>> FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY BOEING.

>> WE KNOW WHY WE'RE HERE.

TO CONNECT... >> AND PROTECT.

>> TO STAND BEHIND ALL WHO SERVE.

>> THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.

>> EL CENTRO, CALIFORNIA.

YOUNG NAVAL PILOTS COME HERE TO LEARN HOW TO DROP BOMBS.

>> THE FIRST COUPLE FLIGHTS THAT YOU DO, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A HEAD EXPLOSION, 'CAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON.

>> YOU'RE LEARNING A DIVE-BOMBING PATTERN WHICH IS WHAT THEY WOULD USE IN WORLD WAR II AND KOREA.

>> YOU ROLL 135 DEGREES INVERTED, ROLL OUT, AND START SCREAMING TOWARDS THE TARGET.

>> YOU GET WRAPPED UP IN THIS, "OH, MY GOSH, THIS THING CAN GO SO FAST AND IS SO COOL TO LOOK AT," BUT YOU'RE FORGETTING THE REASON WHY THEY WERE BUILT AND WHY THEY EXIST AND WHY WE'RE TRAINED TO FLY THEM.

>> THIS IS THE STORY OF A WEAPON OF WAR--NAVAL AVIATION.

EVER SINCE WORLD WAR II, AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED FROM THE SEA HAVE PLAYED AN OUTSIZED ROLE INMERICA'S WARS.

>> YOU ARE A PART OF A LINEAGE OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN WITNESS TO THE BIGGEST EVENTS OF THE 20th AND NOW 21st CENTURY.

>> BUT THIS LINEAGE HAS BEEN PRECARIOUS.

AS WARFARE EVOLVED, THE FORTUNES OF NAVAL AVIATION SEESAWED.

MORE THAN ONCE, IT WAS WRITTEN OFF AS IMPRACTICAL, TOO DANGEROUS, OR SIMPLY OBSOLETE.

THIS IS A STORY OF REPEATED CHALLENGES IN ENGINEERING AND HUMAN MORAL CHALLENGES AS WELL.

>> IT WON'T BE EASY TO THINK, "OH, I'M JUST GOING TO GO OUT AND DROP A BOMB, AND IF IT KILLED SOMEBODY, OK." >> MAP AT 0-7-2.

5 MILES.

>> THAT TOOK SOME TIME AND DEFINITELY SOME REFLECTION, AND I'M READY.

>> THE HUMAN IN THE COCKPIT.

BUT HOW LONG WILL HE OR SHE EVEN BE THERE?

>> [INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER] >> SHOULD AUTOMATION BE ALLOWED TO REPLACE THESE PILOTS?

>> THE LAST FIGHTER PILOT'S BEEN BORN.

SOME MIGHT SAY THAT.

>> NAVAL AVIATION, THE MACHINES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEM, A HUNDRED-YEAR STORY, AND AN ARGUMENT WITHOUT END.

IN THE TEENS AND '20s, ONLY A HANDFUL OF DAREDEVILS AND VISIONARIES COULD IMAGINE THAT FLIMSY BIPLANES AND MAKESHIFT WOODEN DECKS WOULD ONE DAY CHANGE THE NATURE OF WAR.

HUNDREDS OF YOUNG AVIATORS RISKED THEIR LIVES TO BRING THIS TECHNOLOGY TO THE FORE.

WITHIN 20 YEARS, THEY'D CREATED A SUPERWEAPON.

IN WORLD WAR II, CARRIERS PROVED DECISIVE IN EVERY MAJOR BATTLE IN THE PACIFIC.

>> NAVAL AVIATION ENDS WORLD WAR II AT THE TOP OF THE WARFARE MOUNTAIN.

THEY'VE GONE FROM NOWHERE TO BEING THE BIGGEST AND BADDEST WEAPON IN THE WORLD, OR SO THEY THINK.

>> THE BOMBS THAT DESTROYED HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI ALSO DESTROYED ESTABLISHED MILITARY DOCTRINE.

SOON AFTER, THE U.S.

CREATED A NEW INDEPENDENT AIR FORCE AND PLACED IT FRONT AND CENTER.

>> THE AIR FORCE WAS ASSIGNED THE MISSION FOR DELIVERING ATOMIC BOMBS.

THEY WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAD THE CAPABILITY, SO THAT WAS THE LOGICAL ASSIGNMENT.

THE NAVY COULD SEE THAT IF WARS OF THE FUTURE WERE GONNA BE ATOMIC AND WE, THE NAVY, DIDN'T HAVE A CAPABILITY, WE WERE GONNA BE EXTINCT.

>> THE NAVY STAKED ITS FUTURE ON A MASSIVE NEW CARRIER, THE FIRST SINCE THE WAR.

A WHOLE NEW DESIGN.

ABRUPTLY, THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE STOPPED CONSTRUCTION.

"THERE'S NO REASON FOR HAVING A NAVY," HE DECLARED.

"THE AIR FORCE CAN DO ANYTHING THE NAVY CAN DO."

>> THIS WAS A BLOW TO THE HEART, A DAGGER TO THE HEART OF NAVAL AVIATION.

>> THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THE BIG BOMB ABOARD THE BIG BOMBER RUN BY THE AIR FORCE THINK THEY'VE GOT IT KNOCKED.

THEY THINK THEY'VE WON THE GREAT BUREAUCRATIC WAR.

THEY'VE-- THEY'RE--THEY'RE GONNA BE THE DOMINANT SERVICE.

AND THEN THERE IS KOREA.

>> ON JUNE 25th, 1950, COMMUNIST NORTH KOREA INVADED THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO THE SOUTH.

>> KOREA CAME AS A COMPLETE SURPRISE TO US.

THE BASES THAT WE HAD PLANNED TO USE FOR THE AIR FORCE IN SOUTH KOREA WERE OVERRUN AND CAPTURED BY THE NORTH KOREANS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.

>> JUST A SLIVER OF LAND REMAINED IN SOUTH KOREA'S CONTROL.

THE U.S. MILITARY STARED AT ITS OPTIONS.

NOW ITS NEAREST AIR BASES WERE HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY.

AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS, WHAT USE WERE THEY IF NORTH KOREA'S ALLY, THE SOVIET UNION, ALSO HAD THE BOMB?

>> THE SITUATION IN KOREA IS SO CRITICAL THAT WE IN THE NAVY MUST GIVE THE EIGHTH ARMY THE MAXIMUM PRACTICAL SUPPORT.

I DIRECT THAT THE COMMANDER OF THE SEVENTH FLEET, THE COMMANDER OF CARRIER DIVISION 15 BE DIRECTED TO PROVIDE THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE AIR GUNFIRE SUPPORT.

MAKE IT MOVE.

>> IN A STRIKING REVERSAL, THE MILITARY BRASS DUSTED OFF 4 OF ITS WORLD WAR II CARRIERS AND RUSHED THEM TO THE KOREAN PENINSULA.

THE CARRIER WAS BACK.

>> THE NAVY STARTS BUILDING ONE SUPERCARRIER PER YEAR.

"FORRESTALL," "SARATOGA," "INDEPENDENCE," "RANGER," "KITTY HAWK," "CONSTELLATION."

FOR THE NEXT DECADE, WE ADD 8 MORE SUPERCARRIERS TO THE FLEET.

>> THE KOREAN WAR, FOUGHT MILE BY MILE WITH CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS, LASTED 37 LONG MONTHS.

THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS LOST OVER 500 PLANES.

>> I LOST 22% OF THE GUYS IN MY SQUADRON WHEN I WENT TO KOREA.

22%.

YOU NEVER FORGET THAT.

YOU COME BACK FROM A TOUR, YOU'VE BEEN THE COMMANDING OFFICER, THERE'S THE SINGLE MOTHER.

THE ONLY THING SHE HAD IN HER LIFE WAS HER SON.

HE WAS 23 YEARS OF AGE.

HE WAS ENTRUSTED TO YOU.

YOU WERE TO GET HIM READY, TAKE HIM OVER THERE, BRING HIM HOME.

AND YOU DIDN'T.

YOU GOT TO GO VISIT HER.

YOU GOT TO SIT ON A PARK BENCH.

YOU GOT TO LET HER HOLD YOUR HAND.

YOU JUST GOT TO SIT THERE AND GO THROUGH IT.

>> DURING KOREA, A NEW AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING OFF CARRIERS-- THE HELICOPTER, IDEAL FOR RESCUE MISSIONS.

IN THE WINTER OF 1950, A HELICOPTER WOULD JOIN THE EFFORT TO SAVE THE LIFE OF A 24-YEAR-OLD PILOT NAMED JESSE BROWN.

JESSE BROWN HAD PACKED A LOT INTO HIS 24 YEARS.

HE'D HAD TO AS THE FIRST COMBAT AVIATOR TO BREACH THE NAVY'S COLOR LIN >> JESSE GREW UP IN HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI.

HIS FATHER WAS A SHARECROPPER.

HE ALWAYS WAED TO BE A NAVAL AVIATOR.

BUT HE GAVE UP THE IDEA, BECAUSE BLACKS WERE NOT ACCEPTED INTO AVIATION.

HE GOT A SCHOLARSHIP TO OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, AND A NAVY LIEUTENANT TOOK A LIKING TO JESSE AND ENCOURAGED HIM TO PUT IN FOR IT, WHICH JESSE DID.

AND HE WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE NAVY'S FLIGHT PROGRAM.

>> HE ARRIVES IN PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, WHICH IS VERY MUCH A SOUTHERN CITY.

THE ENTIRE NAVY ESTABLISHMENT, FROM, YOU KNOW, THE OFFICERS' CLUB TO, YOU KNOW, STANDING IN LINE FOR A MEAL, HE WAS ALONE.

THERE WAS NO ONE LIKE HIM.

>> YET WHEN HE'S IN THE AIRPLANE, HE GENERATES A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FREEDOM, ONLY TO HAVE TO LAND AGAIN AND--AND FACE THE SOCIAL INEQUALITIES THAT-- THAT EXISTED AS PART OF AMERICA.

>> IN 1948, JESSE EARNED HIS WINGS AND JOINED A SQUADRON ON THE USS "LEYTE."

ON THE CARRIER, THE ATMOSPHERE SEEMED DIFFERENT.

>> THERE'S A SENSE OF ACCEPTANCE AMONGST AVIATORS WHO SHARE A COMMON GOAL AND A COMMON CAPABILITY.

>> IT WAS IN THE TIGHT QUARTERS OF THE CARRIER THAT JESSE BROWN GOT TO KNOW FELLOW AVIATOR THOMAS HUDNER.

>> JESSE WAS A VERY FRIENDLY PERSON.

THEY JOKED THAT HE, BY FAR, GOT MORE MAIL THAN ANYBODY ELSE ON THE SHIP, WHICH WAS PROBABLY TRUE, AND HE WAS JUST A PERSON WE ALL ADMIRED AND LOVED.

>> ON DECEMBER 4th, 1950, HUDNER AND BROWN WERE ASSIGNED A RECONNAISSANCE MISSION.

BY ALL APPEARANCES, ROUTINE.

>> IT WAS COLD.

WE HAD 6 AIRCRAFT IN OUR FLIGHT GOING UP FOR ARMED RECONNAISSANCE.

ONE OF THE PILOTS IN THE FLIGHT SAW THAT THERE WAS SOME VAPOR COMING OUT OF JESSE'S AIRPLANE, AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT, JESSE CALLED OUT THAT HE WAS LOSING OIL PRESSURE.

HE COULDN'T STAY AIRBORNE.

HE WAS GONNA HAVE TO MAKE A CRASH LANDING.

HE LANDED WITH SUCH FORCE THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION IN THE MINDS OF ANY OF US BUT THAT HE HAD PERISHED IN THAT CRASH.

WE CIRCLED AROUND THERE, AND, UH, WE SAW THAT JESSE HAD OPENED THE CANOPY AND THAT HE WAS WAVING TO US.

BUT FOR SOME REASON, HE DIDN'T GET OUT OF THE AIRPLANE.

I FELT THAT THE CHANCES WERE REASONABLY GOOD TO PULL HIM OUT OF THE COCKPIT AND SAVE HIS LIFE.

SO I MADE THE DECISION TO MAKE A CRASH LANDING, THAT'S A WHEELS-UP LANDING, CLOSE ENOUGH TO HIM.

WHEN I GOT TO JESSE'S PLANE, I COULD SEE THAT THE REASON HE DIDN'T GET OUT WAS THE WAY THE AIRCRAFT HAD BUCKLED.

HIS KNEE WAS CAUGHT IN THERE, AND IT JUST COULDN'T MOVE.

HE LAPSED IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

I TRIED TO REACH IN TO DO SOMETHING, BUT THERE WAS ABOUT 2 FEET OF SNOW ON THE GROUND.

I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT HOLDING ON WITH ONE HAND AND DOING MY BEST TO KEEP MY BALANCE.

WHEN I HEARD THE HELICOPTER, IT--IT WAS LIKE MANNA FROM HEAVEN.

BUT WHEN HE SAW JESSE, HIS JAW DROPPED.

BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, WE COULDN'T GET A FIRM FOOTING ON ANYTHING.

JESSE WAS PINNED IN SO BADLY THAT WE COULDN'T MOVE HIM.

NOW IT WAS ABOUT 3:30 OR 4:00 IN THE AFTERNOON.

THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 5 OR 10 ABOVE ZERO.

AND WITH DARKNESS COMING, IT WAS GOING TO GET A LOT COLDER A LOT FASTER.

THE PILOT SAID THAT HE COULDN'T FLY THAT HELICOPTER IN THAT AREA AFTER DARK.

IT DIDN'T HAVE INSTRUMENTS, AND HE SAID IT WAS SUICIDE FOR ME TO HAVE STAYED THERE.

I'VE ALWAYS FELT BAD ABOUT THE DECISION, BUT THERE WAS REALLY NO CHOICE.

I LIKE TO THINK THAT HE WAS NOT CONSCIOUS AT THAT TIME.

WHEN WE LEFT JESSE, IT WAS A FAREWELL, REALLY.

AN UNSPOKEN FAREWELL.

>> THERE'S A NEW MAGIC IN THE AIR.

IT'S CALLED JETS.

AND JETS CHANGE THE GAME FOR CARRIERS AS MUCH AS THEY DO FOR LAND-BASED AIR POWER.

MAYBE EVEN MORE.

>> JETS USHERED IN A FUTURISTIC WORLD WHERE MAN TRAVELED THROUGH THE STRATOSPHERE AT TWICE THE SPEED OF SOUND.

BUT THEY WERE NOT BUILT TO LAND ON A DECK.

>> THE TRANSITION TO JET AIRCRAFT ALMOST KILLED AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

>> FLYING JETS IN THE EARLY DAYS OFF OF CARRIERS WAS, AT BEST, DIFFICULT, AND AT TIMES, NEAR SUICIDAL.

>> THE BRUNT OF THE TRANSITION WOULD BE BORNE BY THE PILOTS.

>> IT WAS HAIRY.

WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE.

I TOOK COMMAND OF A JET FIGHTER SQUADRON.

I HAD ONE HOUR OF JET TIME.

ONE HOUR IN A JET AIRCRAFT WHEN I TOOK COMMAND OF A SQUADRON THAT WAS GONNA DEPLOY.

I HAD PEOPLE REPORTING TO ME WHO HAD NEVER BEEN IN ONE OF THOSE AIRPLANES.

>> THEY GAVE ME A HANDBOOK AND SAID, "WHEN YOU'RE READY, COME DOWN, AND, UH, I'LL GIVE YOU A PLANE."

SO I READ THE BOOK, I GOT IN THE PLANE, I STARTED IT, AND THE GUY GAVE ME AN UP-CHECK, AND I TOOK OFF.

I WAS A JET PILOT.

>> THE NAVY WAS SLOW TO RECOGNIZE THE NEW PROBLEMS POSED BY JETS.

>> WHEN A PROPELLER PLANE COMES ABOARD A CARRIER, THE PILOT TAKES AWAY THE POWER, THE ENGINE STOPS TURNING SO THE PLANE SETTLES ON THE DECK.

A JET COMES IN, AND IT TAKES SOMETHING LIKE 35 SECONDS FOR THE SPINDLE TO UNWIND.

>> WE WERE GOING FASTER.

THERE WAS NO RADAR.

THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ROOM ON THE CARRIER.

>> SO HE HITS THE DECK, AND HE BOUNCES, AND HE GOES OVER THE BARRICADE.

>> FLOAT OVER THE BARRIERS.

LAND ON THIS PACK OF AIRCRAFT--I'VE SEEN 7 OR 8 AIRCRAFT ON FIRE.

>> IN SEPTEMBER OF 1951, ON THE USS "ESSEX," A BANSHEE TWIN-JET FIGHTER MISSED ITS MARKS AND DROVE INTO A PACK OF PLANES ON THE FORWARD FLIGHT DECK.

7 MEN WERE KILLED.

>> NAVAL AVIATION DURING THESE EARLY DAYS OF JETS WAS ACTUALLY WORSE IN SOME WAYS THAN IT WAS DURING THE GOLDEN AGE OF WOODEN AIRPLANES AND IRON MEN IN THE '20s AND '30s.

A LOT OF PEOPLE DIED.

>> IF PILOTS COULDN'T GET JETS ABOARD CARRIERS AND MAKE THEM WORK WELL, THE CARRIER PART OF NAVAL AVIATION WAS GONE.

>> BUT WHAT LOOKED LIKE IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEMS TURNED OUT TO HAVE ELEGANT SOLUTIONS.

>> WE SEE 3 GREAT THINGS COME ALONG WHICH MAKE JETS PRACTICAL ON AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

THE FIRST IS THE ANGLED DECK.

THE LANDING SECTION OF THE DECK IS SLIGHTLY CANTED.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU'RE NOT CRASHING INTO A DECK LOAD OF AIRPLANES IN FRONT OF YOU.

YOU GET ANOTHER CHANCE.

ANOTHER THING THAT THEY GOT--THE FIRST AUTOMATED LANDING SYSTEM.

THIS IS A STABILIZED SYSTEM THAT WOULD PROVIDE THEM AN OPTICAL LANDING CUE OF WHEN THEY WERE IN THE RIGHT FLIGHT PATH TO COME IN ON THAT ANGLED DECK.

AND THEN FINALLY, THE BRITISH CAME UP WITH A STEAM CATAPULT.

BY THE MID-1950s, WE'RE FINALLY PRODUCING OUR FIRST NEW AIRCRAFT CARRIERS--THE 4 SHIPS OF THE "FORRESTALL" CLASS.

BY THE LATE 1950s, THE FASTEST, HIGHEST FLYING, MOST HEAVILY ARMED, MOST POWERFUL AIRPLANES IN THE WORLD ARE AMAZINGLY FIGHTER BOMBERS FLYING OFF OF AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

>> MORE THAN EVER, THE FIELD WAS A MAGNET FOR THE BRIGHTEST, THE COCKIEST.

IT WAS NAVAL AVIATORS IN 1959 WHO CROWDED INTO AMERICA'S NEW SPACE PROGRAM.

>> [INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER] >> LIFTOFF, AND THE GREAT WHITE ROCKET WITH ITS HUMAN CARGO... >> ASTRONAUTS ALAN SHEPARD, JOHN GLENN, SCOTT CARPENTER, WALLY SCHIRRA, LATER, NEIL ARMSTRONG, THEY HAD ALL LEARNED THEIR CRAFT AS TEST PILOTS, DEVELOPING THE FIGHTING CAPACITY OF JETS.

IN THE MIDST OF THE COLD WAR, THESE PLANES AND THEIR PILOTS WERE EMBLEMS OF AMERICAN SWAGGER-- CRISP, MODERN AND INCREASINGLY LETHAL.

>> WE WERE STRUGGLING WITH THE PROBLEM OF TRYING TO GET A NUCLEAR WEAPON'S CAPABILITY.

THEN WE DEVELOPED THE CAPABILITY WITH JETS.

WE COULD TAKE AN AIRCRAFT THAT WE'D SPECIALLY DESIGNED, PUT THAT 2,000-POUND PACKAGE UNDER IT, LAUNCH IT OFF THE CARRIER... AND THAT WEAPON HAD THE EXPLOSIVE YIELD OF A MILLION TONS OF EXPLOSIVE.

ONE MILLION TONS.

>> THE VERY NATURE OF CARRIER AVIATION, ITS MOBILITY, WOULD MAKE IT, FOR YEARS, THE MOST FEARED ELEMENT IN THE NUCLEAR STANDOFF.

>> THE IMPORTANT THING WAS IT IMPRESSED THE SOVIETS.

I DON'T THINK WE APPRECIATE YET THE CONCERN THAT THE--THAT THE SOVIETS HAD ABOUT THOSE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.

>> THE SOVIETS KNEW PRECISELY WHERE OUR NUCLEAR BOMBERS WERE BASED.

THEY KNEW PRECISELY WHERE ALL OF OUR NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN EUROPE WERE LOCATED.

THEY KNEW WHERE OUR INTERCONTINENTAL MISSILES IN THE UNITED STATES WERE LOCATED.

>> BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THE CARRIER WAS.

THEY COULD BE ANYPLACE.

THEY COULD BE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.

THEY COULD BE IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC, COULD BE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, NORTH PACIFIC, SOUTH PACIFIC, CHINA SEA, WHEREVER.

AND THE SOVIETS COULDN'T KEEP TRACK OF THEM ALL.

AND SO THAT BECAME A THREAT TO THEM.

>> ON THE OPEN SEA, THE COLD WAR PLAYED ITSELF OUT AS A STRING OF CAT-AND-MOUSE GAMES-- DEADLY SERIOUS, BUT WITH A TOUCH OF THE ABSURD.

>> THE SOVIETS WOULD PLAY A GAME WITH YOU.

THEY WOULD COME OUT AND INTERCEPT THE CARRIER TO TEST THE DEFENSES.

WE, THE PILOTS, USED TO LIKE TO GO UP AND FLY UP NEXT TO THE BEAR AIRPLANE, AND THEY HAD THESE BIG COCKPITS.

AND WE WERE IN THE LITTLE--LIKE, LITTLE COCKPIT.

SO I GOT UP NEXT TO THIS GUY, AND HE LOOKED AT ME, AND I LOOKED AT HIM, AND WE'RE PROBABLY A HUNDRED FEET AWAY, MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND THE GUY GAVE ME THE FINGER LIKE THAT.

AND I GAVE HIM THE FINGER BACK.

AND THEN I GAVE HIM 2 FINGERS, AND WE HAD-- AND THEN HE GAVE ME 2 FINGERS.

AND THE NEXT THING, WE WERE KIND OF SMILING EACH OTHER.

AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW, THE GUY-- AND IT WAS A LONG WAYS AWAY-- BUT I COULD SEE HE HELD UP A "PLAYBOY" AND--AND THERE WAS--A CENTERFOLD IN THERE.

SO WHILE THE MISSIONS WERE DANGEROUS, ON A CERTAIN LEVEL, ON A CERTAIN BASIC HUMAN LEVEL, SOMETIMES I THINK, "WELL, WE'RE ALL KIND OF THE SAME."

>> NUCLEAR WEAPONS WERE FOLDED INTO THE ROUTINES OF CARRIER LIFE.

DAY AFTER DAY, THE MEN FOLLOWED THEIR PROCEDURES, REHEARSED FOR THE UNTHINKABLE.

THEN, ON OCTOBER 21st, 1962, THE UNTHINKABLE BECAME LESS REMOTE.

>> I GET A CALL ON SUNDAY ABOUT NOON, SAYS, "GET DOWN TO YOUR SHIP, GET IT UNDERWAY, AND HEAD FOR THE CARIBBEAN."

I SAID, "ALL MY SAILORS ARE IN NEW YORK, YOU KNOW.

THEY'RE UP THERE CHASING GIRLS AROUND, WHICH IS WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING, AND I HOPE THEY'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME."

THEY SAID, "NO, GET UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW."

SO WE HEAD FOR THE CARIBBEAN.

I AM CARRYING A HUNDRED NUCLEAR WEAPONS THAT ARE TO BE A BACKUP SUPPORT FOR AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER THAT'S THERE THAT HAS A HUNDRED NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

WE WERE PRETTY SERIOUS THAT WE'D MAKE A NUCLEAR WEAPONS ATTACK AGAINST CUBA.

>> IN THE DRAMATIC DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, CARRIERS WOULD SHARE THE STAGE WITH ANOTHER LESS-CELEBRATED BRANCH OF NAVAL AVIATION.

>> RECONNAISSANCE IS WHERE WE HAVE OUR ROOTS.

AND IN THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, NAVAL RECONNAISSANCE WAS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.

>> ROUTINE SURVEILLANCE HAD PRODUCED STRONG EVIDENCE THAT THE SOVIETS WERE BUILDING NUCLEAR MISSILE SITES IN CUBA.

IF OPERATIONAL, THEY COULD STRIKE THE UNITED STATES WITHIN MINUTES.

PRESIDENT KENNEDY ORDERED A BLOCKADE OF THE ISLAND.

BUT HE ALSO FIXED HIS SIGHTS ON A ROW OF PREFAB BUILDINGS IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, HOME TO A NAVAL UNIT WHOSE JETS WERE EQUIPPED WITH CAMERAS UNIQUELY DESIGNED FOR LOW-FLIGHT, HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHY.

COMMANDER WILLIAM ECKER RECEIVED HIS BRIEF, AND IN THE EARLY MORNING OF OCTOBER 23rd, TOOK OFF WITH HIS WINGMAN.

IN MINUTES, THEY COULD SEE CUBA.

>> THEY MAKE THEIR RUNS OVER THE MISSILE SITES, AND THEY SEE INCREDIBLE THINGS GOING ON UNDERNEATH THEM.

PEOPLE RUNNING IN EVERY DIRECTION.

THEY SEE THE MISSILES ON TRAILERS.

THEY SEE THE LAUNCH PADS.

THEY SEE THE SUPPORTING EQUIPMENT.

YOU NAME IT, THEY GET PICTURES OF IT.

>> AS ECKER LANDED BACK AT THE BASE, A CREW WAS WAITING TO RUSH THE FILM TO THE LAB.

ON OCTOBER 25th, AT THE U.N., AMBASSADOR ADLAI STEVENSON PRESSED HIS SOVIET COUNTERPART.

>> DO YOU, AMBASSADOR ZORIN, DENY THAT THE U.S.S.R. HAS PLACED AND IS PLACING MEDIUM- AND INTERMEDIATE-RANGE MISSILES AND SITES IN CUBA?

YES OR NO?

>> YOU WILL HAVE YOUR ANSWER IN DUE COURSE.

>> I'M PREPARED TO WAIT FOR MY ANSWER UNTIL HELL FREEZES OVER IF THAT'S YOUR DECISION.

>> THE SOVIET AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.

DENIED THAT THEY WERE PLACING BALLISTIC MISSILES IN CUBA.

AND HERE, ADLAI STEVENSON MOTIONS, AND IN COME A FEW PEOPLE FROM THE CIA WITH THESE BOARDS.

>> AND ECKER, TO HIS AMAZEMENT, SEES THE PHOTOS THAT HE AND HIS MEN HAVE BEEN TAKING SUDDENLY BEING PRESENTED TO THE WORLD AS THE BEST EVIDENCE IN THE COURT OF WORLD OPINION.

>> JUST 3 DAYS AFTER THE SHOWDOWN AT THE U.N., THE SOVIETS AGREED TO REMOVE THE MISSILES FROM CUBA.

THE COLD WAR EQUILIBRIUM WAS RESTORED, BUT IT WOULD NOT HOLD FOR LONG.

>> A LOT OF BOMBS WERE DROPPED ON TARGETS THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN DESTROYED MANY TIMES OVER.

>> THE PILOTS WERE GETTING THE HECK SHOT OUT OF THEM, AND EVERY NOW AND THEN, ONE OF THEM WOULD SAY, "SKIPPER, WHAT ARE WE DOING THIS CRAZY WAR?"

>> IT WAS A REAL, REAL TIME IN THE WILDERNESS FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THAT CONFLICT BUT CERTAINLY NAVAL AVIATION.

>> THE VIETNAM ERA, A TIME OF TURMOIL AND DISCONTENT, WOULD BE ONE OF NAVAL AVIATION'S LOWEST POINTS.

FOR THE PILOTS, THE DISCONTENT CAME EARLY.

IN 1965, THEY WERE TASKED WITH A MASSIVE BOMBING CAMPAIGN, BUT WITH IMPORTANT TARGETS OFF-LIMITS.

>> THE BOMBING CAMPAIGN IN THE NORTH WAS CALLED ROLLING THUNDER.

THE PILOTS REFERRED TO IT AS ROLLING BLUNDER.

THEY REALLY HATED IT, BECAUSE THE WHITE HOUSE-- IN FACT, THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF, WOULD MARK UP THE TARGETS, AND--"WE MUST ONLY APPROACH IN THIS DIRECTION, 'CAUSE IF YOU COME IN THIS DIRECTION, YOU FLY OVER A PUBLIC SCHOOL."

>> PRESIDENT JOHNSON WAS WAGING WAR BY PROXY--AGAINST THE COMMUNISTS IN VIETNAM AND, INDIRECTLY, THE SOVIETS.

HE WAS TREADING GINGERLY TO AVOID A WIDER WAR.

>> HAI PHONG WAS A PORT CITY IN NORTH VIETNAM, AND HAI PHONG HAD A 4-MILE CIRCLE AROUND IT THAT WAS A NO-FLY ZONE.

AND I COULD LOOK DOWN, AND WHAT DID I SEE?

SHIPS, SOVIET SHIPS, MATERIALS BEING UNLOADED AND UNLOADED AND UNLOADED.

COULD WE GET IT?

NO.

THE ANSWER'S NO.

IS THIS THE WAY TO FIGHT A WAR?

WELL, NOT WHEN YOU'RE ON THE TIP OF THE FRACKING SPEAR AND THE LEAD'S COMING UP AT YOU.

ARE YOU GONNA SURVIVE OR ARE YOU NOT GONNA SURVIVE?

ARE YOU GONNA SURVIVE, OR IS THAT GUY DOWN THERE SHOOTING AT YOU GONNA SURVIVE?

AND-AND IT'S BLACK AND WHITE.

THERE'S NO GRAY.

THERE'S NO LAWYERS.

THERE'S NO POLITICIANS, NONE OF THAT BULL...

IT'S HE DIES OR YOU DIE, AND SO YOU MAKE YOUR DECISION, AND TO ME, THAT'S WAR.

IT'S NASTY BUSINESS.

IT'S BRUTAL BUSINESS.

IT'S WHY IF WE'RE GONNA GO TO WAR, YOU BETTER GET IT RIGHT TO START WITH.

>> TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE TOOLS OF WAR WERE STILL CRUDE.

IT COULD TAKE DOZENS OF BOMBS TO HIT ONE TARGET.

>> THE MUNITIONS USED IN THOSE DAYS WERE-WERE NOT GPS- OR LASER-GUIDED.

YOU'RE DROPPING IRON BOMBS AT THAT TIME.

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE THAT WENT ALONG WITH THAT KIND OF LOW TECH THAT EXISTED BACK IN THE VIETNAM ERA.

>> THE U.S. WOULD RAIN DOWN MORE TONNAGE ON THE SMALL NATION OF VIETNAM THAN IT HAD DROPPED IN ALL OF WORLD WAR II.

BACK HOME, MANY AMERICANS RECOILED AT WHAT THEY SAW.

>> FIGHT THE DRAFT!

END THE WAR!

BRING THE TROOPS HOME!

FIGHT THE DRAFT!

END THE WAR!

BRING THE TROOPS HOME!

>> WE CAME HERE TO DEMAND THAT THE U.S. GET OUT OF VIETNAM.

>> END THE WAR!

END THE WAR!

>> BY THE EARLY '70s, ANGER ABOUT THE WAR HAD MERGED WITH OTHER DEEP-SEATED RESENTMENTS.

>> WE WILL DEFINE BLACK POWER.

HE WILL LISTEN AND RECOGNIZE IT.

THAT'S ALL.

THAT'S ALL.

>> WHEN THE USS "KITTY HAWK" SET SAIL FOR VIETNAM IN FEBRUARY OF 1972, IT CARRIED ON BOARD ALL OF AMERICA'S RACIAL DIVIDES.

>> NAVAL AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ARE A MICROCOSM OF AMERICA.

THERE'S A CLASS SOCIETY THAT EXISTS ON THE SHIP.

CAPTAIN IS THE-THE KING AND THE RULER, AND THE OFFICER CORPS ARE THE DIRECTORS OF THINGS THAT GO ON.

THE ENLISTED MEN ARE THE WORKING-CLASS INDIVIDUALS, AND THAT'S WHERE MOST OF OUR AFRICAN-AMERICANS EXISTED.

>> YOU WOULD JUST END UP BEING A MESS COOK FOR A WHILE, OR YOU'D CLEAN COMPARTMENTS FOR A WHILE.

IF YOU TRIED TO GET OUT OF MESS COOKING FOR OVER 90 DAYS, TRY TO QUIT CLEANING TOILETS, YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD A LONG STRUGGLE.

>> BY OCTOBER, THE CREW OF THE "KITTY HAWK" HAD BEEN DEPLOYED FOR OVER 200 DAYS, WORKING ROUND THE CLOCK, 8 HOURS ON, 4 HOURS OFF.

ON OCTOBER 11th, THE WORKLOAD WAS LIGHTER.

MORE TIME FOR STORIES TO SPREAD ABOUT THE BRAWLS THAT HAD BROKEN OUT BETWEEN BLACKS AND WHITES DURING A RECENT SHORE LEAVE.

MIDDAY, SAILOR PERRY PETTUS MADE HIS WAY TO THE DECK WITH 2 OTHER AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

>> AS WE 3 WERE WALKING ACROSS THE FLIGHT DECK, A COUPLE OF MARINES APPROACHED US AND SAID, "YOU BLACKS"--QUOTE-- "YOU BLACKS CAN'T WALK IN OVER 2s."

WE'RE THINKING, "YEAH, RIGHT."

KEPT ON WALKING.

MADE THE COMMENT AGAIN.

PLEASE.

I'M GONNA HAVE 2 MARINES TELL ME I CAN'T WALK WITH 2 OTHER FRIENDS?

NEXT THING I KNOW, MY NECK IS UNDER A NIGHTSTICK WITH MY BODY UP ON A A-6 AIRCRAFT WITH A NIGHTSTICK UNDER ME.

WHAT THE HECK?

>> WHEN CAPTAIN MARLAND TOWNSEND LEARNED OF THE INCIDENT, HE QUICKLY OVERRULED THE MARINES AND APOLOGIZED, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE.

>> ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.

[KLAXON SOUNDING] I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT IT WAS BLACKS AGAINST WHITES.

>> IT WAS AN ALL-OUT RIOT.

[ALARM BLARING] >> PEOPLE BEING BEAT UP FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAPPENED TO BE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR.

[SIREN WAILING] THAT WAS AN UGLY NIGHT.

THAT WAS AN UGLY NIGHT.

>> IT TOOK 12 HOURS TO END THE FIGHTING, AND IT WOULD PROVE A TURNING POINT IN NAVAL HISTORY.

>> IT SHOOK THE-THE ENTIRE-- THE GUTS OF THE ENTIRE NAVY.

I DON'T THINK THE NAVY HAD A CHOICE.

IT WAS LONG PAST OVERDUE TO MAKE SOME CHANGES IN EQUALITY, EQUAL TREATMENT, EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUAL ACCESS.

>> AFTER VIETNAM, THE NUMBER OF BLACKS IN THE NAVY, BOTH ENLISTED MEN AND OFFICERS, ROSE STEADILY, AND MORE CHANGE WAS COMING.

>> "IF THERE ARE WOMEN WHO WANT TO GO TO SEA AND TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRY IN THAT CAPACITY, THEN WE CAN FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO DO SO."

>> ROSEMARY MARINER WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN TO ENTER NAVY PILOT TRAINING AND, YEARS LATER, TO LAND A JET ON A CARRIER DECK.

>> THERE WERE SOME WHO WERE ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO THIS, INCLUDING THE HEAD OF NAVAL AIR TRAINING-- HE MADE IT VERY CLEAR TO US THAT THIS WAS NOT HIS IDEA-- AND OTHERS WERE VERY SUPPORTIVE.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGURES IN MY CAREER WAS MY FIRST COMMANDING OFFICER, CAPTAIN RAY LAMBERT, WHO WAS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF BLACK MEN WHO WERE NAVAL AVIATORS WHO HAD FLOWN TACTICAL AIRCRAFT, AND WHEN I'D FIRST REPORTED TO THE SQUADRON, HE SAT ME DOWN IN HIS OFFICE.

HE SAYS, "ROSEMARY, YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA HAVE A TOUGH TIME BECAUSE YOU'RE SHORT."

HE WAS A BIG MAN, AND HE SAID, "I USED MY SIZE TO HELP ME ESTABLISH MYSELF IN NAVAL AVTION.

YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE SOME OTHER WAY."

YOU CANNOT OUT-GUY THE GUYS, SO MOST WOMEN DEVELOP THEIR OWN STYLE.

I HAPPENED TO HAVE ATTENDED CATHOLIC GIRLS' SCHOOLS, AND I ADOPTED THE MOTHER SUPERIOR STYLE-- KEEPING A STRAIGHT FACE MOST OF THE TIME AND TRYING TO NOT OVERREACT.

>> MARINER WAS 40 AND A SENIOR OFFICER BY THE TIME THE LAW THAT BARRED WOMEN FROM COMBAT WAS REPEALED IN 1993.

BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, IT WAS NO LONGER UNUSUAL TO SEE WOMEN PILOTS IN FIGHTER JETS.

>> EVEN THOUGH IN MY DAY WE HAD THESE OVERT RESTRICTIONS ON US, I OFTEN THOUGHT THAT BLACK MEN WERE HAVING A MORE DIFFICULT TIME THAN WOMEN WERE.

IT WAS STILL RARE TO SEE A BLACK MAN GET ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP.

>> NAVAL AVIATION IS THE HARDEST CIRCLE TO BREAK INTO.

A MAJORITY OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE BEEN IN PATROL PLANE OR HELICOPTER AVIATION.

AND SO WHEN YOU GO DOWN TO THE JET TRAINING BASES, YOU SEE VERY FEW AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

WE NEED TO FIX THAT.

[RADIO CHATTER, SIRENS WAILING] >> THE ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ON 9/11 WOULD USHER IN A NEW AND DIFFICULT MILITARY MISSION AS MUCH ABOUT WINNING CIVILIAN HEARTS AND MINDS AS DEFEATING AN ENEMY, AND THAT MISSION WOULD BE AIDED BY A COMMON TOOL--GPS, GLOBAL POSITIONING--WHICH WAS TRANSFORMING THE CRAFT OF NAVAL AVIATION AND THE EXPECTATIONS RIDING ON ITS PILOTS.

AFTER THE 9/11 ATTACKS, CARRIERS RUSHED TO THE PERSIAN GULF AND HAVE REMAINED A CONSTANT PRESENCE SINCE.

ERIC DOYLE HAS FLOWN MANY MISSIONS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

>> I WANTED TO BE A PILOT SINCE I KNEW WHAT FLYING WAS.

EARLY ON IT WAS JUST THE PURE THRILL OF FLYING, AND IT WASN'T UNTIL FLYING THE F-18 IN TRAINING THAT THOSE REALITIES OF ACTUALLY GOING TO WAR, DROPPING BOMBS ON AN ENEMY, STARTED TO BECOME A REALITY.

>> DOYLE FLEW ONE OF THE FIRST MISSIONS IN THE IRAQ INVASION OF 2003.

HIS MEMORY OF THAT NIGHT OFFERS A WINDOW INTO THE RECENT AIR WARS OF THE MIDDLE EAST.

>> WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD IDEA THAT SHOCK AND AWE WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN, AND THEN AT SOME POINT, WE DID KNOW.

WE WERE CONTEMPLATING HOW MANY AIRCRAFT WE THOUGHT WE WOULD LOSE, OR IF WE'D LOSE ANY, HOW MANY?

WOULD IT BE FOLKS FROM OUR SQUADRON?

AND IT COULD BE ME.

YOU TAKE YOUR PERSON OUT OF IT.

YOU TAKE YOURSELF AND YOU USE "AIRCRAFT" AND "PILOT."

YOU DON'T SAY, "ME, ERIC," OR, "YOU, STAN."

[ENGINE REVVING UP] ON THE SECOND NIGHT, ME AND 3 OTHER AIRCRAFT WERE GOING AFTER A MISSILE PRODUCTION FACILITY, CARRYING MULTIPLE GPS-GUIDED WEAPONS.

SO WE'RE PUSHING INTO IRAQ.

WE HAVE OUR TARGET THAT'S, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF MILES OUT IN FRONT OF US, AND WE'RE SEEING ALL THIS FIRE COMING OUR WAY.

IT LOOKED LIKE SOMEBODY SPRAYING A WATER HOSE.

THEN WE'D ALSO SEE SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES BEING LAUNCHED, AND WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THEM.

THEY'RE THE SIZE OF TELEPHONE POLES, AND...

IT'S JUST A VERY STRANGE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE.

YOU'RE SO FOCUSED ON WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO HIT THAT ALL THE PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING, WHY I'M DOING IT, "WHY ARE WE HERE?"

THAT'S HONESTLY OUT THE WINDOW.

YOU DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO ABSOLUTELY HAVE PRETTY DARN CLOSE TO 100% CERTAINTY THAT BOMB IS GOING WHERE IT NEEDS TO GO OR THAT PIECE OF ORDNANCE, AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK WE STAY, YOU KNOW, EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED.

I DROPPED 4 2,000-POUND WEAPONS AT ONCE, AND ALL 4 HIT THEIR INTENDED TARGETS.

AND NOW THE--NOW THE REALITY THAT I'VE BEEN AIRBORNE FOR 5 HOURS, I NEED TO FIND MY WAY BACK TO AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER AND LAND ON IT-- NOW THAT WHOLE THREAT STARTS TO SEEP BACK IN YOUR BRAIN.

WHEN YOU'RE FLYING IN AN AIRPLANE AT NIGHT OVER THE WATER, IT'S BLACK, JUST TO THE POINT THERE ARE NO VISUAL REFERENCES OUT THERE.

IT'S LIKE FLYING INSIDE A BASKETBALL.

IT'S 100% TRUST, NOT ONLY TO FIND THE SHIP, BUT WHICH WAY IS UP AND WHICH WAY IS DOWN, BECAUSE IT'S ALL UNKNOWN.

MY HEART RATE WAS PROBABLY AS HIGH AS IT WAS WHEN I WAS IN-COUNTRY.

IT'S DEFINITELY STILL, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING, ONE OF THE MORE, IF NOT THE MOST, INTENSE THINGS YOU DO, JUST TRYING TO LAND THAT PLANE.

AND IT ISN'T TILL AFTER YOU LAND BACK ABOARD THE SHIP DOES THE ADRENALINE SLOWLY DRAIN OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM, AND THAT'S WHEN YOU REALLY START TO LOOK BACK ON WHAT HAPPENED, AND I THINK YOU GO THROUGH, YOU KNOW, EVERY EMOTION YOU CAN IMAGINE.

IT ISN'T THE JUMPING OUT OF THE JET, HIGH-5'ING EVERYBODY.

IT'S-IT'S SOBERING.

YOU'RE THE ONE HITTING THAT BUTTON TO, YOU KNOW, SEND A 2,000-POUND BOMB INTO THE AIR.

IT'S A SOBERING EXPERIENCE, AND IT SHOULD BE.

>> NO ONE KNOWS HOW MANY CIVILIANS WERE KILLED FROM THE AIR IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

IT IS FAR FEWER THAN IN THE DAYS OF IRON BOMBS BEFORE LASER GUIDANCE AND GPS.

STILL, EACH WAS A HUMAN LOSS AND A PROPAGANDA LOSS IN THE STRUGGLE TO WIN OVER HEARTS AND MINDS.

>> 2011 MARKS THE 10th YEAR OF WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST, FOUGHT VILLAGE TO VILLAGE, HOUSE BY HOUSE.

ONCE THE CONFLICTS SHIFTED TO THE GROUND, CARRIER JETS HAD TO GET USED TO A SUPPORT ROLE, MUCH OF IT ROUTINE.

>> YOU MAY FLY YOUR 6- TO 9-HOUR MISSION AND NEVER REALLY COMMUNICATE WITH THE SOLDIER-LEVEL GUYS.

YOU MAY NEVER DROP A WEAPON.

YOU MAY NEVER DO ANYTHING AT ALL THAT IS REALLY A TANGIBLE ACT IN SUPPORT OF THEM.

I'M NOT GONNA LIE TO YOU.

IT'S A DRUDGERY.

>> AFTER 2 LONG DRAINING GROUND WARS, THE COSTS OF NAVAL AVIATION MAKE IT A LIKELY TARGET FOR CUTS.

ADD IN A REVOLUTION IN TECHNOLOGY, AND ITS FUTURE SEEMS ONCE AGAIN WRAPPED IN QUESTIONS.

>> IT'S VERY POSSIBLE, WITHIN A MATTER OF A DECADE OR SO, THAT NAVAL AVIATORS WILL FLY STRIKE MISSIONS AND NEVER LEAVE THE SHIP.

>> UAV IS UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE.

BASICALLY IT'S A MODEL AIRPLANE.

THE AIR FORCE USES THEM FOR RECONNAISSANCE AND STRIKES WHICH ARE CONTROLLED 5,000, 6,000 MILES AWAY EASILY FROM NEVADA.

>> RIGHT NOW THERE'S A FUNCTIONAL LIMIT OF ABOUT 9 TO 11 G's THAT AN AIRPLANE CAN PULL.

YOU TAKE THE HUMAN BEING OUT AND THE NEED TO KEEP HIS FINGERS, TOES, AND EYEBALLS STILL ATTACHED, AND SUDDENLY YOU CAN MAKE AIRPLANES THAT MIGHT TAKE 15, 20, 30 G's.

>> AND EVENTUALLY WE WON'T HAVE TO HAVE A PILOT AT ALL.

YOU COULD HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD VIDEO GAMER WHO'S 18, 19 YEARS OLD AT THE CONTROLS.

>> MY RECENT EXPERIENCE IN AFGHANISTAN-- THERE'S UNMANNED UAVs OUT THERE FLYING AROUND WITH US IN THE SAME AREA, AND IT ALWAYS KIND OF SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING THAT, AH, THAT'LL EVENTUALLY BE THERE.

IT'S SOMETHING FROM THE MOVIES.

[RADIO CHATTER] >> STINGRAY ZERO 1, YOU'RE CLEAR.

18 ALPHA.

>> COPY THAT.

>> AND THEN ACTUALLY TALKING TO THE OPERATORS HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY IS INTERESTING.

IT'S... SURREAL MAY BE A BETTER WORD.

>> AN EXPERIENCED COMBAT AVIATOR IS GOING TO THINK TWICE BEFORE HE OR SHE PULLS THE TRIGGER.

>> AND THERE IS THAT POSSIBILITY THAT WHEN YOU REMOVE THE HUMAN FROM BEING ON POSITION OVER THE TARGET AREA, THAT DECISION TO SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER AND RELEASE ORDNANCE, YOU DIVORCE YOURSELF AND YOUR FEELINGS AWAY FROM WHAT HAPPENS IN COMBAT.

>> WHOO!

>> NICELY DONE, SIR.

NICELY DONE.

>> KINGSVILLE, TEXAS, THE NAVAL TRAINING CENTER WHERE A NEW GENERATION OF PILOTS IS BEING PREPARED FOR COMBAT.

THEY SEEM PREPARED ALSO FOR THE REVOLUTION COMING THEIR WAY.

>> YOU CAN'T HIDE THE FACT THAT UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES ARE DEFINITELY THE FUTURE.

THE CAPABILITIES--THE ABILITY FOR THEM TO STAY, YOU KNOW, ALOFT FOR HOURS AND HOURS.

THEY HAVE BETTER EYES THAN WE DO, THEY HAVE LONGER LEGS.

THEY DON'T HAVE A BLADDER.

IF YOU TAKE THE EMOTION OUT OF IT, THEY'RE GONNA MAKE, AS A MILITARY, US A LOT STRONGER.

>> I THINK WE'RE CLOSE.

I THINK IT'S-- WE'VE GOT THE COOLEST PLANES WE CAN MAKE, AND AFTER THIS, IT'S GONNA BE THE ROBOTS AND NOBODY ELSE.

THERE'S A SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW, "THEY'RE MAKING THE LAST COWBOYS HERE" KIND OF FEELING, AND MAYBE WE'LL GET TO TELL OUR GRANDKIDS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WENT RIPPING AROUND THE SKY BACK IN THE DAY IN FIGHTERS, AND THAT WAS-- THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

I THINK IT'S A GREAT CHAPTER IN AMERICAN HISTORY, BUT MANNED FLIGHT MIGHT BE COMING TOWARDS ITS END.

>> I'M GENERALLY AN OPTIMIST WHEN IT COMES TO NAVAL AVIATION.

BASING OPTIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES ARE IN DECLINE WORLDWIDE, AND THE ABILITY TO OPERATE FROM THE SEA IS A CAPABILITY THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE OF, NOT LESS.

BUT IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHO IS GETTING READY TO GO INTO THE NAVY OR THE MARINE CORPS AND WANTS THOSE WINGS OF GOLD, DO YOU REALLY WANT THIS JOB?

IS IT GONNA GO AWAY ON YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR CAREER?

>> THERE HAS BEEN JOKES IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW.

"HEY, THE LAST FIGHTER PILOT'S BEEN BORN."

BUT THE THREAT IS ALWAYS GONNA DRIVE THE SHOW, AND THERE IS GONNA BE A DEMAND.

YOU CAN'T DO EVERYTHING WITH A ROBOT OR A COMPUTER.

>> FIRST LIEUTENANT BISHOP, FRONT AND CENTER.

>> THE PILOT IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR A DECISION THAT'S MADE ON SCENE.

IT'S DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE WHEN WE CAN GET TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN HOLD A COMPUTER, A PIECE OF SOFTWARE, ACCOUNTABLE R A LIFE-AND-DEATH DECISION.

>> WE ARE MORAL BEINGS, AND AT LEAST MACHINES AT THIS POINT IN TIME ARE NOT.

THAT'S WHAT I WOULD MISS THE WAY OF DRONES--ES WENT THAT THERE-- THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT KIND OF PERSONAL EXCELLENCE AND THAT SENSE OF HUMAN EXCELLENCE, AS EXPRESSED IN CONTROLLING THE TECHNOLOGY IN A MORAL SENSE, WILL BE LOST.

>> WE'RE A PART OF A PRETTY RICH HISTORY, AND YOU GUYS ARE A PART OF THAT, AND YOU'RE GONNA-- YOU'RE GONNA MAKE HISTORY.

I ASK YOU TO EMBRACE THAT, FEEL PROUD OF IT, AND DO US PROUD.

[APPLAUSE] >> IT'S A HUNDRED YEARS SINCE A FOOLHARDY PILOT SET OUT TO LAND A PLANE MID-OCEAN ON AN IMPROVISED WOODEN DECK.

THE PILOTS WITH THE GOLD WINGS INHERIT A HISTORY THAT'S TURBULENT... >> EXCELLENT.

1, 2 AND 3.

>> ...AND IF THE YEARS AHEAD ARE THE SAME, THAT CAN HARDLY COME AS A SURPRISE.

>> A DVD COPY OF "ANGLE OF ATTACK" IS AVAILABLE FOR 24.99 PLUS SHIPPING AND HANDLING.

TO ORDER, CALL 1-800-633-5633 OR VISIT WWW.QUESTARHOMEVIDEO.COM.

OFFER MADE BY AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION.

FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY BOEING.

>> WE KNOW WHY WE'RE HERE.

>> TO CONNECT... >> AND PROTECT.

>> TO STAND BEHIND ALL WHO SERVE.

>> THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.