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Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day is celebrated the third Saturday in May to honor Americans serving in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

May

Armed Forces Day is celebrated the third Saturday in May to honor Americans serving in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Content Type
 A Time to Fight, Part 1 1

Video

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A Time to Fight, Part 1
Episode 1
This episode follows our veterans from their childhoods to the attack on Pearl Harbor and following through to the first battles of the war in North Africa, Italy and Sicily. Additional sections...
 The Way Home, Part 6 6

Video

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The Way Home, Part 6
Episode 6
Veterans provide advice to future generations, and reflect on the responsibilities that come with freedom, and their wishes for a world without war. They remember those who didn't survive, and they...
 The Way Home, Part 5 5

Video

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The Way Home, Part 5
Episode 5
On August 11, 1945, the Emperor of Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration, which specified the unconditional surrender of Japan. The war was over, the Americans rejoiced, and the troops headed home...
 The Way Home, Part 3 3

Video

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The Way Home, Part 3
Episode 3
Okinawa was the final Japanese island before the mainland. It would be the largest amphibious invasion in history. The Americans had to control the air and the water. The orders came that the...
 The Way Home, Part 4 4

Video

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The Way Home, Part 4
Episode 4
Our veterans discuss the era in which the atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their recollections of this time..
 The Way Home, Part 2 2

Video

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The Way Home, Part 2
Episode 2
With its navy destroyed, the Japanese have come to recognize that their last line of defense is through suicide attacks on American ships. From the American ships, the kamikazes looked like a swarm of...
 The Way Home, Part 1 1

Video

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The Way Home, Part 1
Episode 1
This segment focuses on the racial discrimination that existed during World War II and how it affected those who served their country. The military was segregated. There were African Americans from...
 The Island War, Part 4 4

Video

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The Island War, Part 4
Episode 4
As U.S. troops captured island after island, Japan felt the war slipping away. At Leyte Gulf, Japan lost its navy. In the Philippines, it lost its footing. MacArthur captured the world stage and the...
 The Island War, Part 3 3

Video

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The Island War, Part 3
Episode 3
Veterans recall Leyte Island in the Philippines and describe their experiences there in detail. They also provide reflections on the starving Philippine children, as well as adults, and they recall...
 The Island War, Part 6 6

Video

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The Island War, Part 6
Episode 6
One of our veterans recalls the bombing of Iwo Jima, and going below to his quarters to get a little sleep. He opened his Bible and it fell open to the 91st Psalm, which he reads. Our veterans discuss...
 The Island War, Part 5 5

Video

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The Island War, Part 5
Episode 5
With Japan's navy in ruins, America unleashed its air forces. Our veterans describe their experiences, their training, and the aircraft they flew.
 The Island War, Part 1 1

Video

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The Island War, Part 1
Episode 1
Veterans recall the brutality of war with the Japanese, their allegiance to their emperor, the tropical heat, the jungle, the danger of the rocky reefs, and the threat of malaria, for which they took...
 The Island War, Part 2 2

Video

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The Island War, Part 2
Episode 2
Women discuss serving in the WAVES, the SPARS, the WACS, the WAFS, and the WASPS. All the services needed women during this period. Our women veterans remember many of the details of their service...
The Rising Sun, Part 2 - Parris Island | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 2 The Rising Sun, Part 4 4

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 4
Episode 4
Fritz Hamer, military historian, explains that Japan was an industrial power, but it needed the resources to maintain it. Japan's purpose was to nullify the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, then destroy the...
The Rising Sun, Part 1 - The Beloved Corps | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 1 The Rising Sun, Part 5 5

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 5
Episode 5
Midway Island was a U.S. outpost located about a thousand miles west of Hawaii. Prior to World War II, it was basically a weather station with some U.S. Naval groups on it to protect it. The Japanese...
 The Rising Sun, Part 7 7

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 7
Episode 7
The island of Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, was the major offensive area for the Japanese, in order to control Australia and the South Pacific. Veterans and historians reflect on...
The Rising Sun, Part 1 - The Beloved Corps | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 1 The Rising Sun, Part 6 6

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 6
Episode 6
Veterans recall what life onboard a Navy ship was like, including being bored, being seasick, how crowded they were, the schedule, poker and Monopoly, gambling, learning to drink, including some...
 The Rising Sun, Part 2 2

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 2
Episode 2
The segment includes reflections on training at Parris Island.
The Rising Sun, Part 2 - Parris Island | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 2 The Rising Sun, Part 1 1

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 1
Episode 1
This segment includes the Marine Corps Hymn, reflections on the attraction that the Marine Corps has for young people who want to serve, and memories of some individuals who made the decision to sign...
The Rising Sun, Part 1 - The Beloved Corps | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 1 The Rising Sun, Part 3 3

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 3
Episode 3
Veterans remember arriving after the attack on Pearl Harbor and seeing how devastating the losses to the United States Navy were. They didn't realize that well over 2,000 people had been killed...
 A World War, Part 5 5

Video

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A World War, Part 5
Episode 5
Veterans and family members recall the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor in detail.
 A World War, Part 7 7

Video

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A World War, Part 7
Episode 7
This segment focuses on how the Japanese took control of the Pacific waters. The Philippines had been promised their independence. Within hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese turned...
 A World War, Part 8 8

Video

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A World War, Part 8
Episode 8
The damage done to the American ships at Pearl Harbor is discussed. The devastation was hard to accept. The one thing the Japanese had missed was the tank farm where all of the fuel was stored. It was...