Watch The Big Picture - Pictorial Report No. 8

Experience the American Journey through our country's visual heritage in this historical recording provided by the National Archives of the United States. From the U.S. Army's "The Big Picture" television series, 1950-1975. For the United States Army, television promises to revolutionize battlefield communications by giving the commander something he has never had before--communication by sight. The first subject in this pictorial report deals with a public demonstration of the use of television in combat. Staged at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, this demonstration as seen through the eyes of THE BIG PICTURE camera, shows the full spectacular scope of the changes television may one day bring to the battlefield. The second feature tells of the importance of the individual soldier. Today, throughout the world, he is doing many different kinds of jobs. One of them, shaped into vital significance by the course of current history, is the job of patrolling the borders which separate the free world from the Soviet orbit. In Germany, where this report was filmed, patrols are on the border every day of the year. The last report is about a military ceremony--Retreat. Rich in tradition, this ceremony is graphically told with an original music score composed and conducted by the United States Army band.

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