The crucible of war forges more than statesmen and generals. It tempers the hearts and souls of countless UNSUNG HEROES who are called upon to risk all in the name of duty.

Here are their tales, collected in eleven favorite episodes from THE HISTORY CHANNEL.

The cost of war is not just measured in the lives lost and injuries suffered in battle. It lingers in the minds and memories of those who return from the front--and in those whose loved ones never come back.

Through two intimate tales, OPERATION REUNION opens the emotions of battles long fought and probes emotional wounds that can never fully heal. Larry Kern, a Vietnam helicopter pilot, searches for his best friend from the war, hoping to apologize for unintentionally leaving the wounded man trapped beneath the wreckage of a chopper. "Shorty" Eastbrook, a POW in Korea for three years, started the Tiger Survivors, a group that meets every year to

The bonds forged in combat join men forever, but the physical connection can be fragile. OPERATION REUNION helps veterans track down former colleagues, telling how they were thrown together in the first place and documenting their attempts to reconnect . . .

At 21, Lee Burkins was a Green Beret Sergeant in Vietnam and one of his closest friends was Sam Houston, a photographer assigned to the unit to help the soldiers with reconnaissance. But an accident with a white phosphorous grenade put Houston in a military hospital, and the two men did not see each other for 33 years--until OPERATION REUNION brought them

Looks at the legendary WWII battle through the lenses of two photographers. Joe Rosenthal took the famous picture of five U.S. Marines and one Navy corpsman raising the U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi. But hours earlier, a similar moment was captured in a picture that is nearly forgotten.

Here, the men who documented the struggle recall the horror and heroism they witnessed, while those who conquered "Hell's Volcano" explore their mixed emotions over the image that has become an icon.

Combines three complete programs from THE HISTORY CHANNEL to paint an unforgettable portrait of what life was like for the foot soldiers who bore so much of the brunt of the brutal conflict.

This epic documentary profiles the exceptional men who have attained one of the highest ranks in the U.S. Armed Forces.