Ghost Father | Chapter 5

It was 1985, the so-called “Year of the Spy”. The CIA had been losing Soviet assets left and right; the first loss seemed like bad luck, but four in a row? That wasn't a coincidence— it was a deadly leak. And just as the Agency was scrambling to find answers, across the world, a KGB colonel named Vitaly Yurchenko walked into the American embassy in Rome and volunteered his services in exchange for immediate exfiltration to the United States.At the time, Yurchenko was the highest-ranked KGB officer ever to defect to America, and the Agency felt it had hit the jackpot. Instead, his defection would go on to become one of the most dizzying, high-stakes espionage debacles of the last century. Although many of his bombshell revelations were bonafide, a doubt soon began haunting the intelligence community: Was Vitaly Yurchenko telling the whole truth? And if not... What had he been sent to hide?Listen Now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Randy Taylor became a soldier to serve America. But he was forced to live a life plagued by paranoia, secrecy and isolation. For years, Randy hid his true identity while risking his life in the United States Army. This is his harrowing, untold story.Unfit for Service is an 8-episode series with new episodes publishing Monday mornings. Listen to Unfit for Service now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Unfit for Service is a production of Wavland and Vespucci and is hosted by Eric Marcus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From long-time collaborators Sean Kipe and Jason Hoch comes ‘How It All Went South’, the new twice weekly podcast and video series where we share all the crazy stories we've been saving up for years. Until now.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.You’ll get stories like:How to Hire a HitmanThe Unlucky Lottery WinnerThe Alaska Memory Card KillerThe Runaway BrideAl Capone: Original Gangster of Atlanta?Family Drama at Sweetie Pie’sThe Ash Street ShootoutDeath by Root Beer FloatThe Great Bear Hoax Join How It All Went South twice a week every week for these stories and so much more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chasing ghosts, and finding love, where it all began. Sometimes you’re so focused on what you want, that you forget what you already have. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s time to make the phone call. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Even as I'm warned against digging up ghosts, I double down on my pursuit to uncover the identity of my real biological father by bringing in a professional. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I uncover the scale of the lies and deceit that characterized infertility care for decades. Maybe I’ve been searching in the wrong place all along. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My search for my father takes me overseas. And I speak with someone grappling with their own emotional fallout around family revelations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When I track down the doctor who treated my mother in the 1970s, I'm left with the uneasy sense that a minor medical procedure done four decades earlier has life-altering ramifications. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A DNA test turns up some shocking details about my identity. It means that everything I thought was true about my father could be wrong. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.