Go behind the lines! Bringing viewers compelling, real-world stories of heroism, military strategy, technological breakthroughs and turning points in history, Discovery Communications, Inc. transitioned its Discovery Wings Channel to the Military Channel on Monday, January 10, 2005. The network’s revamped slate of series and specials is designed to take viewers “behind the lines” to tell personal stories and offer in-depth explorations of military technology, battlefield strategy, aviation and history. Military Channel
PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS May 2006
All times are ET/PT unless otherwise noted.
All programs are rated TV-PG unless otherwise noted.
SPECIAL PROGRAMMING
ARMED FORCES DAY
Saturday, May 20, 7 PM to 11 PM
Military Channel showcases our Armed Forces, with programming that focuses on tactics and equipment our troops use.
THUNDERBIRDS
Saturday, May 20, 7 PM
Each year, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds amaze millions of spectators around the world with their remarkable display of precision flying. With unprecedented access to the team, Military Channel follows new team members as they learn their roles and sees how they adjust to the rigorous training and eventual life on the road.
ANATOMY OF A STRYKER
Saturday, May 20, 8 PM
The Stryker is a 19-ton, eight-wheeled infantry carrier filled with state-of-the-art combat systems that can be deployed by C-130 or C-17 aircraft and be combat-capable upon arrival in any contingency area. Designed to bridge the gap between the Army’s light and heavy forces, the Stryker fulfills an immediate requirement to equip a strategically and tactically deployable brigade, capable of rapid movement worldwide. ANATOMY OF A STRYKER reveals the impressive technology and revolutionary capabilities of this armored vehicle, as well as the elite soldiers who are tasked with operating it.
ANATOMY OF AN ABRAMS TANK
Saturday, May 20, 9 PM
When these rumbling armored vehicles were first used in combat, they completely revolutionized the way wars were fought. Tanks combine potent firepower, high performance and brute force, facilitating rapid military response in all terrain. Defense experts at General Dynamics’ tank assembly facility in Sterling Heights, Mich., examine the latest in armored technology, while the Marine Tank Corp conducts live-fire exercises in Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.
COAST GUARD AT WAR
World Premiere: Saturday, May 20, 10 PM
Most military accounts of the Vietnam War emphasize the role of the Army, the Marine Corps and the Air Force. During the war, little attention was paid to operations to prevent coastal and river infiltration by communist forces. Those Coast Guardsmen who fought in the war are practically forgotten, but their brave work is recounted here.
A SALUTE TO HEROES
Monday, May 29, 12 PM to 11 PM
Military Channel presents programming that tells the stories of the men and women who served our country, both in their own words and the words of their families.
GOIN’ BACK – VIETNAM PG (V)
Monday, May 29, 12 PM and 4 PM
This episode follows the journey of 11 U.S. veterans as they travel back to the Asian country where they fought as youths. From Saigon to Cambodia, from the mountains to the Mekong River Delta, these warriors battled on land, sea and air in America’s longest war – and now they get the chance to revisit the hamlets, bases and battlefields where they saw action.
GOIN’ BACK – BATAAN & CORREGIDOR PG (V)
Monday, May 29, 1 PM and 5 PM
Journey to the Philippines with U.S. and Filipino World War II veterans who fought in the bitter Battle of Bataan, a hopeless struggle that began the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor and ended with the infamous Bataan Death March.
GOIN’ BACK – KOREA PG (V)
Monday, May 29, 2 PM and 6 PM
Follow a group of Korean War veterans back to the battlefields in “The Land of Morning Calm,” where they fought as young men. The history of the conflict is revealed from the firsthand memories of warriors from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.
GOIN’ BACK – IWO JIMA PG (V)
Monday, May 29, 3 PM and 7 PM
The iconic image of the flag raising on Iwo Jima is the best-known image of World War II. This episode brings living heroes back to the tiny Pacific island of Iwo Jima, where the costliest battle in Marine Corps history took place in the spring of 1945.
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY WITH JOHN McCAIN
Monday, May 29, 8 PM
Through war and peace, triumph and tragedy, Arlington National Cemetery has emerged as a beacon of honor and reverence for the enduring American spirit. A visit to Arlington’s hallowed ground is a walk through the nation’s history.
IRAQ CONFIDENTIAL WITH JESSE JAMES
Network Premiere: Monday, May 29, 9-11 PM
Accompanied by a small production crew, Jesse descended onto a secret location just outside of Baghad to bring a little piece of home to the mechanics who help protect their fellow soldiers out in the battlefield. Jesse, armed with a caravan of equipment and parts, rounds up a group of unknowing heroic builders to restore a damaged Humvee that was hit during an insurgent attack. The troops of the 181st Transportation Battalion welcome this diversion from the everyday horrors of war and embrace the opportunity to showcase their talents. IRAQ CONFIDENTIAL WITH JESSE JAMES is a glimpse into what everyday life is like for these soldiers. Jesse gets to put a human face to this war, he experiences what it’s like to be caught in the middle of a mortar attack and he visits the ER where American doctors help treat our soldiers, as well as the insurgents.
SPECIALS
THE CHAIN: FROM ID TO IMPACT
World Premiere: Thursday, May 4, 8 PM
In the military, when an emergency begins, an executive decision is made to launch a six-stage plan of attack – find, fix, track, target, engage and assess. This chain of events is known in military circles as the “kill chain.” THE CHAIN: FROM ID TO IMPACT looks at the process and evolution of the kill chain – from target detection to target destruction. Viewers learn how technological advancements in space operations, missile defense and wireless communication are helping to tighten this chain of events in today’s post-September 11 world, ultimately better safe guarding the United States from a future characterized by unforeseeable threats. Interviews with some of the nation’s highest-ranking security officials, along with rare footage from inside the highly secured NORAD facility, help dissect and analyze the process that keeps us all safe.
NAVAJO WARRIORS: THE GREAT SECRET
U.S. Premiere: Thursday, May 11, 8 PM
This program tells the stories of six different men, representing three different Navajo generations who illustrate the powerful bond between the Navajo nation and the U.S. Marines. Viewers learn why these men leave their sacred lands to join the elite Marine Corps and how they reconcile their strong cultural identity with a broader patriotism at the crossroads of history.
WARLORDS
U.S. Premiere: Thursday, May 18, 8-10 PM
Between 1939 and 1945, while tens of millions fought a war of weapons, four men – Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt – fought a war of the mind. At its heart was a series of individual duels. During them, all four warlords lied, connived, charmed, flattered and cheated to win. Their behavior was egotistic, sometimes childish and petulant, sometimes monstrous and, despite the rosy glow in which some are seen today, always selfish. What was most curious about these duels was that, during the periods each one was taking place, the duelists were supposed to be on the same side. From this unique and original perspective, WARLORDS tells the story over six long, violent years of the private war of these four men and shows how it dictated the strategy of battle and, more important, how it shaped the modern world.
Churchill vs. Roosevelt
8 PM to 9 PM
This episode of WARLORDS charts the misunderstood story of Churchill’s efforts to seduce Roosevelt into joining the war and Roosevelt’s attempts to stay out, while financing others to do the fighting. The episode begins with Churchill’s conviction in January 1941 that Roosevelt was only one short step from entering the war, follows Churchill’s frustrations and Roosevelt’s side stepping until Pearl Harbor and ends in June 1942, when their relationship is in the bloom of honeymoon, but with the dark cloud of Stalin is beginning to hang over it.
Churchill vs. Stalin
9 PM to 10 PM
This episode of WARLORDS follows the roller coaster of Churchill’s and Stalin’s mind games, which, at heart, were over what sort of Europe would emerge from the war. In the end, Roosevelt proved victorious. The episode begins in early 1942 with the first tentative maneuverings over territorial boundaries and ends on June 30, 1944, with Churchill’s bitter complaint to Roosevelt that American strategy is handing postwar Europe to Stalin and Communist domination.
ULTIMATE STUNT PILOTS
North American Premiere: Thursday, May 25, 8 PM
This special follows the progression of new members of the Royal Air Force’s legendary airborne acrobatic team, the Red Arrows, as they spend six months training in preparation for their most illustrious event – Red Suit Day. Only three applicants are selected each year for the team – viewers watch the precision training new recruits go through to become a part of the most spectacular formation flying team in the world.
ONGOING SERIES
BATTLEPLAN: Strategic Bombing
World Premiere: Tuesday, May 2, 8 PM
The use of air power to hinder an enemy’s ability to wage war – either by dissolving the ability to fight by wiping out industry, transportation and fuel supplies, or by destroying the political will to continue by bombing civilian targets – has been a dream of air force commanders ever since man first took to the air. This episode looks at the two most prolonged attempts at strategic bombing – the RAF/USAAF campaign against Nazi Germany from 1941-1945, and the USAAF assault on Japan in 1944 -1945.
BATTLEFIELD DIARIES: Tank Battle Vietnam
World Premiere: Monday, May 15, 10 PM
It was the first and only tank battle of the Vietnam War. On March 3, 1969, North Vietnamese armor and infantry unleashed a surprise attack on a remote U.S. Special Forces camp near the Ho Chi Minh Trail. A company of U.S. M48 tanks moved in to defend the camp and became engaged in a fierce head-to-head tank battle against a force four times their size. This episode tells the true story of the only classic armor battle of that war, in the words of the American tankers who fought it.
BATTLEPLAN: Flank Attack
World Premiere: Tuesday, May 23, 8 PM
Whenever possible, commanders prefer to go around an enemy, rather than having to fight straight through a defensive line. Outflanking has been a classic battle plan ever since mankind first began to plan organized warfare. This episode looks at two classic examples – the Allied breakout from the Normandy beachhead led by U.S. armored forces under General George Patton, and the classic “left hook” mounted by Norman Schwarzkopf during the first Gulf War.
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