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It started as a normal day. What if the truth about the greatest tragedy of your life

was kept secret from you? Huge explosion occurred. This is the story of a scandal deliberately

buried in the chaos of the Iraq War. What really just happened.

Listen to NPR's embedded podcast and its latest series, Taking Cover.

The following podcast contains moments of violence, profanity, and uncensored racism.

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This is Barry Trousse. I'm Hank Clibbinoff.

Willie Contraman, known to friends and family as Woody, was 32 years old in May of 1958,

a year older than James Brasier. Now people knew Willie Contraman is friendly and hardworking.

He wasn't a heavy drinker or a big part of your. One neighbor said he would take a drink but

she'd never seen him drunk. Contraman drove a truck for the local knee-high bottling plant

from over in Columbus, Georgia. Now let me pause to say why when I learned that Willie Contraman drove

a knee-high truck. I had an instant affinity for him. That name, Nehi, N-E-H-I,

may be new to some of you but if you grew up in the 1950s and if you tasted a knee-high soda,

you were tasting heaven. And the knee-high grape soda, it was the magical sensory experience for the

taste buds. Contraman was like James Brasier and that he worked hard. He loved his job,

put everything he had into it and he believed he could get ahead at the plant.

Willie Contraman was tall and fit, hauling cases of knee-high grape soda all day,

wheel-bills and muscle. He stood six feet tall and weighed at trim 160 pounds.

...