Patriot Pages: A Research Collection on Service, Memory, and Society

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield and Blake are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers, Blake's own brother among them.

During the bloodiest battle of WWII, in Okinawa, Desmond Doss saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong. As an army medic, he singlehandedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. Doss was the first conscientious objector to ever earn the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Based on the true story of Ron Kovic, a young man who volunteered for the Vietnam War, was wounded, and returned paralyzed from the mid-chest down. He later became a new voice for those disenchanted with the war.

For Sergeant Adam Schumann (Miles Teller) -- and many soldiers like him -- the process of leaving combat back in Iraq was as seemingly simple as getting on that plane. But standing on the tarmac again in the arms of loved ones would turn out to be merely a first step in the long and exacting journey of actually returning home. Follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they've left the battlefield.

The story begins with World War II's historic D-Day invasion of Normandy beach. Once the men move beyond the beach, Captain John Miller must take his men behind the German lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have already been killed in combat. Faced with impossible odds, the men question their orders. Why are eight men risking their lives to save just one? Surrounded by the brutal realities of war, each man searches for his own answer and the strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honor, decency and courage.

A story of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War. Robert Gould Shaw and Cabot Forbes are two idealistic young Bostonians that lead the regiment; Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins is the inspiration who unites the troops; Pvt. Trip is a runaway slave who joins the regiment.

Based on the true life story of a young Marine Corporal whose unique discipline and bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq. When she is assigned to clean up the K9 unit after a disciplinary hearing, Leavey identifies with a particularly aggressive dog, Rex, and is given the chance to train him. Over the course of their service, Megan and Rex completed more than 100 missions until an IED explosion injures them, putting their fate in jeopardy.

When the war ended, his battle began. Based on Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling book, this begins where Unbroken ends, sharing the next amazing chapter of Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini's powerful true story of forgiveness, redemption, and amazing grace.

A dramatization based on Evan Wright's experiences as an embedded reporter with the United States Marine Corps in 2003. Presents a uniquely epic and intimate portrait of the first 40 days of the Iraq war from the perspective of the Marines of the First Recon Battalion.

In the closing days of World War I, the men of the U.S. Army's 77th Division, 308th Battalion were surrounded by German troups in the Argonne Forest. Without food, water or reserve ammunition, cut off from supply and communication lines, and subjected to constant assaults and bombardments, they managed to hold off the enemy until they were finally rescued after five days of desperate action.

This film recreates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters.

US Army Staff Sergeant Will James, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge comprise the Bravo Company's bomb disposal unit stationed in Baghdad. James is the tech team leader. When he arrives on the scene, Bravo Company has thirty-nine days left on its current deployment, and it will be a long thirty-nine days for Sanborn and Eldridge whose styles do not mesh with that of their new leader. James' thrill of the dismantlement seems to be the ultimate goal regardless of the safety of his fellow team members, others on the scene or himself. On the other hand, Sanborn is by the book: he knows his place and duty and trusts others in the army to carry out theirs as well as he. Eldridge is an insecure soldier who is constantly worried that an error or misjudgment on his part will lead to the death of an innocent civilian or a military colleague. While the three members face their own internal issues, they have to be aware of any person at the bomb sites, some of whom may be bombers themselves.

A seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families. Ken Burns' sweeping, moving documentary project chronicles World War II with rare intimacy and power. Featuring the personal accounts of men and women from four different American towns, the series includes reminiscences about Omaha Beach, Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and other sites where combat took an especially traumatic toll on the families of those who were prepared to sacrifice their lives. 15 hrs. Total on six discs. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital stereo; audio commentary; biographies; deleted scenes; interviews; "making of" featurette; more.

Uncover the true story of our nation s black heroes and patriots that played pivotal roles in the U.S. Military since the earliest days of the republic. From the battle fields of the Revolution to the deserts of Iraq examine why, despite enormous injustice, these heroic men and women fought so valiantly for freedoms they themselves did not enjoy. Through letters, diaries, speeches, journalistic accounts, historical text and military records discover the fierce and faithful history of our African-American military leaders!

An authentic account of the Vietnam War from the actual letters of the men and women who served there. The harsh realities of life and death, friendships made and lost - these letters home tell it all, with newsreel and home-movie footage shot by the servicemen themselves. These are the authentic voices of war, some who survived, many who never made it home.

An award-winning collection of 6 films,
"Desert Victory" documents the clash of Germany's General Rommel and Britain's General Montgomery as their militaries collide in battle under harsh desert conditions. "The Nazis Strike" features actual German archival footage - Nazi newsreel propaganda - as a forceful and revealing tool to expose the Third Reich's underhanded acts of political and military injustice. "Here is Germany" uses German motion pictures, newsreels, U.S. War Department archival material and captured enemy material to trace the development of Germany as a military power from the time of Frederick the Great to the end of the Third Reich."The Spreading Holocaust" summarizes the military events of 1941 and 1942, focusing on American involvement in the Pacific, Europe, and North Africa. "How Hitler Lost the War" examines the theory that Germany essentially won and then lost World War II before 1942. A riveting and revealing alternative look at the theories behind and the flaws within Hitler's strategy, which ultimately resulted in Germany's defeat and the downfall of his regime. "Hitler's Britain" examines one of the most intriguing questions in history: What would the Nazis have done if they had conquered Britain?

The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick : Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's ten-part, 18-hour documentary series, The Vietnam War, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides -- Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam. Ten years in the making, the series includes rarely seen, digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and secret audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations.

A look at the physical and emotional cost of war through soldiers' memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq. Actor James Gandolfini interviews ten soldiers about their memories, their feelings on their future, and more.

Ken Burns' Emmy Award-winning documentary brings to life America's most destructive and defining conflict. The Civil War is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one.

Traces the history of United States involvement in Vietnam.Written by Pulitzer Prize winning CNN correspondent Peter Arnett, Vietnam: The Ten-Thousand Day War is a comprehensive, balanced look at the Vietnam war, tracing the entire course of the conflict, from the closing days of World War II to the fall of Saigon in 1975. This superb award-winning series of programs re-examines without blame or judgment the rise and fall of America's 20-year commitment to the war in Vietnam. Forceful and evocative, with film clips shot by both sides, it revisits the time and place that molded a generation and changed the course of American politics forever.

Strong feelings of nationalism throughout Europe prior to the war created an atmosphere where war was imminent. The spark that finally ignited the flame was the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914. Within two months France, Russia, Germany and Great Britain were entrenched in what would become five years of conflict, resulting in massive carnage and the deaths of millions. This illuminating 4 DVD set examines the conflict year by year, highlighting significant turning points in the war until its end in 1918.

Paralyzed from the chest down after serving in Iraq for just one week, 25-year-old Tomas Young is forced to deal with the realities of war each and every day. For Tomas, learning to cope with his disability meant finding his voice to speak out against the war in Iraq. Directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro and set to the haunting vocals of Eddie Vedder, the multi award-winning BODY OF WAR splits its time between Tomas's arduous daily reality in Kansas City, MO, and the legislative processes that led up to the invasion of Iraq in 2002. Senatorial speeches and a running tally of pro-war votes are interspliced with intimate footage of Tomas as he navigates through the acute physical and emotional impacts of his injury. A testament to the power of parallel images, the film adeptly juxtaposes the sanitized vantage point of Washington with raw personal experience. In the end, this contrast forces viewers to question the motives, methods, and ever-rising cost of the conflict in Iraq. A deeply moving and bracingly honest film, BODY OF WAR narrates a story that must be hearda story of courage, conviction, and resistance.

In every American conflict from the Revolution to the Persian Gulf War, American military men and women have captured the horror, pathos and intensity of battle by writing letters home. Collecting 50,000 war letters, using the most compelling and enlightening of the missives and newly discovered home movies, this tells the story of American wars from the viewpoint of the men and women on the frontlines and those who waited at home.