JOHNSTON, IOWA (May 22, 2020) — 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 8PM.
Between 1950 and 1953, nearly 1.8 million soldiers from 21 nations fought side-by-side in a combat zone smaller than the states of Iowa and Missouri combined. During the conflict, 33,000 Americans, including 508 Iowans, lost their lives. But there was more to the conflict than just numbers. Lives were changed forever. Some never recovered.
Fighting ended in 1953 with a cease-fire, and while a few have chosen to speak about their experiences, most have remained quiet about what happened so long ago. Now in their late 80s and early 90s, many feel their part in holding Communism at bay has been forgotten. The Forgotten War: Iowans in Korea shares their stories and explores their battlefield experiences, including the long-term effects on soldiers' lives more than six decades after they came home.
"It has been an honor to capture the oral histories of these Iowans who fought on the front lines of the Korean War," said Iowa PBS Senior Producer David Miller. "During the interviews, there was both laughter and tears when these men spoke about their service some 70 years ago."
In addition to Iowa PBS's statewide broadcast, viewers from across the state and beyond will be able to stream the special on demand on iowapbs.org, YouTube and the PBS Video App.
Iowa PBS is formerly known as Iowa Public Television. New name. Same essential mission.
As Iowa's only statewide television network, Iowa PBS's mission to educate, inform, enrich and inspire Iowans guides its quality, noncommercial programming that tells Iowa's stories like no one else can. Four statewide, public channels offer programs of lasting value to Iowans, regardless of where they live or what they can afford: Iowa PBS .1, Iowa PBS KIDS .2, Iowa PBS WORLD .3 and Iowa PBS Create .4 on Channel 11, Des Moines; Channel 12, Iowa City; Channel 21, Fort Dodge; Channel 24, Mason City; Channel 27, Sioux City; Channel 32, Waterloo; Channel 32, Council Bluffs; Channel 36, Davenport; and Channel 36, Red Oak. More information can be found at iowapbs.org.
