Chain of Command part 1
PRETEND
05/12/26
•39m
About
Comments
Featured In
In 1996, Sarah DeJonghe was a 20-year-old Navy Seabee stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Two guys in uniform approached her on base and invited her to church. She said no.
They came back anyway.
Four months later, Sarah was out of the Navy and on her way to a Bible seminary in Washington State. She didn't see it coming. Neither did the dozens of other military members who found themselves drawn into the New Testament Christian Churches of America, a church that has spent decades planting itself outside US military bases around the world, marketing itself as a home away from home for single, lonely soldiers.
Former members say it's a cult.
Want to keep going? Part Two is available right now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts and on Patreon. You'll get every episode of this series ad-free and a week early, plus bonus episodes and full access to the PRETEND archive.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985 Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- NTCC bylaws (publicly available): https://myntcc.org/bylaws/
- Stay Away From NTCC (former member YouTube channel run by Tracy Pelfrey) - https://www.youtube.com/@StayAwayFromNTCC
- Bruce Smith's reporting at The Mountain News
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Previous Episode
Operation Cockblock Revisited
May 5
•54m
A Colorado businessman with a criminal record, no credit, and a gift for charm somehow convinced dozens of women to finance his cars, his home, and his lifestyle. When they finally compared notes, they didn't get mad. They got organized. This is the story of Bill Sullivan, and the self-appointed militia of scorned women who banded together to take him down: Operation Cockblock.
Before you go:
Stick around for a sneak peek at Chain of Command, PRETEND's new investigative series about a secretive church that brands itself a "ministry to the military" and has been operating near U.S. military bases around the world.
🎧 Listen now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985
💙 Or on Patreon: https://patreon.com/pretendradio?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Next Episode
Deep Cover is a true crime show about double lives, brought to you by our friends at Pushkin Industries.
Their new season, The Family Man, is a gripping story about how families can deceive each other and the lengths we’ll go to to protect our loved ones.
Elise and Marissa grew up in a seemingly normal house in the suburbs of St. Louis—but it was a house built on secrets. There were things their father never told them... like how he really made his money.
Everything changed in a single night:
- The Raid: Police arrived at the front door, seizing boxes of evidence.
- The Chase: Hours later, the sisters turned on the TV to a surreal sight—their father in the middle of a high-speed police chase.
- The Identity: The local news identified him as “The Boonie Hat Bandit.”
The girls were stunned, struggling to accept a reality they never saw coming.
- How long had he been lying?
- What had he done?
- Who, exactly, was their father?
Listen Now: Find Deep Cover: The Family Man wherever you get your podcasts.
Binge the Full Season: If you want to know how the story ends right now, you can binge the entire season today. Sign up for a Pushkin+ subscription on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.
Official Link: lnk.to/DCFMPretend
The Secret Life of the SuburbsThe Aftermath[CALL TO ACTION]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted