Broadcasters: Untold Chaos

Just hours after two pilots had taken possession of a Cessna aircraft, they were flying over the Midwest on a lovely autumn morning when their small plane was targeted by F-16 fighter jets. It was September 11, 2001 and the civilians were among the last Americans to learn that our country was under attack. This is one of the little-known stories covered during a 50-year career by former military and civilian news broadcaster Rick Fredericksen. “Some events and newsmakers deserve more attention,” according to the author, who reveals insider accounts stretching from the Vietnam War to the war against terrorism. Background details, often left behind in the reporter’s notebook, are made public in "Broadcasters: Untold Chaos." The tragic saga of CBS war photographer Vinh Ve is a recurring theme through the first half of the book, as we follow the life of this courageous cameraman. He would suffer terribly after the fall of Saigon—even finding himself at odds with the network that made him a legend—only to re-emerge years later when General Norman Schwarzkopf returned to Vietnam as a news analyst. Other topics include real life stories and characters at the American Forces Vietnam Network; a field investigation on the suspected impact of Agent Orange on Vietnamese civilians and former soldiers; how democracy replaced the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia; dining with a tyrant in paradise; and the downfall of a world-famous pop star in Bangkok. "Broadcasters: Untold Chaos" includes 27 historic photographs to illustrate hidden stories that never received proper attention. This written record was made possible by a treasure trove of documentation that was left behind in the shadows of the day’s bigger headlines. "Broadcasters: Untold Chaos" is also intended as a salute to the actual broadcasters themselves, especially foreign correspondents who are often exposed to unexpected dangers. Fredericksen was the last Bangkok Bureau Chief for CBS News.