American Veteran
TV Show · Documentary

AMERICAN VETERAN traces the veteran experience across the arc of American history.

2021 · 7m

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    Pups of War
    Sometimes the connections you make in war follow you back home. Air Force Staff Sergeant Amjad Kirrish made a special connection with orphaned puppy Harley, who was found near a Bedouin camp in Syria. Kirrish credits the puppy with providing comfort and helping him stay emotionally grounded during deployment, and made it his mission to reunite with Harley after returning to the U.S.
    7m
  • EPISODE 2
    Never Thirsty
    When renowned Oklahoma artist Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne-Arapaho) served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, he carried a small, smooth pebble with him. His grandfather had taught him that a small stone in the mouth would help stave off thirst, and though his canteen was always full of water, Pratt feared sharing this trick with his platoon, thinking they might make fun of him -- but he shared his water.
    5m
  • EPISODE 3
    A Small Token
    In the Army, Clara Driscoll served in many combat zones. In Kosovo, she met a young Albanian woman. The two communicated with hand signals and few words, and the woman gave Driscoll a vial of lip gloss. In Afghanistan, she wore abaya, a traditional garment that made her feel more approachable. She treasures both as reminders of how to connect despite different backgrounds and circumstances.
    5m
  • EPISODE 4
    Music Is My Mission
    Jeff Barillaro's fellow Army soldiers coped with the stresses of deployment by working out. But Barillaro, who goes by “Soldier Hard,” wrote and recorded music, mostly rap. Finding it difficult to readjust to civilian life, Barillaro began writing again, songs with brutally honest lyrics about his thoughts. His goal now is to use music to help others and to reduce suicide rates among veterans.
    7m
  • EPISODE 5
    A Piece of Home
    Yolanda Mayo was a newlywed when she deployed to Iraq with her USMC unit. A stuffed bunny, sent by her husband, became a source of joy for her and her tentmates. After deployment, the bunny went home and became a much-loved toy for her children. As she prepared to deploy again a decade later, she packed the bunny. He stands, says Mayo, “for love. He stands for why we serve. He stands for home.”
    5m
  • EPISODE 6
    Operation Eagle Claw
    In the Army Special Forces in the 1970s and 80s, Captain Wade Ishimoto was Delta Force’s intelligence Officer for the failed attempt to free 52 hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. One of his jobs was preparing maps for the forces going out on the mission. He could see the plans were incomplete, but when the President of the United States tells you to go, "you salute smartly, and you go.”
    6m

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About

American Veteran

Documentary

AMERICAN VETERAN traces the veteran experience across the arc of American history.

Information

Studio
PBS
Released
2021
Rated
TV-14
© 2021 WGBH Educational Foundation

Languages

Original Audio
English (United States)
Audio

English (United States) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (United States) (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • España
  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)