Faith of My Fathers (DVD, 2005)

Based on 2004 presidential candidate Senator John McCain's memoir of the same name, this A&E drama traces the horrors McCain suffered as a Vietnamese prisoner of war, and his heroism in the face of dire hardship. McCain (played by Shawn Hatosy) was raised by a family of career military men; his grandfather served next to Admiral Bull Halsey in WWII, and his father was a superior submarine commander. McCain follows in their footsteps in many regards, and when he finds himself helming a bombing mission over North Vietnam in 1967, he courageously carries out his orders despite the immanence of grave danger. Consequently, he is shot down, captured by the enemy, and subjected to frequent torture and inhumane conditions. His broken arm and leg goes virtually untreated, and yet he refuses to lose heart in an inspirational testimony to the strength of the human spirit. The story unfolds in flashbacks, showing how, over the course of five years as a POW, McCain is forced to choose between his country and his survival, and finds the strength of his ancestors within himself.