Airing Monday Feb 19th on the Discovery Times Channel at 9PM EST.
http://times.discovery.com/convergence/taking-hill/taking-hill.htmlIn November 2006, more than 50 veterans of the U.S. armed forces from around the country competed for seats in Congress. Since WWII, there had never been this many veterans running for national office at the same time. The award-winning filmmaking team of Brent and Craig Renaud (Off to War) followed five of these candidates as they crisscrossed their districts, asking constituents for their vote. Taking the Hill tells the story of a group of veterans, most with no prior political experience or aspirations, who chose political action as a means to further answer the call of service to their country.
Beginning in February 2006, when U.S. Army veteran Mike Lyon brought together the veteran candidates in Washington, D.C., in a loose coalition called the "Band of Brothers 2006," the Renauds followed the candidates as they traveled throughout their home states: Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Although most of the veterans considered themselves politically independent, or in some cases Republican, during their active military careers, they came together this year to run as Democrats.
Though each of the races was unique, what united the candidates was their shared intense disagreement with the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war and their dismay with continued cuts to veterans' programs back home. From Eric Massa, a retired Navy commander in rural New York; to Rick Bolanos, a Purple Heart recipient in Vietnam; to Tammy Duckworth, an Army captain who lost both her legs when a grenade hit her helicopter in Iraq, this documentary follows the stories of these veterans as they fought their respective political battles.
Having spent much of their working lives in the military, these veterans did not have personal wealth to fund their campaigns, nor the political connections it takes to easily raise vast amounts of money. Tammy Duckworth said that "all of us are underdogs," running largely in conservative districts and often against entrenched Republican incumbents. Eric Massa called himself a "no-name, no-money" candidate who, like the other Band of Brothers candidates, nevertheless believed he had what it takes to win.
They cover 1 who won - Patrick Murphy and 3 who lost including Tammy Duckworth. I found this by accident but I'm certainly going to tape this one.