PBS Specials

Medal of Honor (2008x18)

Date de diffusion: Nov 05, 2008

What makes a person face almost certain death to save the lives of others? Where does one find the strength to endure unspeakable acts of torture at the hands of an enemy and not lose the will to survive? Would we—if put into the same situation—be capable of such heroism? MEDAL OF HONOR reveals the almost inconceivable acts of those few heroes who answered "Yes!" This compelling film traces the history of the medal from the Iraq War to the Civil War, when the medal was created. We're at Baghdad airport, when Sgt. Paul Smith dies protecting his company. We meet a Holocaust survivor, who, in the Korean War single-handedly defends a hill from advancing enemy forces. A Navy SEAL takes us back to the day in Vietnam when he swam two hours in the ocean, carrying his wounded comrades to safety. A Marine at Iwo Jima recounts his solo attacks that silenced seven Japanese bunkers with a flamethrower, clearing a path for his decimated, demoralized company. Just one woman wins the Award during the Civil War and has it taken away from her.