The Big Picture

We follow the supplies from the factory to the depot in the U.S., to the port to the front line unit in Korea. We show the Port of Embarkation, small boats, the ducks, the rail lines, the trucks. And we show a new development of the TC... the helicopter transportation

111-TV-203 - Home of the "Queen of Battle," Fort Benning, Georgia, brings us the story of how we keep our infantrymen highly trained with the most weapons available. We hear from Korean and WW II veterans with the "know how" and are now training the new arrivals. We have a look at the Ranger training where every man is a specialist in every type of Army weapon. This is a simple story but one with a punch.

111-TV-201: Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. U.S. Army Audiovisual Center. (ca. 1974 - 05/15/1984). We approach this from the beginning in Korea when we had to control the civilian population.... rehabilitation for tactical reasons. This is a very human, moving story and again points out our respect and concern for the individual.

The need grows for qualified linguists of many languages. The Army is keeping step with that need by providing these linguists. Film shows steps in training, sources of both teachers and students, and visits the classrooms of the school located at Monterey, California.

111-TV-199 -Department of the Army. Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. U.S. Army Audiovisual Center. (ca. 1974 - 05/15/1984). Training, training and more training... that's the story of this information film. Our cameras take us to Alaska for Arctic training, to Europe where our troops are on maneuvers in Germany, to the Far East Command and to the Caribbean. Transcript

111.TV.198 -- This episode of The Big Picture focuses on how the U.S. Army educated soldiers and their children during deployments. The episode is broken in half focusing first on Information and Education (I&E). The episode includes several ways in which soldiers remained informed and entertained through outlets such as the Armed Forces Radio, Stars and Stripes, and the American Forces Network. Next, the audience learns how the United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) educated soldiers, even those at the front. The second half of the film delves into the school life of the children of Army soldiers stationed in Germany and Japan. The Big Picture makes the argument that the students have many of the same experiences as they would in the U.S., including homework, sports, field trips, dances, and graduation ceremonies with the added benefit of being able to experience a new culture.

111.TV.196 -- In “A Day in Korea,” an early episode of The Big Picture, Captain Carl Zimmermann gives audiences a better idea of what the war was like in Korea, not through diagrams or logistics, but by simulating a typical day in combat for the US soldier. This episode chronologically describes the routine of servicemen, from morning to night. It gives details on how basic necessities were delivered, like food, mail, and coffee, and how nothing, even showers, were taken for granted. Audiences also learn about specific tasks the Army completed frequently, such as locating and eliminating enemy artillery with the help of recording devices, and transporting supplies up a mountain. This episode gives viewers an idea of what thoughts were running through a soldier’s head as he interacted with his peers, waits on the front lines as the day passes into night, and even as he is being taken for medical care after being wounded. The importance of this The Big Picture episode is that it emphasizes the individual. Instead of examining the war from a strategic perspective, this episode makes clear that the most important aspect of war is the soldier, the one who gives up their normal life, and persists in the fight no matter the cost.

On this episode of The Big Picture, titled “Citizen, Soldier and Taxpayer, Too,” audiences learn about the U.S. Army’s “war against waste.” Secretary of the Army Frank Pace Jr. begins by emphasizing the challenges associated with efficiently maintaining a massive and global fighting force. Next, viewers learn about Operation Roll-Up, during which WWII scrap weapons from across the Pacific were salvaged and repurposed for employment in the Korean conflict. This episode also showcases the role of equipment conservation teams on battlefields in Korea, the careful storage of military vehicles in climate-controlled storage facilities, and the Army’s recycling of canteens, clothing, and much more. Finally, Secretary Pace returns to outline just how many dollars the U.S. Army saves via rehabilitation of old equipment in the quest to conserve.

This episode of The Big Picture, titled “The Eyes and Ears of the Army,” examines the U.S. Army’s nerve center of communication: The Signal Corps. Even in the 1950s, the Signal Corps developed and utilized the most advanced communication technology in order to influence and monitor the “modern battlefield.”