PBS The American Experience Tom Hanks presents Return with Honor VHS Video Tape

Description: This listing is for PBS The American Experience - Tom Hanks presents Return with Honor VHS Video Tape. Actors: Marion Ross, Tom HanksDirector: Freida Lee Mock, Terry SandersLanguage: EnglishRun time: 2 hoursRelease date: July 11, 2000Studio: PBS Home Video \ Ocean Releasing Men who piloted the hottest fighter planes in the world found themselves suddenly transformed from hotshots to humiliated prisoners during the Vietnam War. The story of how American prisoners survived in North Vietnam's notorious prison camps is dramatically told in this documentary, an installment of the American Experience series on PBS. The men, who survived appalling treatment, relate their experiences, and vintage footage, including propaganda films shot by their captors, portrays what they endured. A former POW describes how he was coached before being put on public display, yet he spelled out the word "torture" in Morse code by blinking his eyes, a defiant action that can clearly be seen in footage that the North Vietnamese provided to the world's media. Another former prisoner, who somehow survived massive injuries despite being denied medical care, describes how he had to lie on the concrete floor of his cell for nearly a year, just trying to get his arms and legs to function again. These inspirational stories lead up to an emotional climax as the prisoners, including Arizona Senator John McCain, describe what it was like to be freed after their long captivity. This is a deeply moving and inspiring story told by men who overcame great depths of human suffering. Return With Honor - AIRED NOVEMBER 13, 2000 On August 4, 1964, a 26-year-old Navy fighter pilot was shot down over North Vietnam. The first American airman to be captured by the Vietnamese, Everett Alvarez was a prisoner of war for eight and a half years–the longest period of captivity of any American war prisoner in North Vietnam. Alvarez, along with 461 other captured American airmen, would not be released until the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973. American Experience presents "Return With Honor," the story of these captured airmen, featuring rare film footage from Vietnam's archives. This two-hour special from Academy Award-winning filmmakers Freida Lee Mock and Terry Sanders represents "a major shift in the screen image of the Vietnam veteran," according to The New York Times. More than 20 veterans describe their captivity and their struggle to survive–mentally, physically, and spiritually–and to return with honor. The film is introduced by Tom Hanks, who says, "I am fascinated and moved by these stories of extraordinary courage, sacrifice, and heroism." Return With Honor is a testament to the ingenuity and endurance of these extraordinary men. Through riveting first-person accounts, the film describes their sudden transformation from self-confident "top-gun" aviators into prisoners of war. The men recall the harrowing moments of their shoot down and capture, the many years they were kept in solitary confinement, and the repeated bouts of excruciating torture. And it is also the story of the women left behind who for years did not know whether they were wives or widows. In addition to Everett Alvarez, among the men and women in Return With Honor who tell their own stories, in their own words, are: • Comdr. James Stockdale, USN. Along with other POW senior ranking officers, Stockdale was in solitary confinement for much of his seven and a half years of captivity. Back in the States, his wife, Sybil, and other wives of POWs formed The League of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action, in an attempt to change the "keep quiet" policy of the US government, which kept the plight of the POWs secret. • Lt. Ed Mechenbier, USAF. During captivity, Mechenbier held "wine tastings" for other prisoners, pouring imaginary vintages and vividly describing their þavors. Mechenbier was a prisoner of war for five years, eight months. • Lt. John ("Mike") McGrath, USN. A self-taught artist, McGrath drew his first picture on a prison wall with his own blood. He vowed to remember everything he saw in prison so he could draw it if he got out; all the drawings in Return With Honor were made by McGrath after his release. • Lt. Ron Bliss, USAF, was shot down September 4, 1966, the same day as his friend and fellow Air Force Academy graduate Tom McNish. Their capture was extensively filmed by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war for six and a half years, most of them at the Hoa Lo Prison (built by the French and nicknamed by the American POWs the "Hanoi Hilton") where, he says, "You could hear the screams of about fifty years. It was a hard place." • Lt. Cmdr. John McCain, USN, was shot down October 26, 1967; he ejected and landed in a lake in the center of Hanoi. Seriously wounded in the bailout, McCain was not expected to live. After he refused an offer of early release, his interrogator told him, "Things are going to be very bad for you now." McCain adds, "He was right." Return With Honor was filmed on location in Vietnam and in communities across the United States. The production team received unprecedented cooperation from the Ministry of Culture and Information in Vietnam to film in Hanoi and was given access to their film archives and never-before-seen footage of the POWs being shot down, captured, and held in captivity. Production began in June 1997 in the United States and Vietnam with the filming of more than 25 former POWs and their wives, including Senator John McCain, Congressman Sam Johnson, and Pete Peterson, now US ambassador to Vietnam, whose current residence is just three blocks from the "Hanoi Hilton," where he spent six and a half years in captivity. Return With Honor is a universal story of honor, love and duty. Thanks for checking out this item! We have many related items listed, so be sure to check our other listings for similar items! We DO combine orders for savings on shipping so add multiples to your cart. Reasonable offers are highly considered, unreasonable ones are not... :-)! Still have a ton of "not listed" inventory, so if you looking for something specific, please inquire as we may just be able to find it for you. We ship 6 days a week, so the faster you pay, the faster we ship! Thanks again for your visit and even more so if you purchase something! 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Location: Oswego, Illinois

End Time: 2024-10-11T02:08:49.000Z

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