. >> vice admiral john poindexter played a pivotal role in executing that mission. >> i probably spente waking hours with president reagan than his wife did. >> he was a key member of reagan's national security team. group that shared the president's deeply held beliefs. also on the team, a hard-nosed marine from the national security council, lieutenant colonel oliver north. his military code name? the hammer. >> i was very loyal to the president, loyal to me and one of the finest staff officers that's ever worked for me. >> colonel north grew up in a military family in upstate new york. after graduating from annapolis, in 1968, he was sent directly to vietnam to serve as a platoon commander. >> ladies and gentlemen, my introductory remarks will be a little bit longer than usual. captain oliver north, has been awarded the silver star for gallantry and a bronze star for heroic action. he is also the recipient of two purple hearts for wounds received in combat. >> everybody whoever encountered him said that he was a warrior's warrior. >> i have a lot of questions for captain north, did

. >> vice admiral john poindexter played a pivotal role in executing that mission. >> i probably spentking hours with president reagan than his wife did. >> he was a key member of reagan's national security team. group that shared the president's deeply held beliefs. also on the team, a hard-nosed marine from the national security council, lieutenant colonel oliver north. his military code name? the hammer. >> i was very loyal to the president, loyal to me and one of the finest staff officers that's ever worked for me. >> colonel north grew up in a military family in upstate new york. after graduating from annapolis, in 1968, he was sent directly to vietnam to serve as a platoon commander. >> ladies and gentlemen, my introductory remarks will be a little bit longer than usual. captain oliver north, has been awarded the silver star for gallantry and a bronze star for heroic action. he is also the recipient of two purple hearts for wounds received in combat. >> everybody whoever encountered him said that he was a warrior's warrior. >> i have a lot of questions for captain north, did you

lawrence walsh brought charges against casper weinberger, bud mcfarland, john poindexter, oliver northn hall was not charged. >> nobody really believes that these people intended to be criminals. >> it just wreaks with politics. >> i just have to believe that they're going to be found innocent because i don't think they were guilty of any law breaking or any crime. >> narrator: the court of law disagreed. nearly four years after beginning his investigation, the independent counsel won guilty verdicts against north and poindexter. their crimes included destroying federal documents and lying to congress. but in the end, none of it would stick. an appeals court overturned their convictions. >> totally exonerated, fully, completely. i don't have another word for it. help me. >> narrator: the legal aftermath of iran-contra reached well beyond reagan's tenure and deep into that of president george h.w. bush. on christmas eve 1992, president bush, with only weeks left in office, pardoned mcfarland and weinberger. the independent counsel's investigation had lasted six years, seven months and 1

mid shipmen were not doing, certainly not those who finished at the top of the class in 1958, john poindexterho was later inindicted in the iran contra scandal, mccain was a fighter and he used that to his benefit in his service. he rebelled against his captor, he obeyed the lawful orders of those senior over him and he did everything he could to escape but also not accept any special favors from the enemy inlewd leaving -- including leaving prison early. his father became head of the u.s. forces in the pacific and he was offered an early release, thinking it would be a propaganda victory and mccain wouldn't buy it and endured many more years of harsh conditions. leland: it's one thing to say willing to be tortured and another thing to say i'm willing to take more to maintain the oath i had given. we'll be back to lucas a little later in the hour as senator mccain arrives for the memorial service. catch fox news sunday after our show, chris wallace talks with senator lindsey graham about his friend and colleague, the late john mccain. they'll discuss the upcoming hearings for supreme court no