Military Channel PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS FEBRUARY 2005

MILITARY CHANNEL: Bringing viewers compelling, real-world stories of heroism, military strategy, technological breakthroughs and turning points in history, Discovery Communications, Inc. transitioned its Discovery Wings Channel to the Military Channel on Monday, January 10, 2005. While Discovery Wings Channel focused exclusively on aviation, the Military Channel will feature a dramatically broadened programming mission, as well as an all-new on-air look. The network's revamped slate of series and specials is designed to take viewers "behind the lines" to tell the personal stories of servicemen and women and offer in-depth explorations of military technology, battlefield strategy, aviation and history. The Military Channel also provides access to military personnel and hardware, allowing viewers to experience and understand a world full of human drama, courage, innovation and long-held traditions. Military Channel



MILITARY CHANNEL ACCOMPANIES WORLD WAR II VETERANS ON A PILGRIMAGE TO THE ISLAND THAT CHANGED THEIR LIVES FOREVER

Silver Spring, Md.—Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the American invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II, Military Channel proudly presents the world premiere of GOIN’ BACK: IWO JIMA. This moving, one-hour special accompanies a dozen American veterans—now in their 80s—as they journey together back to the tiny island outpost where they fought as teenagers in the bloodiest battle in the Pacific during the war. In the program, the veterans recall their experiences on Iwo Jima and have the opportunity to come to terms with long-buried demons and emotions. GOIN’ BACK: IWO JIMA premieres on Thursday, February 24, at 8 PM (PT/ET).

GOIN’ BACK: IWO JIMA follows a dozen Marine Corps veterans from across the United States as they revisit the barren Pacific island’s black sand beaches, underground tunnels, airfields, Mount Suribachi and the site of the iconic raising of the American flag. They returned to Iwo Jima with family members in tow, recounting their terrifying and heartbreaking experiences during the invasion. They all lost friends and comrades, some of them were wounded on the island and all recall vividly the grim duties they had to carry out. In GOIN’ BACK: IWO JIMA, these veterans finally were given an opportunity to bring closure to an unforgettable chapter in their lives.

Among the Marines who journeyed back to Iwo Jima is Gordon Ward, who flew from Kensington, Md., to recount the early morning when he was wounded. That day, after Ward was hit by mortar shrapnel, a medical corpsman tending to Ward's broken leg was hit by a shell, died and fell on top of Ward. Luckily, another Marine noticed Ward beneath the dead corpsman and loaded Ward into a landing craft leaving the island. That boat was hit by artillery fire, and Ward almost drowned as he lay facedown in water spilling into the shot-up boat. A Marine aboard the boat lifted Ward’s head out of the water until they reached the hospital ship, saving his life again.

Another veteran reliving the harrowing experiences he had on Iwo Jima is Peter Burns of Scottsdale, Ariz. Burns served as a signalman, sending messages back and forth to the ships from the shores of the island. Among the experiences Burns recounts is how he had to throw dead bodies onto empty boats to be taken out to the hospital ships. Burns cried as he remembered the day he loaded the body of his childhood hero onto one of the boats.

Returning to the island where a brutal battle shaped so many of their young lives was a necessity for the veterans who made the trip. Whether they marveled at the dog tags that were recently hung at a memorial site or searched for caves where they had buried their comrades, each was able to leave again in peace.

GOIN’ BACK: IWO JIMA was produced for Military Channel by Dark Horse Media. Rick Okie is executive producer. Bill Howard is executive producer for the Military Channel.