Call to Glory
Call to Glory is an American drama series created by Ronald M. Cohen, and starring Craig T. Nelson as USAF Colonel Raynor Sarnac and his family as they navigated the political tensions and military duties of the early 1960s. Heavily promoted during ABC's broadcast of the 1984 Summer Olympics, the two-part pilot aired August 13, 1984. The first episode is related to the U-2 flights over Cuba during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. During production, the plot came to focus more on the loneliness experienced by wife Vanessa while stationed on base and what she and the family would do to spend time in productive pursuits while enduring the Antelope Valley's isolation from civilization. The series, set near Edwards Air Force Base, blended historical events with the challenges of military family life, featuring themes of duty, family relationships, and the looming Vietnam War.
Episodes
During the darkest days of the Cuban missile crisis, Raynor is ordered to fly over Cuba to obtain proof that the Russians are installing nuclear warheads.
The entire Sarnac family is thrown into turmoil when Raynor receives a lucrative job offer in the private sector.
Raynor faces one of his toughest missions as he tries to prevent a bitter ex-pilot from exposing the details of a top secret mission.
A dangerous top-secret mission takes Raynor over Red China to see if the Chinese have developed an Atomic Bomb.
The violence spawned by the Civil Rights Movement hits home when Wesley and a Black friend are beaten by teenage racists.
Sarnac is sent on a classified mission to Vietnam by Kennedy, to meet with and assess President Diem; to help determine in which direction diplomatic relations should go. Strained relations between Vietnamese Catholics and Buddhists complicate the issue.
Raynor's involvement in a bitter political controversy could cost him a valued friendship...and ruin his military career.
Forced to bail out of a crippled plane, Raynor and a JAF officer struggle to survive in a dangerous wilderness.
Raynor is torn between duty and friendship when an Air Force buddy suddenly develops a crippling fear of flying.
While testing a new flight system, Sarnac is hounded by an investigative reporter probing for revelations about defense spending.
Raynor and Vanessa are so involved in their friends' marital problems, they don't notice Carl is facing a crisis of his own.
Tension mounts in the Sarnac household as Raynor prepares for a mission that has already claimed the life of one of his best test pilots.
Raynor is forced to face the harsh truth that an old friend is really a spy for the KGB.
Sarnac is sent on a second fact-finding mission to Vietnam. His helicopter is shot down in enemy territory. Along with Clayton Jones, a enlisted Black man, Raynor is captured and tortured for information by the Viet Cong.
Stiff penalties await a pilot who disobeys orders and brings a Russian defector back to America.
The news that a child is on the way puts a wedge in the Sarnacs' marriage as they both try to cope with feelings of doubt and guilt.
The Sarnac family faces an uncertain future when Vanessa decides she needs a break from her husband and children.
Raynor finds himself on an emotional rollercoaster when he discovers the truth about Carl's illness...and about his daughter's new boyfriend.
Sarnac is sent to Vietnam a third time with the knowledge that a coup is planned that will end the rule of Pres. Diem and his family. He hopes to adopt the orphan son of Quan and spends a night on the town in Saigon with Clayton Jones. His adoption plans are thwarted when the boy is kidnapped by the Viet Cong.
Raynor and his family face difficult personal challenges in the days leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Jackie is left to consider her future upon learning that she is unable to enter the Air Force Academy.
In Feb. 1973, the North Vietnamese release all their American POWs, including Sarnac, who has been captive for three years. He is accused by the Air Force of having murdered two CIA agents while in captivity. He also finds America and his family have changed much in his absence: Jackie is now in college student and is a single mother; Wesley has gone to Canada to avoid the draft; and Jackie’s ex-boyfriend Patrick is now an Air Force officer, but lost a leg in Vietnam.
