Premiering in three parts, May 24-25-26 at 8pm

MPT’s documentary comprises three hours of dramatic television as approximately 100 veterans tell the story of the war in their own words–sometimes heart-breaking but always insightful. Men and women reflect on their service...on stories of life and death, pumping adrenaline, and bittersweet moments...on their return home to an often-ungrateful nation...on life, 50 years later. It will make for a powerful and emotional television experience for our viewers, informing them of a tumultuous time in American history while allowing our region's Vietnam veterans a moment to share the feelings they have kept inside for so many years.

MAY 24 — Part One: Escalation looks at the growing U.S. involvement in Vietnam from the late 50’s and early 60’s, as veterans tell stories of how they slogged through rice paddies, flew the planes and copters, while others cruised up the Mekong Delta in search of an elusive enemy.

MAY 25 — Part Two: Turning Point recounts how American forces reached 500,000 troops by 1968, and how the intense battle of Khe Sanh and the massive attacks of the Tet Offensive eroded the support of the American public. But the war wasn't all tedium: soldiers talk about "R & R's", rare moments of romance, and ways they found to beat the boredom.

MAY 26 — Part Three: Draw Down looks at the “Vietnamization” of the war: turning the battle over to South Vietnam forces. It examines the real cost of war: the broken bodies and spirits, and the reception that vets received upon returning home to a divided nation. The show ends with reflections about how some vets' lives were changed forever...and some of those changes were positive.