Monthly Archives: May 2019

Remembering Vietnam: The Telling Project takes viewers behind-the-scenes as national performing arts organization, The Telling Project, works with Minnesota veterans of the Vietnam War and armed conflict in Laos to create a play in which veterans share their stories. The one-hour program follows the cast – including former Army nurse Mary Beth Crowley, Marine veteran Ken Plant, retired Navy service member Ken Sholes, 20-plus-year Army Veteran Ray Wilson, and the son of a Laos army officer, Khang Yang – through interviews, time spent with their families and friends, and rehearsals culminating in a performance with an invited audience.

Airs 5/26 at 7 p.m.

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POV presents an array of groundbreaking and distinctive perspectives on contemporary life as chronicled by some of America’ s and Europe’s most visionary non-fiction filmmakers.

• #3015 “Almost Sunrise” – In an attempt to put haunting combat experiences behind them, two friends embark on an epic 2,700-mile trek on foot across America, seeking redemption and healing as a way to close the moral chasm opened by war. Almost Sunrise is an intimate, vérité film that eschews stereotypes and instead captures an unprecedented portrait of veterans — one of hope, potential and untold possibilities.

Airs 5/26 at 11 p.m.

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Almost Sunrise Trailer

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The National Memorial Day Concert features uplifting musical performances, documentary footage and dramatic readings that honor the military service of all our men and women in uniform and their families at home. One of PBS’ highest-rated programs, featuring an all-star lineup. the multi-award-winning television event has become an American tradition.  The concert unites the country in remembrance and appreciation of those who gave their lives for our nation and serves those who are grieving through the mission put forward by Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address, “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.”

Airs 5/26 at 8 p.m. (repeats 5/26 at 9:30 p.m.)

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On D-Day, a roughly 7,000-yard stretch of beach in Normandy, France given the code name “Omaha” proved to be the Allies’ biggest obstacle to the success of Operation Overlord. The assignment to take Omaha Beach, establish a beachhead, and move inland into France was given to two American divisions — the already battle-hardened 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) and the untested 29th Infantry Division (The Blue and the Gray), who had yet to see any combat in World War II. American Naval Combat Demolition Units also hit the beach that day, writing their own individual stories of horror and heroism. Seven decades after the “Boys of Omaha Beach” landed, many veterans are returning to this part of the Normandy coast for the last time. Other soldiers who were there on D-Day have also come back for the first time since that historic day, looking for closure as they enter the final years of their lives. OMAHA BEACH: HONOR AND SACRIFICE shows the very personal stories of several veterans as they return to Omaha Beach and documents the celebration in Normandy that continues to this day as a result of their acts of courage and determination on June 6, 1944.

Airs 5/25 at 7 p.m.

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On June 6, 1944, thousands of Allied servicemen landed on the shores of northern France, tasked with liberating western Europe from Nazi tyranny. Over the ensuing hours and days, the men faced decimating machine-gun fire, mortars and artillery, eventually fighting their way inland, but not before suffering a staggering number of casualties. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landing, four D-Day veterans gather at the famed Museum of World War II outside of Boston, Mass. to share their experiences from that fateful “Day of Days.” Cameras eavesdrop on their conversations as they vividly recall details from their ordeal — from the perils of the amphibious assault to the invasion’s gruesome aftermath. Their interactions with one another yield long-buried, and often painful, memories. They recount their transformations from boys to men, reveal their uneasiness with the term “hero,” and grapple with why they survived when so many others did not.

Airs 5/25 at 8 p.m.; 5/26 at midnight; 5/26 at 11 p.m.

Following a group of senior citizens who take their first steps into cyber-space under the tutelage of teenage mentors. Their digital exploration reaches a new level in a spirited YouTube competition that reveals hidden talents and competitive spirits.  Airs 5/23 at 1 a.m.

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