Military Channel's AN OFFICER AND A MOVIE Returns Saturdays, Beg. 6/9

Combining military firepower with Hollywood star power like Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, Denzel Washington, Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra and John Wayne, Military Channel's AN OFFICER AND A MOVIE returns with a summer of unforgettable military films including Where Eagles Dare, Hamburger Hill, Bat 21, Das Boot, The Alamo, and Raid on Entebbe.

Although packed with the brightest stars, the spotlight for this series is on the decorated military heroes who sit down with host Lou Diamond Phillips, who is currently starring in A&E's Longmire, to share their true stories and expert insight about the actual conflicts that inspired each featured movie.

Guests this summer include Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), General Barry McCaffrey and Navy Rear Admiral Charles Beers, Jr,, as well as a Vietnam POW, founding member of Seal Team 6 and a veteran from Hamburger Hill.While Hollywood's producers adapt real-life heroics for the silver screen, AN OFFICER AND A MOVIE's interview segments share the first-hand accounts and modern-day perspectives of experts and veterans who personally lived the storylines of each film. AN OFFICER AND A MOVIE airs Saturdays at 8 PM ET on the Military Channel, starting with Where Eagles Dare today, June 9 and Lou Diamond Phillips sits down with Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), a former Army Ranger and paratrooper.

AN OFFICER AND A MOVIE summer schedule includes:

· Where Eagles Dare Premieres today, June 9 from 8-11 PM E/P Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) joins host Lou Diamond Phillips to discuss Where Eagles Dare, in which Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton play Allied agents staging a daring raid on a castle where the Nazis are holding an American General prisoner. After graduating from West Point in 1971, Sen. Reed became an Army Ranger and a paratrooper, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division as an Infantry Platoon leader, a Company Commander, and a Battalion Staff Officer. He later returned to West Point to teach in the Department of Social Sciences until resigning from active duty in 1979. After earning his law degree, he continued in the Army reserves until June 1991.

· Bat 21 Premieres Saturday, June 16 from 8-10 PM E/P Navy Capt. Gerald Coffee (Ret.) joins Lou Diamond Phillips to relate his own shocking survival story to the one played out by Gene Hackman in the classic war film Bat 21. In 1966, Capt. Coffee was shot down over North Vietnam and, for the next seven years, was held as a POW in Communist prisons. A highly decorated pilot, Capt. Coffee has received the Silver Star, two Legion of Merit awards, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars, the Air Medal, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnam Service Medal with 13 stars.

· The Alamo Premieres Saturday, June 30 from 8-11 PM E/P The historical 1836 Battle of the Alamo is portrayed in John Wayne's 1960 film, The Alamo. Host Lou Diamond Philips sits down with Four-Star General Barry McCaffrey to discuss his take on the film and his own experience as a young soldier fighting in Central America. A graduate of West Point, Gen. McCaffrey was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars for his service in Vietnam. He commanded the 24th Infantry Division on Operation Desert Storm, served as a Deputy Representative to NATO, and as Assistant Chairman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His last command was SOUTHCOMM, where he was in charge of U.S. military activities in Central and South America.

· Das Boot Premieres Saturday, July 7 from 8-11 PM E/P Navy Rear Admiral Charles J. Beers, Jr. (Ret.) joins host Lou Diamond Phillips to relate his 30 years of service in the U.S. Navy to the experiences of German U-boat crews portrayed in the epic WWII film Das Boot. During his three decades in the navy, Rear Adm. Beers commanded a fast attack submarine and was director of an Attack Submarine Division. His last assignment was as Commander of Submarine Group Ten, the Atlantic Fleet command for all ballistic missile submarines. Under his leadership, his crews won numerous naval commendations, and he is personally the recipient of more than one dozen individual service awards, including the Defense Distinguished Service and Navy Achievement Medals.

· Raid on Entebbe Premieres Saturday, July 14 from 8-11 PM E/P Joining host Lou Diamond Philips is retired Navy Commander Richard Marcinko to discuss how his own combat experience can be compared to the famous 1976 hostage story in Raid on Entebbe. Cmdr. Marcinko (Ret.) was a founding member and leader of the legendary Seal Team 6, whose military descendants captured and killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. Tune in to find out why he's been called "Rogue Warrior," "Demo Dick," and "Shark Man of the Delta."

· Hamburger Hill Premieres Saturday, July 21 from 8-10:30 PM E/P Army Sergeant Arthur Wiknik, (Ret.) was a 20-year-old infantry squad leader in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne at the battle for Hamburger Hill. Sgt. Wiknik was among the first soldiers to reach the top of the hill during the final assault. He is the author of Nam Sense about his experience in Vietnam, which retired Army Colonel and former Congressman Rob Simmons called "one of the best books on the Vietnam War."

AN OFFICER AND A MOVIE is produced by Booth Champion, LLC for the Military Channel. For Booth Champion, LLC, Emil Gallina is director. For Military Channel, Ron Simon is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Ed Hersh is senior vice president of content strategy and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.

Currently starring in A&E's summer hit series Longmire, Phillips first came to the public's attention when he starred as Richie Valens in La Bamba and solidified his reputation in Stand and Deliver, for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor and received a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe nomination. Other notable film credits include Courage Under Fire, Young Guns and most recently, CHE. Additionally, Phillips earned a Tony nomination for Best Actor for his performance as the King of Siam in the Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I. Phillips also won Food Network's Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off this past year. A few of his other memorable television credits include Stargate Universe, Cougar Town, Chuck, Psych, Law and Order: SVU, and Numb3rs.

The Military Channel brings viewers compelling, real-world stories of heroism, military strategy, and significant turning points in history. Currently available in more than 59.9 million homes, the network takes viewers "behind the lines" to hear the personal stories of servicemen and women and offers in-depth explorations of military training, aviation technology and cutting-edge weaponry. As the only cable network devoted to military subjects, it also provides unique access to this world, allowing viewers to understand the full spectrum of experiences intrinsic to the armed forces, as well as the long-held traditions of the military. For more information, please visit military.discovery.com.

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