Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
As an intelligence officer in the Army Special Forces, Captain Wade Ishimoto was part of Operation Eagle Claw, the attempted rescue of 52 hostages in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, in 1980. Preparing for the operation, he saw how ill equipped the Americans were for the mission: some of their maps were simply tourist maps. “But when the commander in chief tells you to go, you salute smartly, and you go.” Learn more about what happened after the mission failed, and why Ishimoto kept the maps to push for improved intelligence.
American Veteran: Keep It Close tells the stories of U.S. military veterans and the special objects they carried during deployment and beyond. These objects, ranging from a pebble to a vial of lip gloss, have provided everyday comfort and hope to the veterans — and offer civilians a window into the veteran experience. Although the stories are unique to the individual veterans and their military service, the concept of mementos and the emotions they can generate are universal.
Join our "Keep It Close" social media campaign by sharing a photo or describing an object that has significance to your experience as a veteran. Civilians: post an object, person, or place that makes you understand what veterans experience or have experienced. Add the hashtag #AmericanVeteranPBS to join the campaign.
Thank you to Analog Devices for supporting American Veteran: Keep It Close. You can learn more at analog.com/en/applications/markets/aerospace-and-defense-pavilion-home.html
// Subscribe to PBS Voices so you never miss an episode! bit.ly/PBSVoices
Watch the four-part broadcast "American Veteran" on PBS starting October 26 (check your local listings) or streaming on the PBS video app, and listen to the podcast “American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories” wherever you get your podcasts.
Check your local listings: pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran
Keep up with PBS Digital Studios
Facebook: facebook.com/PBSDigitalStudios
Twitter: twitter.com/pbsds
Instagram: instagram.com/pbsds
#veterans #military #AmericanVeteranPBS
As an intelligence officer in the Army Special Forces, Captain Wade Ishimoto was part of Operation Eagle Claw, the attempted rescue of 52 hostages in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, in 1980. Preparing for the operation, he saw how ill equipped the Americans were for the mission: some of their maps were simply tourist maps. “But when the commander in chief tells you to go, you salute smartly, and you go.” Learn more about what happened after the mission failed, and why Ishimoto kept the maps to push for improved intelligence.
American Veteran: Keep It Close tells the stories of U.S. military veterans and the special objects they carried during deployment and beyond. These objects, ranging from a pebble to a vial of lip gloss, have provided everyday comfort and hope to the veterans — and offer civilians a window into the veteran experience. Although the stories are unique to the individual veterans and their military service, the concept of mementos and the emotions they can generate are universal.
Join our "Keep It Close" social media campaign by sharing a photo or describing an object that has significance to your experience as a veteran. Civilians: post an object, person, or place that makes you understand what veterans experience or have experienced. Add the hashtag #AmericanVeteranPBS to join the campaign.
Thank you to Analog Devices for supporting American Veteran: Keep It Close. You can learn more at analog.com/en/applications/markets/aerospace-and-defense-pavilion-home.html
// Subscribe to PBS Voices so you never miss an episode! bit.ly/PBSVoices
Watch the four-part broadcast "American Veteran" on PBS starting October 26 (check your local listings) or streaming on the PBS video app, and listen to the podcast “American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories” wherever you get your podcasts.
Check your local listings: pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran
Keep up with PBS Digital Studios
Facebook: facebook.com/PBSDigitalStudios
Twitter: twitter.com/pbsds
Instagram: instagram.com/pbsds
#veterans #military #AmericanVeteranPBS
