Behind the Bastards

Part Two: Behind the Bastards Live Show: The Ballad of Bo Gritz

November 20, 2025

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  • Bo Gritz's attempt to rescue POWs, dubbed "Operation Velvet Hammer," involved training a bizarre platoon including a psychic and a hypnotherapist at a cheerleading academy in Florida before failing immediately upon entering Laos. 
  • Bo Gritz's political career included running for Vice President on the Populist Party ticket alongside David Duke, a fact he later claimed to be shocked by, despite initially accepting Duke's promise not to run a racist campaign. 
  • Despite his disgraceful downfall involving failed schemes, financial mismanagement of his 'Almost Heaven' community, and expressing antisemitic views, Bo Gritz's story inspired several major 1980s action films, including *Rambo: First Blood Part II*. 

Segments

Operation Velvet Hammer Launch
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(00:03:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Bo Gritz launched Operation Velvet Hammer in 1981, recruiting 21 individuals including a psychic and a hypnotherapist for a mission to rescue POWs in Southeast Asia.
  • Summary: Bo Gritz launched Operation Velvet Hammer in 1981 after months of fundraising based on lies about Vietnam. The recruited team included 21 ‘drifters, dreamers, and desperados,’ alongside a psychic and a hypnotherapist. Training for the mission took place at the American Cheerleading Association Academy in Leesburg, Florida.
Terry Smith’s Extreme Zeal
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(00:08:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Volunteer Terry Smith, a purported Green Beret, expressed extreme violent fantasies, including planning to have an orgasm upon killing his first enemy combatant.
  • Summary: Volunteer Terry Smith, a former Green Beret, quit college football training to join the mission, stating he would either free a POW or start World War III. Smith also told reporters he witnessed NVA soldiers commit a bizarre war crime against a pregnant woman, claiming he was unable to intervene. The group’s training was fueled by adrenaline and the song ‘The Ballad of the Green Berets.’
Flawed Rescue Plan Details
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(00:13:25)
  • Key Takeaway: The operation’s plan involved entering Laos as tourists, smuggling weapons, embedding with guerrillas, and expecting to convince the sitting U.S. President to launch an airstrike via a phone call from Laos.
  • Summary: The plan required the team to pose as humanitarian aid workers for Cambodian refugees while smuggling machine guns into Laos. If captured, they intended to use self-printed IOUs promising $1,000 for safe passage to a U.S. embassy. The final step involved obtaining proof of POWs to convince the President to call in the 7th Fleet for an airstrike.
Operation Failure and Robbery Suggestion
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(00:15:48)
  • Key Takeaway: After running out of money in Florida, team member Terry Smith suggested robbing Coke dealers in the 1980s to fund the trip to Vietnam.
  • Summary: Operation Velvet Hammer failed after the team ran out of money during training in Florida. Terry Smith suggested robbing drug dealers to finance the mission, stating he would kill 20 Americans to free 100 POWs. The first attempt to enter Laos in November 1982 resulted in the team being ambushed by a rival Laotian group, leading to one American teammate being held for a $17,500 ransom.
Celebrity Donations and Second Attempt
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(00:21:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Clint Eastwood donated $30,000 and William Shatner donated $10,000 for the rights to Bo Gritz’s life story.
  • Summary: Bo Gritz successfully secured high-profile celebrity donations, including $30,000 from Clint Eastwood, who allegedly promised to secure a presidential airstrike if proof of POWs was found. William Shatner donated $10,000 in exchange for the rights to Bo Gritz’s life story. The second attempt to reach Laos in December 1982 ended when Thai police arrested two commandos for illegal radio transmitters.
Congressional Testimony and Film Inspiration
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(00:25:35)
  • Key Takeaway: When questioned by Congress about evidence for surviving POWs, Bo Gritz claimed he had the same evidence that clergymen present for the existence of God.
  • Summary: Bo Gritz testified before Congress in 1983, offering no concrete evidence for his claims, comparing his proof to faith in God. His efforts inspired several films, including Rambo: First Blood Part II, Missing in Action, and Uncommon Valor. The character Hannibal Smith from The A-Team was also partly inspired by Bo Gritz.
Political Pivot and Almost Heaven
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(00:28:24)
  • Key Takeaway: After failing to rescue POWs, Bo Gritz pivoted to politics, running for VP on the Populist Party ticket with David Duke, and later founded an intentional community called ‘Almost Heaven’ in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Summary: Bo Gritz ran as the vice presidential candidate for the Populist Party in 1988 alongside presidential candidate David Duke, a Holocaust denier. In 1992, Gritz played a positive role by negotiating the end of the Ruby Ridge standoff, though his association with white supremacist groups led to accusations of racism. He later founded ‘Almost Heaven,’ a land venture intended as a constitutional covenant community for militia movement members.
Downfall and Survival
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(00:43:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The ‘Almost Heaven’ venture collapsed due to the business partner stealing funds, lawsuits over uncompleted infrastructure, and Bo Gritz’s continued communication with the FBI regarding militia groups.
  • Summary: The ‘Almost Heaven’ community failed because Bo and his partner used a common law Trust structure that prevented buyers from obtaining titles or insurance, leading to lawsuits. Gritz’s third wife, Claudia, left him after 24 years of marriage following his FBI communications with militia groups. Bo Gritz survived a suicide attempt by shooting himself in the chest in December 1998 and is still alive.