Ortiz calls them to attention. and orders them to give no information other than that required by the Geneva Convention. The German commander is impressed. by both the order and the look of Ortiz and his men.
and tells his troops to treat the Americans with respect. Ortiz and his men are now transported by truck. from one German army camp to another until they finally reach a POW camp in northern Italy. They are not there for long before they are put aboard a train. with boxcars full of French, British, and American prisoners.
The train takes them hundreds of miles north. to a POW camp in Germany. near the North Sea port of Bremen. They arrive at the end of September, 1944. The camp is divided into two separate camps, one for officers and one for enlisted men.
Ortiz finds himself with some four hundred other officers, nearly all of them British. Only three, including Ortiz, are American. A senior Allied officer is a British Royal Navy captain. Upon meeting him, Ortiz asks about plans for escape. and is told there will be no escape attempts.
Major Ortiz immediately declares himself Senior American Officer and says American POWs will plan to escape. Uh On the night of December 18, Ortiz and an American Navy lieutenant. Hiram Harris. Spend more than an hour cutting and crawling through a series of wire fences before reaching an open field and making a dash for it. Searchlights illuminate the running Americans.
And they're escorted back to the camp and locked in solitary confinement. On April 10, 1945, with Allied forces moving into Germany. it's decided to move most of the prisoners. To a POW camp at Lubeck, a port on the Baltic Sea about 120 miles to the northeast. The prisoners begin the trek, marching in a column along the side of a road.
When a couple of RAF Spitfires sweep down on the column and open fire. But most in the column died for cover. Ortiz dashes into nearby woods. Two Americans and one Englishman follow him. With the Spitfires gone, German guards order the prisoners back into a column, and the march begins again.
No one seems to have noticed the disappearance of Ortiz and the others. Cortes thinks that British troops must be near. and it will not be more than a day or two before they arrive. The escapees move only at night, and all they ever see are Germans. Several times they only narrowly escape detection.
After ten days of this and with no food, They are starving and exhausted. Disgusted by the slow advance of the British, Ortiz decides they should return. to their old POW camp. and see if any food was left behind. They walk into the camp, and the few guards there mostly ignore them.
It seems the guards know the war is nearly over. Among the few prisoners still there, are the enlisted Marines from Ortiz's OSS group. They give him a rousing welcome. For better or worse, they are together again. A week later, a British Armoured Division finally reaches the camp.
Most of the remaining prisoners eagerly board trucks for transportation to the rear. but not Ortiz and his men. Ortiz asks if his group can join the Armored Division. As Ortiz later put it, We Marines wanted to join this unit. in order to bag a few more Germans before hunting season closed.
The British refuse, and Ortiz and the others are sent to the rear. Ortiz is debriefed by an OSS officer. and then the commander of the U. S. Navy's Twelfth Fleet, decorates Ortiz with a second Navy Cross.
By this time the war in Europe is over. and Ortiz requests combat duty against the Japanese. By July 1945, he's in California. preparing a team for an OSS mission to Indochina. But the atomic bombs in August End the war.
before the mission is launched. Ortiz returns to Hollywood to again work as a technical advisor. beginning with 13 Rue Madeleine. A World War II spy thriller released in 1946 starring James Cagney. Ortiz is content with working as a technical advisor and has no ambitions to become an actor.
But the director John Ford, a veteran of the Navy, and the OSS. who was involved in his own daring do, when he parachuted behind Japanese lions into a Burmese jungle. offers Ortiz a small role in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon starring John Wayne. Because the offer comes from John Ford, Ortiz accepts it. During the next decade, Ortiz appears in five of Ford's movies.
and in 27 movies altogether, as well as in two television series. He enjoys the work because he doesn't really act but simply plays himself. often portraying a military officer. In retreat hell the best movie about marines in Korea. Or T's plays Marine Major.
exactly what he was. While Peter Ortiz is acting, Operation Secret A movie inspired by Ortiz's real life Dear and Do is released in 1952. Cornell Wilde plays Ortiz. called Peter Forrester in the movie. But as usual, Hollywood takes liberties with what really occurred.
Ortiz eventually retires from Hollywood. and moves with his wife to Prescott, Arizona. Their son becomes a marine officer like his dad. In 1988, At the age of seventy four, Peter Ortiz dies. He is buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
Not only are high-ranking American officers there. but also high ranking officers from France. He's an American hero. End of French Hero. To this day, Peter Ortiz is commemorated in France as.
The hero. of Haute Savoy. And a terrific job in the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. And a special thanks to Roger McGrath, our Hollywood Goes to War series. is his brain child.
and it's his storytelling. And there's so much good stuff. Go to OurAmericanStories.com and just put in Hollywood Goes to War. And doctor McGrath has appeared on numerous History Channel documentaries. And again, he is a regular contributor here at Our American Stories.
And what a story he told here. Peter Ortiz, imagine this: two, not one, but two Navy crosses. He's a POW not once but twice, once with the French Foreign Legion serving in World War II and again in an operation behind enemy lines. And the character, you can almost see him. Feel them and hear them.
The joy of spoken words sometimes is that you don't need the pictures sometimes. We can fill them in ourselves. And when he returns to Los Angeles, the next thing you know, well, a director who knew a little about war, John Ford, he himself. Was in the OSS and the Navy and fought in World War II. Hired him as an actor to play, of course.
Military men. And he did that because it's who he was. And it's what he knew. And Peter Ortiz finally does retire. and retires in Arizona.
His son, becomes a marine. And that's no surprise, these things run through family lines. and intergenerational service. In 1988, Hidoratiz died. He was 74.
He was buried with full military honors. in Arlington Cemetery. He died an American. and a French hero. The STORY OF PETER ORTIES.
a part of our Hollywood Goes to War series. Here. on our American stories. This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea or OSA in adults with obesity?
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Mm-hmm.
