LibGuides: Veterans: Media

Featured Streaming Media

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Buffalo Soldiers: An American Legacy (44:00) By the end of the Civil War, nearly 200,000 black soldiers were serving in the Federal Army. After the war, many decided not to return to a life of sharecropping and racial oppression, instead volunteering to battle outlaws and Indian raiders along the western frontier. This program uses dazzling reenactments and the expertise of military historians to tell the multifaceted story of the Buffalo Soldiers, a name given to black troops by their Native American adversaries. Viewers learn about the daily lives and daunting assignments of these proud African-Americans, the harsh environments in which they conducted missions, and the deeds of individual Buffalo Soldiers such as Sgt. Emanuel Stance, Lt. George Burnett, and Henry Flipper—the first black cadet to graduate from West Point, whose promising career was ended by an unjust and later discredited court martial. Hosted by well-known TV judge Joe Brown.
U.S.A.: Soldiers of Conscience (54:00) A U.S. Army study conducted after World War II revealed that a surprisingly large number of combat troops failed to fire on the enemy when given the chance to do so. It became clear that whether a soldier pulled the trigger or not, most wrestled with their conscience either during the event or afterward. In this program, a group of American soldiers—some who were able to kill with few qualms and some who have become conscientious objectors—discuss their positions on warfare. The film includes commentary from prominent antiwar activist Camilo Mejía, the first veteran to come home from Iraq and publicly refuse to return, and from Major Pete Kilner, a philosophy instructor at West Point, who brings nuance to the debate: “You can’t say you believe in human rights if you’re not willing to defend them,” Kilner says.

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