Culture

American Veteran

AMERICAN VETERAN is a four-part documentary series tracing the veteran experience across the arc of American history and exploring the present-day divide between civilian and veteran communities. From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, illuminating the veteran experience and drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture.

Episode 4: The Reckoning

55m 20s

“Those who went into the service and those who did not, we are two different realities,” a Veteran decides. But Veterans don't all feel the same. Some like “Thank you for your service”; others feel it's “bumper-sticker deep.” Veterans reflecting ask how veterans and civilians can move America forward together. Hosted by J. R. Martinez, Army Veteran, actor, and motivational speaker.

Episodes

  • Episode 4: The Reckoning: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 4: The Reckoning

    S2021 E4 - 55m 20s

    “Those who went into the service and those who did not, we are two different realities,” a Veteran decides. But Veterans don't all feel the same. Some like “Thank you for your service”; others feel it's “bumper-sticker deep.” Veterans reflecting ask how veterans and civilians can move America forward together. Hosted by J. R. Martinez, Army Veteran, actor, and motivational speaker.

  • Episode 3: The Return: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 3: The Return

    S2021 E3 - 55m 19s

    Hollywood war stories mostly end with the hero’s return. In reality, the road back to civilian life is less certain. For some, there were ticker-tape parades; for others, protests, anger and silence. Some veterans return home full of confidence, while others think, “What am I going to do now?” Hosted by actor Wes Studi, Vietnam War Veteran (National Guard) and Native American (Cherokee) activist.

  • Episode 2: The Mission: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 2: The Mission

    S2021 E2 - 55m 18s

    Military life shapes servicemen and women in profound, unexpected ways. Veterans’ stories showcase the raw impact of these experiences: A Coast Guard recruit who helped ferry soldiers on D-Day. A pilot who remotely guided bomber drones over Afghanistan. A Marine who became the first Latina general. Hosted by Senator Tammy Duckworth, Iraq War Veteran (Army) and Purple Heart recipient.

  • Episode 1: The Crossing: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 1: The Crossing

    S2021 E1 - 55m 19s

    “There is a very stark line between before boot camp and after boot camp,” a veteran recalls. As recruits take the oath to serve, they leave the civilian world to become a soldier, sailor, marine, airman or woman. This is the start of their transformation. Hosted by TV host and Marine Veteran Drew Carey.

Extras + Features

  • American Veteran Promo: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    American Veteran Promo

    4m 11s

    AMERICAN VETERAN is a four-part documentary series tracing the veteran experience across the arc of American history and exploring the present-day divide between civilian and veteran communities. From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, illuminating the veteran experience and drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture.

  • Episode 3: The Return: Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 3: The Return: Preview

    30s

    Hollywood war stories mostly end with the hero’s return. In reality, the road back to civilian life is less certain. For some, there were ticker-tape parades; for others, protests, anger and silence. Some veterans return home full of confidence, while others think, “What am I going to do now?” Hosted by actor Wes Studi, Vietnam War Veteran (National Guard) and Native American (Cherokee) activist.

  • Series Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Series Preview

    30s

    AMERICAN VETERAN is a four-part documentary series tracing the veteran experience across the arc of American history and exploring the present-day divide between civilian and veteran communities. From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, illuminating the veteran experience and drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture.

  • Episode 2: The Mission: Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 2: The Mission: Preview

    30s

    Military life shapes servicemen and women in profound, unexpected ways. Veterans’ stories showcase the raw impact of these experiences: A Coast Guard recruit who helped ferry soldiers on D-Day. A pilot who remotely guided bomber drones over Afghanistan. A Marine who became the first Latina general. Hosted by Senator Tammy Duckworth, Iraq War Veteran (Army) and Purple Heart recipient.

  • Episode 4: The Reckoning: Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 4: The Reckoning: Preview

    31s

    “Those who went into the service and those who did not, we are two different realities,” a Veteran decides. But Veterans don't all feel the same. Some like “Thank you for your service”; others feel it's “bumper-sticker deep.” Veterans reflecting ask how veterans and civilians can move America forward together. Hosted by J. R. Martinez, Army Veteran, actor, and motivational speaker.

  • From Soldier to Civilian: Without a Manual: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    From Soldier to Civilian: Without a Manual

    3m 48s

    The military has been grappling with how veterans re-enter civilian life for decades. For most veterans, returning to their old lives isn’t easy. Military experience creates a fundamental shift in a person’s psyche. It’s a profound transformation, and there’s no manual for changing a soldier back into a civilian. Watch as veterans discuss some of the challenges they faced coming home.

  • Basic Training: Overcoming the Odds: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Basic Training: Overcoming the Odds

    3m 44s

    Basic Training can be dangerous, and recruits are pushed to the edge mentally and physically. Tom Beaudry was not a strong swimmer when he started basic training with the Coast Guard. Army Veteran Courtney Ruhlman had a fear of heights, and Michael Jackson could not complete the extreme runs required in Marine boot camp. How did these vets overcome their own personal challenges, and push through?

  • Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Military: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Military

    3m 6s

    Anuradha Bhagwati was extremely proud of her work as a Marine Veteran, training new marines in combat skills. When she was assigned a Lieutenant who began harassing the women in her unit, she took action, but the incidents were swept under the rug. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to change the conversation in the U.S. about sexual discrimination, harassment, and assault in the military.

  • Women in War: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Women in War

    2m 38s

    Female Veterans have their own unique perspectives on war. In this video, three Veterans share how being female shaped their stories. We hear from an Air Force Vet who was attached to special operations units in Iraq and Afghanistan to aid cultural interactions, a female helicopter pilot flying air assault missions, and an Army Vet, whose experience as a mother made her job deeply poignant.

  • ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: A Survivor’s Story: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’: A Survivor’s Story

    3m 13s

    Brandon Anderson served in the army from 2003 to 2008, when the policy was ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ His fiancé at the time was his best male friend, so he was living a double life. When tragedy fell, and his partner was the victim of police violence, Brendan was forced to disclose his sexuality, and given a dishonorable discharge from the army, to which he’d devoted 5 years of his life.

  • Objects That Matter: The Vietnam Vets Memorial Collection: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Objects That Matter: The Vietnam Vets Memorial Collection

    2m 16s

    Objects were being left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., long before the formal dedication in May, 1987. These objects, and the ones still being left today, were initially housed at a facility in Maryland, until Army Vet. Duery Felton, Jr., stepped in. With some other Vietnam Veterans, he helped identify the objects, and The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection was born.

  • POW Shoshana Johnson’s Story: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    POW Shoshana Johnson’s Story

    2m 53s

    “In my head I was going to go do six months, save some money, lose some weight, and come back home. That was the plan,” Shoshana Johnson recalls. The first month in-country, her convoy was ambushed and eleven soldiers were killed. Johnson was wounded, captured along with five others, and held for 22 days, becoming the first Black female POW in U.S. military history. Watch Shoshana share her story.

Schedule

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