Carrier

Very well made documentary about what happens aboard the USS Nimtz when it goes to war in 2005 to support Colition Forces in Iraq. It shows how the soldiers come together, despite different political views on the war, to accomplish their mission in the Persian Gulf. It gives a good look at the toll such a long deployment takes on the sailors/marines personal lives, moral and job performance. This documentary covers everything from homosexuals in the military to religion to combat and everyday life aboard the ship. Shows sailors/marines on liberty and what they are allowed to do and not to do. Also interesting is that is seems to focus more on the enlisted then the officers especially the pilots. Its nice to see a documentary on military life that just doesn't dwell on officers or pilots but focuses more on the enlisted men.

I thought that by watching this i would gain some insight into the lives of young men and women in the Navy and I was not disappointed. It was a wonderfully candid look into the lives of these people aboard what truly is a city at sea. This documentary was a perfect example of what a sincere desire to tell as accurate a story possible can achieve. There were no subjects off limits and no agenda imposed onto the story. Just the people dealing with the situation they found themselves in at the moment. I am a unabashed liberal in my daily life and I found this just as compelling as an ex-Navy republican friend did. Whats more, the series got him to talk about HIS experience in Iraq; something I've been trying to get him to do for years. There were some serious discussions that came from our watching this, some new understandings and of course, some new disagreements. If you have a chance to watch this please do.

Superb documentary of a deployment-in-the-life of USS Nimitz, a US Navy aircraft carrier. Told from the sides of the many personnel on board, from the captain all the way on down. Particularly impressive is the fact that you get to know the sailors as people, not just another function within a vast community.

No narration, but everything follows perfectly through the stories and opinions of the individuals. The editing is excellent, the seascapes and aerial photography fantastic, and the choice of themes for each episode spot on.

Great series.

PBS really surprised me with this one. I didn't think they could put out a program with so little anti-military sentiment. Another reviewer pointed out how pleasant it was to see something that didn't just focus on the Officers, and or pilots. And I'd have to agree. As a former medic (66-68) I enjoyed seeing the current military from an enlisted point of view. Being a cynic when it comes to the media's motives when it comes to hanging around the military I can't help but wonder if they weren't hoping for my negative responses and actions if they stayed around long enough. Soldiers (sailors or marines) complain a lot, it way of life in the military, and there was some complaining, but it was really interesting to see how well these kids do their jobs day after day. And some of those jobs are not that exciting. But you get to see that the military tries to do something that society as a whole should do, remind people that all jobs are important and without anyone of them the ship wouldn't work. The military understands that it's important for people to know they're doing something worth while. One thing that left me a little concerned was the mixing of genders about ship. During the first Persian Gulf War a cruiser had to be taken off line due to, to many pregnant sailors to remain combat effect. A lot of time was spent talking about male and females "hooking up" aboard ship. It's a shame that from a country of 300+million people we can't get enough volunteers to fill all the billets aboard ship. The volunteers we get a fantastic, and a credit to this country. But problems do come up with men in women thrown together for long periods of time. Stuff happens! Lastly this a very interesting series. And thank you to the men and women of the the Nimitz, and all units in all branches of the military for doing your part for our great country. It's our home.

As a current active duty Chief Petty Officer and having done my time on a carrier, the honesty was refreshing. Not a recruiting tool, not propaganda, just honest life.

It portrays the real Navy, good and bad, positive and negative. Some people love it, some people hate it... what an eye opener to the civilians who enjoyed this! Yes some of us don't like our job, some of us love it, just like the rest of the world. But when we do our job right, bad people get dead! I loved it!

Sit down with this documentary and pay attention to the real people who just happen to wear a uniform for your country. We do what we do because we love our country. You will see the places we do it, and the conditions we live under. If I can ask one thing from everyone who has never been there, whether you agree with what we do or not, thank a person in uniform if you have the opportunity, it means more to us than a paycheck!