Revisiting Red White Black & Blue
On this Memorial Day, we went rummaging through the archives to find Red White Black & Blue by filmmaker Tom Putnam, which aired back in 2007 on Independent Lens. The film examines a secret World War II battle that cost thousands of lives but was never revealed to the American public.
In June 1942, less than a year after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese army invaded the remote Alaskan island of Attu, in preparation for a larger advance into Canada and the lower 48 states. Although thousands of soldiers died in the ensuing battle, the American public was not informed of the attack for fear that widespread panic would occur.
Sixty years later, Red White Black & Blue escorts veterans Bill Jones and Andy Petrus back to the wind-swept terrain of Attu. The octogenarians confront ghosts from their pasts as they retrace their steps over a former battlefield littered with unexploded bombs, collapsed buildings, and crashed airplanes. Through intimate interviews with Bill and Andy, the film explores what it means to be a soldier then and now. And for Bill, that means continuing the battle — even at the cost of his own peace of mind.
One of the producers of Red White Black & Blue was Jeff Malmberg, whose documentary Marwencol aired this season on Independent Lens, spoke with us about his experience working with the PBS series…
Topics
From our blog
-
ITVS Responds to Rescission Vote
July 18, 2025[July 18, 2025] Carrie Lozano, President and CEO of the Independent Television Service (ITVS), issued the following statement in response to Congress' vote clawing back congressional approved funding for public media.Congress’ decision to pass the rescission package that removes the $1.1B of previously approved federal funds for the Corporation of…
-
Protecting Our Future and Charting the Course Ahead
June 4, 2025We are sharing the sad and difficult news that ITVS is reducing its staff by 13 individuals across the organization. For a staff so committed to our mission and to each other, this 20% staff reduction is a painful moment. Our dedicated staff have made important contributions that are part of ITVS' legacy and success story. In the past few months, ITVS has…
-
ITVS Documentary "Greener Pastures" Honored by the Television Academy
May 1, 2025The Television Academy announced that the ITVS-supported, Independent Lens documentary Greener Pastures will be celebrated at the 18th Television Academy Honors. Established in 2008, the Television Academy Honors Award recognizes “Television with a Conscience” and seeks to celebrate programs that inspire, motivate, and harness the power of…