Stories of Service

President Wilson re-branded the draft with the Selective Service Act, outlawing substitution and establishing medical and educational deferments and local draft boards. But while 3 million draftees were willing to fight the “war to end all wars,” the conflict only set the stage for an even greater struggle.

America’s place on the world stage has always depended on its military might, and its military might has always depended on the draft. But the draft has stirred up controversy since America’s founding, throughout its history, and continues to do so today. What does it mean to serve one’s country in a time of war? What do you owe your fellow Americans?

In the tumult of the Vietnam War protests, Congress declared destroying draft cards a federal crime. Tom Cornell and David McReynolds took their chances with civil disobedience, and were among the organizers of a legendary draft card burning in Union Square. Protestors and counter-protestors clashed as draft cards went up in flames.

On June 6, 1944, 3,000 planes dropped 23,000 airborne troops behind German lines, and 7,000 ships delivered around 20,000 military vehicles and 130,000 soldiers onto the beaches. Once on the shore, the troops had to negotiate two million mines buried in the sand, 46,000 fearsome beach obstacles and hundreds of miles of barbed wire.

D-Day was a logistical effort on a scale never seen before or since. On the day itself, 3,000 planes dropped 23,000 airborne troops behind German lines, and 7,000 ships delivered around 20,000 military vehicles and 130,000 soldiers onto the beaches. This film takes advantage of LiDAR technology to re-create the landscape and allow viewers to switch effortlessly between the macro and the micro.

D-Day 360 uses cutting-edge technology to tell the story of the most meticulously planned operation in military history. Honoring the 70th anniversary of the historic event, witness a new perspective with details never before available. D-Day 360 premiered Tuesday, May 27, 2014, 9pm. ET.