Medal of Honor: The History to Premiere on The Pentagon Channel

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon Channel and American Way Productions are pleased to announce Medal of Honor: The History will premiere on the Pentagon Channel this July 4. It will air on a rotating broadcast cycle on the Independence Day Holiday to ensure armed forces personnel in all time zones have the opportunity to view it.

Emmy-award winning actor Gary Sinise narrates the film that was shot on location across the United States featuring never before seen documents, photographs and interviews with armed forces and congressional historians. It was produced by the 2014 Knoxville Medal of Honor Convention as a legacy project to donate to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society .

A portion of the documentary was shot at Northwest Territorial Mint in Dayton, NV as they made a Medal of Honor for the Department of Defense - illustrating the craftsmanship required by the mint to create the nation's highest award.

"After viewing it and seeing the phenomenal work that went into this film, we immediately started seeking arrangements with the 2014 Knoxville Medal of Honor Convention to present it to The Pentagon Channel for a holiday broadcast to our troops," American Way Productions' CEO Tony Romano said. It will air to an audience of 33 million households in America in addition to all military installations, Navy ships and U.S. service personnel stationed abroad."

The Pentagon Channel is broadcast on the American Forces Radio and Television Service, AFRTS , which provides stateside radio and television programming to U.S. service men and women, DOD civilians, and their families serving outside the continental United States. It's broadcast to more than 175 countries and U.S. territories, and on board U.S. Navy ships.

"Although there have been many programs created about Medal of Honor recipients, this one is about the medal itself," Pentagon Channel Operations Head Scott Howe said. "There are many medals now for both valor and meritorious service with the Medal of Honor topping the list, but the story of how it came to be will surprise you."

The film was produced and written by Ed Hooper. The documentary took more than a year for him and a crew from Rivr Media Interactive studios to produce. It was screened in March at the U.S. Supreme Court at a National Medal of Honor Day event where it was well received by the recipients.

"It was outstanding to watch," Vietnam War Medal recipient Bruce Crandall said. "The film is going to be a lasting project that we can use in schools across the country and reach a younger generation with this."

Crandall received his Medal of Honor for actions as a helicopter pilot in the Battle of la Drang that was the subject of the 2002 film "We Were Soldiers " starring Mel Gibson.