Saluting TV soldiers for Veteran's Day
In honor of Veterans Day, let's salute our servicemen and women with these five memorable shows about the five major U.S. conflicts of the past hundred years.
World War I - "World War I" (1964-65). Yes, network TV really was different back in the day: CBS actually devoted an hour of weekly prime time to this documentary series pegged to the 50th anniversary of what was once known as The Great War. Robert Ryan ("The Wild Bunch") narrated.
World War II - "Combat!" (1962-67). Rick Jason and Vic Morrow starred in this realistic portrayal of a U.S. Army platoon fighting its way across Europe after D-Day. The cast was sent to an actual army boot camp before filming began. Also in the cast in the first season was borscht belt comic Shecky Greene, who played the platoon's resident smart aleck, Pvt. Braddock.
Korea - "M*A*S*H*" (1972-83). This classic TV comedy was set against the backdrop of the early-1950s conflict, but its antiwar sentiments were clearly intended by creator Larry Gelbart to be a stand-in for Vietnam.
Vietnam - "China Beach" (1988-91). The focus on this drama was a nurse (played by Dana Delany) stationed at the title locale, a combination evacuation hospital and USO entertainment center near the U.S. base at Da Nang. The cast also included "CSI's" Marg Helgenberger and Ricki Lake.
Iraq- "Over There" (2005). Steven Bochco's drama, which aired while the actual conflict still raged, followed a unit of the Third Infantry Division on its first tour of duty in Iraq. The subject matter may have still been a bit raw for TV audiences, who never warmed to the show.
