Iowa PBS will shed light on the sacrifices of Korean War veterans in a new broadcast special, The Forgotten War: Iowans in Korea, premiering Monday, June 22 at 8:00 p.m.
Iowa
Documentaries
Learn about one of the most turbulent times in American history from the perspective of those who were there. Iowans Remember Vietnam counts the cost of an often misunderstood conflict, in which 115,000 Iowans served their country and 859 made the ultimate sacrifice.
More than 276,000 Iowans went into military service during World War II. 8,398 never returned. Thousands more who remained at home played major roles in winning the war, as well.
October 2021 will mark the 20th anniversary of Operation Enduring Freedom. Iowans were among the first to answer the call. After record deployments, the troops reflect on their experiences and tally the emotional toll.
Iowan Profiles
Civil War
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For years Iowans had provided an escape route for African Americans fleeing slavery. When war broke out, 10,000 Iowans volunteered to fight to preserve the Union. The Iowa...
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Missouri rebels fought with Iowa Union troops over the Des Moines River in 1861. It was the only Civil War battle on Iowa land.
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A re-enactment illustrates a diary description of an actual Civil War battle sometime between 1861-1865.
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The election of Abraham Lincoln, who promised to abolish slavery, led to some southern states seceding from the union in 1860. Soon after Lincoln's inauguration in 1861, the first battle of the...
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Half of Iowa's men went to battle during the Civil War, 1861-1865. While they were away from home, women ran the farms and businesses back home in Iowa.
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Between 1861-1865 the Civil War left many soldiers wounded or dead. Many who died were victims of disease or poor sanitary conditions in hospitals.
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Some of Iowa's Civil War heroes continued in public service after the war. Annie Wittenmeyer opened a home for Civil War orphans.
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From 1861 to 1865 Iowa sent many men to fight in the battles of the Civil War.
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After four years of fighting, the Civil War ended. The North had won. Iowa soldiers returned home to adjust to new lives in 1865.
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Iowan Alexander Clark mobilized African-Americans in Midwest states to fight for the North in the Civil War. In this clip from the "Lost in History: Alexander Clark" documentary, historian Kent...
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With the guidance of the State Historical Society through the work of textile preservationists, Iowa’s Civil War Battle Flags get some tender loving care. In this special segment is from Iowa PBS’...
World War I
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Hear a panel discussion among Iowa war-time veterans about how war has affected Iowa and Iowans.
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The World War I black officer's training camp at Iowa’s Fort Des Moines is featured. This program aired in 2003.
World War II
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To help win the fight from the home front, the U.S. government asked its citizens to increase production of everything from ammunition to food. Ed Tubbs went to work for the Jasper Country...
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As World War II waged on, many women in the United States volunteered to do their part and support our troops by becoming nurses and medical support people in the war. Nurses played a vital role...
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As the battle raged on in Tunisia, 15-year old Rex Holmes of Red Oak waited in the Western Union Telegraph office in the Red Oak Hotel.
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The attack on Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) on December 7th, 1941 changed the course of history and triggered the involvement of the United States in World War II. The attack destroyed much of the U.S....
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During some of the breaks between flying missions there was time for relaxation and, of course, letter writing, the most common long distance communication device of the day. Back in Iowa, Ray...
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America's involvement in World War II had a significant impact on the economy and workforce of the United States. The United States was still recovering from the impact of the Great Depression and...
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After landing on Saipan in June of 1944, First Lieutenant Al Rolfes had dug in above Tannipeg harbor.
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The decision by the United States to join World War II required mass production of goods and increased services to support the war effort. Within weeks the country was changing course and...
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During the battle for Faid (fa-YEED) Pass, Sergeant Barron's mortar squad was nearby, perched on a hill, waiting to protect the retreating Allied troops. Barron began to survey the road below his...
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To help prevent a shortage of food and goods necessary during World War II, the federal government began to ration everything with a strategic value. Special coupon books were issued to every man...
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As part of the 559th Field Artillery Battalion, Lettington had spent the last few months fighting across France.
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World War II was a long and brutal war. After three years, eight months and eight days, the fighting for American forces was over. It is estimated that more than 60 million people were killed in...
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Moritz and other members of the 168th were surrounded by German troops at the Battle of Faid pass in February of 1943. Major Robert Moore of Villisca was in command of the more than 900 men cut-...
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In early 1945, 20-year old Galen Kittleson from St. Ansgar was stationed in the Philippines as part of an elite unit called the Alamo Scouts. The Scouts were made up of small highly trained units...
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Private First Class Henry Leonard, a 19-year old draftee from Ryan, was sent to fight in the Philippines in January of 1945. He was assigned to the Bush Masters, a group of National Guardsmen from...
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In January of 1945, 22 year-old John Phillips of Waterloo was part of a group of replacement troops sent to the 106th Infantry Division fighting the Battle of the Bulge. After taking the town of...
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In April of 1944, 27-year old Second Lieutenant Ray Schleihs of Johnston, was starting his overseas tour of duty. Schleihs had joined the Army Air Corps in March of 1942 and was now piloting B-17...
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By mid-summer 1944, members of company "I" were attacking German troops somewhere north of Rome, Italy. "Bill" Smith was returning to the battlefield after requesting an artillery barrage when he...
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The Tuskegee Airmen, officially known as the 332nd fighter group, were the first African Americans to fly planes in the U.S. military. Although they faced severe discrimination in the country and...
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Created during World War II, the Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. 150,000 American women served in the WAC during the war. For many, the WAC challenged...
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Within days of the attack on Pearl Harbor, war was declared against what were now being called the Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan. As the shock of the attacks in December wore off, the...
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Following their surrender to Japanese forces at the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, tens of thousands of U.S. and Filipino troops were forced to march 60 miles over six...
Korean War
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Robbie Robinson from Waterloo served in the Korean War. In this feature, Robinson talks about going on night patrol in the days just before the ceasefire was signed on July 27, 1953.
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Bill Harrison of Cincinnati, Iowa served in the Korean War. In this feature, Harrison talks about fighting near Kunu-Ri, North Korea in the winter of 1950.
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Don Stuva from Fontanelle served in the Korean War. In this feature, Stuva talks about fighting in Korea during his tour of duty in 1951.
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Lowell Lein of Ankeny and Dennis Dorman from Fonda tell part of their story about fighting at the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea during the winter of 1950.
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Bob Gates talks about what it was like to be in combat in Korea while fighting in an area called the Punch Bowl in 1951.
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A Korean War veteran from Iowa recounts his military service in South Korea. This program aired in 2003.
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Senator Jack Kibbie talks about his experiences in the Korean War.
Vietnam War
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Caesar Smith graduated from Des Moines North High School in 1955 and attended the University of Iowa on a track scholarship. While on summer break in 1956, he decided to pursue a career in the U.S. Army. Nearly 8 years later, Lieutenant Smith was on his way to the Republic of Vietnam as a military advisor.
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By 1969, more than half a million men and women were stationed in South Vietnam. Among them were several Iowans including Dan Gannon from Mingo.
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By 1969, more than half a million Americans were stationed in Vietnam. Fighting in the jungle was chaotic and the goal was not only to accomplish the objectives of the mission, but to survive.
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A United States Marine veteran describes his experiences as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. His duties ranged from delivering mail to troop insertion and extraction and picking up wounded.
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The Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation estimates that 11,000 military women were stationed in Vietnam during the conflict, and approximately 90 percent of them served as nurses. This segment from Iowa PBS's Iowans Remember Vietnam documentary includes archival footage and an interview with Iowa...
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During the Vietnam War many United States soldiers were captured and held as prisoners of war (POW). Many soldiers reported being regularly tortured, and some were used for military propaganda. This segment from Iowa PBS's Iowans Remember Vietnam includes archival footage and interviews with...
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In January 1968, communist forces launched the largest offensive of the Vietnam War. Starting on the Vietnamese New Year known as Tet, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attacked more than 100 South Vietnamese cities, catching South Vietnamese and United States forces totally by surprise....
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Agent Orange was the name of a potent herbicide that was used by United States troops during the Vietnam War to defoliate trees in the jungle. The chemical has since been determined to cause various diseases, including cancer. This segment from Iowa PBS's Iowans Remember Vietnam documentary...
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A news correspondent tells the story of how an illness may have kept him alive in Vietnam. He was scheduled to accompany soldiers on a combat mission and his illness kept him from going on the deadly trip. This segment from Iowa PBS's Iowans Remember Vietnam documentary includes archival footage...
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Captain Caesar Smith returned to Vietnam in 1968. Smith describes being put in charge of the 82nd Airborne’s newly formed Delta Company, the loss of one of the men under his command and what had to be done to bring the fallen soldier home. This segment from Iowa PBS's Iowans Remember Vietnam...
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U.S. veteran Vincent Lewis describes an experience with enemy tactics while serving in an artillery unit during the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong forces learned they could intercept U.S. troops’ communications on the battlefield and order U.S. planes to drop bombs on their own troops. Ever vigilant...
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African Americans volunteered in large numbers for the Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. For some, the color line among troops blurred quickly in battle, but many still faced...
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As opposition to the Vietnam War grew, protests erupted in communities and college campuses across the United States. In May of 1970, four students were killed by Ohio National Guard troops on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio during a protest. The deaths shocked the nation and brought...
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In January of 1973 the Paris Peace Accords were signed after four years of negotiations, with the intent to establish peace in Vietnam and end the war. The Accords were signed by the United States, and North and South Vietnam. The agreement stated that armies from both North and South Vietnam...
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By 1974, the North Vietnamese troops had violated the Paris Peace Accords and had renewed their attack on the south. It was clear the Republic of Vietnam would fall. In April of 1975, as North Vietnamese troops approached the southern capital of Saigon, President Ford ordered the evacuation of...
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When veterans returned home from Vietnam, some were treated well but many were treated very poorly. This segment from Iowa PBS's Iowans Remember Vietnam documentary includes archival footage and and first-person accounts from several veterans who share their experiences of returning home from...
War in Afghanistan
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When U.S. troops were deployed to Afghanistan, the country was war-torn and shattered due to many years of conflict. Along with winning the hearts and trust of the Afghan people, American forces...
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Soldiers in traditionally non-combat roles face issues with emotional stress and physical danger in war zones. In this segment, a medic from Iowa shares her story about her work in an Iowa...
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Sergeant Heather Eberly describes her experiences as an Army Medic in a field hospital during the war in Afghanistan.
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Staff Sergeant J. Winkowski was among the Iowa soldiers deployed to Afghanistan in late 2010. In this clip, Winkowski describes why he felt being a combat leader in Afghanistan was the job he was...
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Iowa National Guard troops were deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. There were two major objectives for the soldiers; to find and disable enemy forces and to...
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Iowa Soldiers Returning from Afghanistan and the Challenges of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Many Iowa soldiers returning home after deployment in Afghanistan confront a new set of struggles. Many are challenged by the emotional distress of war and some develop Post-traumatic Stress...
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During the War in Afghanistan specialized troops taught Afghans better agricultural practices, the importance of veterinarian services and basic entrepreneurial skills. The goal was to help the...
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Colonel Ben Corell, Iowa National Guard, talks about how fighting the war in Afghanistan went beyond just the battles and skirmishes with the enemy. It also involved coordination among several...