Oliver North is a decorated US marine officer, a holder of three patents, a syndicated writer, a radio show host, a New York Times best-selling author, and the host of the Fox Channel program ‘War Stories.’ He has also served as a Fox News Channel correspondent and has run for the United States Senate. When he was accused in the Iran-Contra crisis, he sparked outrage, only to be absolved of all charges later. During the Vietnam War, he was awarded two Purple Heart medals, as well as a Silver Star and a Bronze Star. He has also received numerous honorary medals and military decorations, including the Presidential Service Badge. He was a member of the National Security Council’s staff. He studied at the State University of New York before enrolling in the United States Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course.
Childhood and Adolescence
Oliver Laurence North was born in San Antonio, Texas, on October 7, 1943, to Oliver Clay North, a US Army major, and Ann Theresa North. He grew up in the Philmont, New York, neighborhood. He graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961. He went on to study for two years at the State University of New York in Brockport, New York.
He spent a summer in the United States Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class. The event took place in Virginia at the Marine Corps Base Quantico. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1963. He received his diploma from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1981, after completing a ‘Command and Staff Course.’
Career of Oliver North
He joined the United States Marine Corps as a second lieutenant in 1968. He served as a platoon leader in the Vietnam War. In Quantico, Virginia, he became a teacher at the United States Marine Corps’ The Basic Facility, a training school that aimed to teach the many prerequisites for becoming a Marine Officer.
He went to South Vietnam in 1970 as one of the witnesses in Corporal Randy Herrod’s trial. Prior to his leadership, Herrod, a US Marine, was accused of mass murdering Vietnamese residents. In 1971, he was promoted to Captain and assigned to the Northern Training Area in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, as the commanding commander of the US Marine Corps.
He was commissioned to work in the Marine Corps Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, for the next four years after his service in Japan. He went on to serve as an operations officer in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment after being promoted to major.
Since 1981, he has served as the National Security Council’s deputy director for political-military affairs in Washington, D.C. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel after three years. As the National Security Council’s deputy director for political-military relations, he oversaw the investigation into the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. 299 military men, both American and French, were killed in the bombing.
During his time in the National Security Council, he was a part of ‘Operation Urgent Fury,’ which was the invasion of Grenada in the Caribbean Islands in 1983. He was also in charge of the bombing of Libya. He was involved in the Iran–Contra scandal, which entailed selling arms to Iran in exchange for American hostages. This was done in order to provide covert support to Nicaraguan Contra guerrillas.
He formally resigned from the Marine Corps commission in 1988. He served in Headquarters Marine Corps in Arlington, Virginia, for his trial time of the last two years. He was found guilty of 12 crimes in the Iran–Contra incident in 1989 and given a three-year suspended sentence. In addition, he was fined $150,000. Three of the charged convictions were overturned in 1990. The following year, he was acquitted of the allegations against him after it was determined that the witnesses had been improperly influenced by his ‘immunized congressional testimony.’ ‘Under Fire: An American Story’ was his first book, published in 1991.
He appeared in the first season of the syndicated talk show ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ and the sitcom ‘Wings’ in the same year. In 1994, he ran for the United States Senate in Virginia as a Republican Party candidate. His campaign was unsuccessful, as he was defeated by Democrat candidate Charles Robb.
He began hosting the nationally syndicated radio show “Oliver North Radio Show or Common Sense Radio” in 1995.
He began anchoring ‘War Stories with Oliver North,’ a Fox News military history show, in 2001. He also featured on the television show ‘Hannity’ as a commentator. He also appeared on the drama series ‘JAG.’ He was credited as a military consultant for the shooter video game ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’ in 2012. In addition, he has appeared on an episode of the reality show ‘Auction Kings.’
Achievements & Awards
During the Vietnam War, he received two Purple Heart medals, a Silver Star, and a Bronze Star medal.
The ‘Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal,’ the ‘National Defense Service Medal,’ the ‘Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation,’ and the ‘Meritorious Service Medal’ are among his awards.
Personal History and Legacy
He married Betsy Stuart in 1967 and has four children with her. Despite being raised as a Catholic, he and his family have attended Anglican services. He formed the ‘Freedom Alliance,’ an organization committed to ‘Honoring and Supporting America’s Military Heroes,’ in 1990. He is a member of the National Rifle Association of America’s board of directors. He attended the National Rifle Association of America’s national conventions in 2007 and 2008. ‘The Assassins,’ ‘The Jericho Sanction,’ ‘Under Fire,’ ‘One More Mission,’ ‘War Stories – Operation Iraqi Freedom,’ and ‘Mission Compromised’ are only a few of his publications.
Estimated Net Worth
Oliver North is a $5 million dollar net worth former United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, conservative political pundit, television broadcaster, military historian, and author. Oliver North is best known for his role in the 1980s Iran-Contra controversy, in which profits made to the Islamic Republic of Iran were channeled to Contra guerrilla organizations in Nicaragua. For numerous years, he held a radio talk program, then becoming a Fox News personality, and then serving as President of the NRA from May 2018 to April 2019.
Trivia
Until his posting to the National Security Council and the Iran-Contra proceedings, this former United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, political pundit, television personality, and New York Times best-selling author was rarely addressed by his first name. He used to go by the name ‘Larry,’ which was short for Laurence, his middle name.