Carrier Review

Carrier is an in-depth 10 hour PBS series that goes behind the scenes of the USS Nimitz (a nuclear powered air craft carrier) on a 4 month cruise to the Persian Gulf.

The access to the crew and the functioning of the ship is incredible. Very few areas and events are off limits and you get the impression you really didn't want to see those events anyway -- like the seaman who was hours late to a "man overboard" muster and had to answer to the XO for it.

Its only 10 hours of show, but I really connected with the crew members. They are very honest about how they feel about the ship, the Navy, the officers, the mission, etc. I found myself nervous as the pilots were practicing "pitching deck" landings at night, which is every bit as hair raising as you would guess. And you feel bad for them as their spouse's and friend's lives go on while they are basically put on hold for months on end. Baby's are born, family members pass away, and they have no choice but to keep on doing their job.

Many of the enlisted talk about the conditions back home that drove them to go into the military, and many of the stories further the image of the military as an escape path for people of limited means in bad situations. But you get to see these folks acting in a concerted way, with responsibility for their own life and and the lives of thousands (millions?) of others, and they execute their jobs to perfection. It is an impressive feat.

Whatever you think about US foreign policy or how we are deploying our troops, you owe it to yourself to watch this show and get to know the folks who are out there in the world, putting themselves in harms way every day.