Year-round, public television station KNME-TV, Channel 5.1 presents programs of interest to Veterans and those serving in the Armed Services. In November, KNME-TV commemorates Veteran’s Day – Nov. 11 – with programs surrounding this national holiday.
Secrets of the Dead: “Airmen and the Headhunters” - 7 p.m.
This program investigates a fantastic WWII tale of jungle ambushes, extreme engineering, blow darts defenses, and enemy headhunting. In 1945, an American B24 bomber is shot down over Japanese – controlled Borneo. The airmen bail out and survive, only to find themselves isolated and lost in the impenetrable jungle. Briefed to fear the "savage" Dayak inhabitants, the Americans are instead taken in by these tribes and become witness to a compassionate, resourceful people who shatter stereotypes, protect them from the Japanese, and eventually deliver them safely into the hands of an eccentric British Major who orchestrates their rescue by building a bamboo runway deep in the Borneo interior.
Hallowed Grounds - 8 p.m.
This program visits 22 of America's overseas military cemeteries, and tells the story of these remarkable places with historical sequences about the wars and battles that created them, and moving vignettes and interviews about the men and women who rest in them. Created after World War I and World War II, these cemeteries are some of America's great national treasures. Hallowed Grounds provides a rare look at these commemorative shrines and brings them home with stirring images and details. They are located in England, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Tunisia and the Philippines.
Each cemetery is a unique expression of commemorative design, with great architecture, breathtaking landscapes, and powerful works of art. All are tangible representations of American values. This program is filled with tales of sacrifice and courage. Some of the fallen are well known: the poet Joyce Kilmer, the bandleader Glenn Miller, the five Sullivan Brothers, General George S. Patton. But most were ordinary men and women caught up in the calamity of war. These overseas military cemeteries were created to honor America's Fallen, but they are also intended to inspire and teach the living.
P.O.V. “The Way We Get By” - 9 p.m.
On call 24 hours a day for the past five years, a group of senior citizens has made history by greeting nearly 800,000 American troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine. This film is an intimate look at three of these greeters as they confront the universal losses that come with aging and rediscover their reason for living. Bill Knight, Jerry Mundy and Joan Gaudet find the strength to overcome their personal battles and transform their lives through service. This inspirational and surprising story shatters the stereotypes of today's senior citizens as the greeters redefine the meaning of community.
Eyes Wide Open - 10:30 p.m.
An exhibition on the human cost of the Iraq War featuring a pair of army boots for each U.S. casualty and a collection of civilian shoes to represent a portion of the Iraqi civilian casualties. Join Gold Star families as they make the physical and emotional journey to visit the boots of their children lost.