AllMovie

This program chronicles the history of American involvement in warfare during the 20th century. Starting with the Spanish American War and ending with the Gulf War, the United States participated in a century of turmoil, marked by two world wars. Wars took a huge toll in lives and suffering in a steady course of conflict, punctuated by a few years of peace. This program evaluates the causes and costs of warfare in the last century. No price for the sake of freedom was ever more dear than that paid in World War II. This episode examines American involvement in the Pacific, where thousands lost their lives to battle wounds and disease to secure some small atoll or island deemed necessary for the counterattack on Japan after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, and before the decision was made to drop the atomic bomb that ended the war. That effort is remembered by the soldiers who fought there, as well as by journalists and historians. Archival film clips and photographs illustrate the terrible challenge that faced the Allied forces in the Pacific.