GRANITE FALLS, Minnesota, May 19, 2025—Pioneer PBS is set to air two new specials in honor of Memorial Day weekend. The first special, “Steel, Salt, Crash and Salvage,” will premiere on Sunday, May 25, at 8 p.m. The second special, “Held in Minnesota: Untold WWII POW Stories,” will premiere the following day, Monday, May 26, Memorial Day, at 8 p.m. Check local listings and our showtimes landing page for air dates and times on other PBS stations in Minnesota and surrounding states.
“Steel, Salt, Crash and Salvage” features U.S. Navy veteran Cara Hernandez, who served aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Iraq War. Hernandez shares her path to the Navy, her thoughts on being at the center of history unfolding, and her experiences overcoming personal challenges.
“Held in Minnesota: Untold WWII POW Stories” explores the forgotten history of 21 POW labor camps in Minnesota during WWII by way of a major POW camp in Algona, Iowa. Initially, communities were uneasy about the dangerous enemies living among them and feared the prisoners would escape, but curiously, many prisoners and Minnesotans formed close bonds. Only one significant escape occurred when two German POWs attempted to return to the motherland, but were captured. The film highlights the stories of these communities during an extraordinary time in Minnesota's history and the world's history.
Pioneer PBS will also feature a selection of other veteran productions over Memorial Day weekend. On Sunday, May 25, viewers can watch "Warrior's Path: Drew Brockman," "Vietnam Brotherhood," and "Remembering WWII: Heroes and History" starting at 2:30 p.m. On Monday, May 26, viewers can watch "Night Wings: OSS Carpetbagger Ops" and "Frozen In Time: The Vietnam War" beginning at 2 p.m.
For those in the Pioneer PBS viewing area, all of these programs can be live-streamed at pioneer.org/live. Additionally, all of these specials are available for viewing on the PBS app and online at pioneer.org/specials/, video.pioneer.org/show/pioneer-ptv-specials/, as well as on Pioneer PBS’s YouTube channel, where they are organized in a curatedveteran playlist.
About Pioneer PBS Specials
These programs are made possible by contributions from the voters of Minnesota through a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and members of Pioneer PBS.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing stories from rural Minnesota with the world. Pioneer PBS is headquartered in Granite Falls, Minnesota, with towers in Appleton, Worthington, and Fergus Falls. Pioneer PBS reaches more than a million people in rural areas and small towns in western Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas, and northern Iowa. Pioneer PBS is honored to be your television station—the only station in western Minnesota telling your stories and raising your voices into the media landscape. Our members help make programs like this possible with their generous support. For more information about Pioneer PBS or how you can help us make these stories a reality, visit pioneer.org/support or call 800-726-3178.
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