RED WHITE BLACK AND BLUE

In June of 1942 Japan invaded the Western Aleutian Island of Attu between mainland Alaska and Russia. It was the first and only invasion of American soil since the War of 1812.

On May 11, 1943, Bill Jones and Andy Petrus landed on the island.

They were part of an American invasion force sent to take back Attu from the Japanese. Bill and Andy had no cold weather clothing or training, no waterproof boots, and three days' worth of rations.

The Army estimated the number of Japanese at about 1,000.They expected the fighting to end within 36 hours.

After 18 days, two blizzards, and over 3,000 lives, Bill and Andy had survived one of the bloodiest island invasions of World War Two, second only to Iwo Jima in percentage of casualties, and the only battle to take place on American soil in 190 years. When Bill and Andy returned to their unit they were the only two soldiers left out of the original 50 men.

In October 2003, Bill and Andy journeyed back to the island to relive the 18 days that turned them from boys into men -- and face the demons that have plagued them for the past 60 years. The island of Attu was never "cleaned up" after the war, and is a unique museum of World War Two history, littered with crashed planes, crumbling buildings, unexploded bombs, and rusting guns with rounds still in the chamber.

And, for these two elderly veterans, the island holds one more surprise...

...a 22 foot, $250,000 titanium monument erected by the Japanese government on the exact spot where many of Bill's friends and fellow soldiers were stabbed to death by 500 desperate Japanese on the final day of the battle, and where Bill himself narrowly escaped with his life.

"RED WHITE BLACK AND BLUE" features excerpts from over 80 hours of exclusive interviews with dozens of veterans, location photography from throughout Alaska and the continental United States, 20 hours of combat photography including color footage of the island shot by legendary director John Huston, and hundreds of exclusive stills and images from the private archives of dozens of veterans and historians.

The documentary will be the first feature-length film to explore the great unknown battle of American history, as told by the people who know it best -- the men who survived.

"Out on the island, it wasn't whether you lived. It was how you died..."

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