AMERICAN VETERAN is a four-part documentary series tracing the veteran experience across the arc of American history and exploring the present-day divide between civilian and veteran communities. From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, illuminating the veteran experience and drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture.

Hollywood war stories mostly end with the hero’s return. In reality, the road back to civilian life is less certain. For some, there were ticker-tape parades; for others, protests, anger and silence. Some veterans return home full of confidence, while others think, “What am I going to do now?” Hosted by actor Wes Studi, Vietnam War Veteran (National Guard) and Native American (Cherokee) activist.

“Those who went into the service and those who did not, we are two different realities,” a Veteran decides. But Veterans don't all feel the same. Some like “Thank you for your service”; others feel it's “bumper-sticker deep.” Veterans reflecting ask how veterans and civilians can move America forward together. Hosted by J. R. Martinez, Army Veteran, actor, and motivational speaker.

Military life shapes servicemen and women in profound, unexpected ways. Veterans’ stories showcase the raw impact of these experiences: A Coast Guard recruit who helped ferry soldiers on D-Day. A pilot who remotely guided bomber drones over Afghanistan. A Marine who became the first Latina general. Hosted by Senator Tammy Duckworth, Iraq War Veteran (Army) and Purple Heart recipient.

AMERICAN VETERAN is a four-part documentary series tracing the veteran experience across the arc of American history and exploring the present-day divide between civilian and veteran communities. From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, illuminating the veteran experience and drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture.

In Basic training (boot camp), recruits follow orders without hesitation, or they won’t make it. To stand out, you’d better excel or you’re in for a lot of pain. It’s often easier to remain anonymous, though this can be challenging, because the day-to-day, and especially the drills, are often emotionally and physically extreme. Recruits are under a microscope and a drill instructor misses nothing.

Teddy Roosevelt argued that “the tent where soldiers all sleep will rank among the great agents of democratization.” In the chaos of bootcamp it can take time for that kind of thinking to sink in, but recruits soon learn that finding community and understanding with fellow recruits is the only way to survive the rigors of basic training. And relying on fellow recruits can be the key to success.

Basic Training can be dangerous, and recruits are pushed to the edge mentally and physically. Tom Beaudry was not a strong swimmer when he started basic training with the Coast Guard. Army Veteran Courtney Ruhlman had a fear of heights, and Michael Jackson could not complete the extreme runs required in Marine boot camp. How did these vets overcome their own personal challenges, and push through?

In combat, a heightened level of fear and anxiety becomes the new normal. A Veteran remembers going out on patrols where every step could be a booby-trap or an ambush. A WWII vet describes flying through bursting shells as he bombed Berlin. Hear what it’s like to be in a fire-fight, drive through Iraq getting shot at, stage a rescue while battling 25-foot seas, or fly unmanned aircraft.

Female Veterans have their own unique perspectives on war. In this video, three Veterans share how being female shaped their stories. We hear from an Air Force Vet who was attached to special operations units in Iraq and Afghanistan to aid cultural interactions, a female helicopter pilot flying air assault missions, and an Army Vet, whose experience as a mother made her job deeply poignant.

The military has been grappling with how veterans re-enter civilian life for decades. For most veterans, returning to their old lives isn’t easy. Military experience creates a fundamental shift in a person’s psyche. It’s a profound transformation, and there’s no manual for changing a soldier back into a civilian. Watch as veterans discuss some of the challenges they faced coming home.

Soldiers are trained to kill the enemy, but in reality, the impact of this can be formidable. When Lieut. Col. (Ret.) Bruce Black made his first drone strike, he stepped outside the box and threw up. In basic training recruits are trained to fire on command at human cut-outs, but can a person really be prepared to take a life and, if so, how does one not have remorse? Veterans share their stories.

“In my head I was going to go do six months, save some money, lose some weight, and come back home. That was the plan,” Shoshana Johnson recalls. The first month in-country, her convoy was ambushed and eleven soldiers were killed. Johnson was wounded, captured along with five others, and held for 22 days, becoming the first Black female POW in U.S. military history. Watch Shoshana share her story.

Anuradha Bhagwati was extremely proud of her work as a Marine Veteran, training new marines in combat skills. When she was assigned a Lieutenant who began harassing the women in her unit, she took action, but the incidents were swept under the rug. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to change the conversation in the U.S. about sexual discrimination, harassment, and assault in the military.

While in the military, the bonds you create with other service members are powerful and unique. It’s a shared experience that you can only understand if you’ve been through it. Edie Meeks, who was a nurse in Vietnam, says, “Being a veteran is like speaking a different language.” Veterans in this video agree that talking about their service with non-military friends and family is not always easy.

For some, adjusting to life after the military can be tough, especially for those who appreciated having someone tell them what to do every step of the day, every moment that they were awake. But for many, the military experience provides a tremendous amount of training and transferable skills, not to mention resilience, determination, and confidence.

Finding a new normal after military service can be challenging. In 2010, Marine Veteran Jake Wood pulled a team of veterans together to respond to Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. There, they could put their unique skills as servicemen and women to good use, which ultimately helped with their re-integration back into civilian life. Team Rubicon, the organization he founded, now has 125,000 volunteers.

There’s a communication divide in this country, between people who serve in the military and those who do not. People without military experience can pick and choose, from the media or politicians, what they want to hear about war, and can leave behind the pieces that are difficult or too uncomfortable. But if civilians could think more critically about the war, wouldn’t it help bridge the gap?

Brandon Anderson served in the army from 2003 to 2008, when the policy was ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ His fiancé at the time was his best male friend, so he was living a double life. When tragedy fell, and his partner was the victim of police violence, Brendan was forced to disclose his sexuality, and given a dishonorable discharge from the army, to which he’d devoted 5 years of his life.

Objects were being left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., long before the formal dedication in May, 1987. These objects, and the ones still being left today, were initially housed at a facility in Maryland, until Army Vet. Duery Felton, Jr., stepped in. With some other Vietnam Veterans, he helped identify the objects, and The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection was born.