“Company of Heroes” Airs Tonight On FNC

FNC debutes a two-hours special tonight called “Company of Heroes.” Airing at 9 p.m ET, the show centers around the Battle of Fallujah, but in a way never explored by other media outlets. It delves into the belief, hopes, fears and heroism of these brave soldiers and their families. It is — in the truest sense of the word — “reality TV”.” It simply does not get any more real.

As you may know, Greg Palkot of FNC was embedded with the soldiers that fought for Fallujah. After his story aired, “Breaking Point: The Battle of Fallujah,” he decided to go back, follow up and do an in-depth story on these troops and their families. From all accounts, the story will engage you regardless of which side of the war you lean.

There’s this other huge part of the war you rarely get to see, but a part that’s just as, if not more so, important. It’s the huge hunk of personal struggle that goes along with that fighting. Kind of like an iceberg with the soldiering above the water’s surface and all the emotions and feelings below.

I’m referring to the husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, family and friends of servicemen and women who are waiting at home, hoping their loved ones make it through their tour of duty. When the troops come home they help them to live with sometimes horrific memories, sometimes horrific injuries, or, worse than that, these families have to live with terrible, final losses.

That’s why when I was presented with the idea of doing a two-hour follow-up to the program we’d done on last fall’s battle for Fallujah, including a lot of new material about the combat but also focusing on the families involved and the aftermath for all, I thought it was great. — Greg Palkot, FNC

This week, we’ve heard much about a parent’s loss and pain in the story of Cindy Sheehan — the military mom protesting outside Bush’s Crawford, Texas ranch. While controversy surrounds her quest, everyone must acknowledge her sacrifice. She is not alone, though. While she certainly may express her opinion in this fine country of ours, I oppose her request for special treatment from the President. Her loss and her views are no more or less important than the families of every other soldier lost in Iraq. Her loss should demand no more or less attention by the media than that of those families supporting the efforts in Iraq. After all, when have you heard a week of news stories surrounding a parent who, through his or her grief, still supported our country’s actions?

If advance information is correct on “Company of Heroes,” we will see families react to the loss of their loved ones in the Battle of Fallujah. Their stories are interspersed with scenes from the offensive. According to Palkot, not all these reactions favor the Iraq incursion. The special will also show follow up segments — what they are doing/how they feel now.

So, tape it; TiVo it, or watch it live. It should prove to be engrossing, informative and “fair and balanced.” Then, come back to the Dog’s House and tell us what you think.

(The show will be rebroadcast at 12 a.m. ET)

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2 Responses to ““Company of Heroes” Airs Tonight On FNC”

  1. Brian Gaffney says:

    I’m the executive producer of “Company of Heroes.” On behalf of Greg Palkot and the rest of the Fox News documentary unit, thanks for the plug. I would love to know if you and your readers found that the program lived up to its advanced billing. By the way, we got a huge, positive response from viewers who watched, so we’re re-airing the two hours on Sunday September 4 at 8 p.m. eastern time.

  2. Surfside says:

    Thanks for visiting, Mr. Gaffney. You can read my in-depth response to your documentary here. I did a follow-up the next day as I found the program to be enlightening and honest — a rarity in today’s journalistic offerings. (No insult intended.) It was everything you promised. . . and more. You balanced the patriotism, dedication and courage with the pain, the love and the loss. It was artfully done. I was particularly interested to learn how dedicated the troops are to their mission, and how they truly believe they are making the world a better place.

    Although we didn’t receive comments on the post, those who saw the program have all said very good things about it. I TiVo’ed it for family members with prior commitments. They, too, felt it was an exceptional piece of work.

    I’m glad to hear it will be aired again. It’s a story that should be told . . . and retold. We will let our readers know about the rebroadcast.