Tell PBS: Let America see "ABOVE AND BEYOND: The Story of Cpl. William T. Perkins, Jr." on the PBS platform. It's the story of the only combat photographer in U.S. history to receive the Medal of Honor.  

On October 12, 1967, during Operation Medina in the Hai Lang National Forest in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, Marine Cpl. William T. Perkins Jr. made the ultimate sacrifice.

An enemy hand grenade landed near Perkins and three fellow Marines. In an act of extraordinary courage, Perkins threw himself onto the grenade, absorbing the blast with his own body and saving the lives of the Marines beside him. He was only 20 years old.

For his heroism, Cpl. Perkins was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest award for valor. He remains the only combat photographer in American history to receive that honor.

The documentary ABOVE AND BEYOND: The Story of Cpl. William T. Perkins Jr. USMC tells his remarkable story. Directed by Craig Ingraham, Perkins’ close friend from high school, the film is not a vanity project. It is a tribute, a historical record and a deeply human story about friendship, sacrifice, memory and the cost of war.

Thirty years after Bill’s death, Craig set out to understand what really happened that day in Vietnam. Along the way, he uncovered Bill’s combat footage, photographs, letters, official records and firsthand accounts from the Marines whose lives Bill saved. The film includes interviews with those who knew Bill, those who served with him and those who survived because of him. This is not a story that belongs on a shelf. 

PBS currently has the ability to help bring this film to a national audience, but the film is not being made available through PBS platforms in a way that allows viewers and local PBS affiliates across the country to discover and share it. We are asking PBS to reconsider.

This film is not about profit. It is not about self-promotion. Craig Ingraham passed away in 2020, but his mission to preserve Bill Perkins’ story continues. This is about honoring a young Marine, a photographer, a friend and an American hero whose name should continue to be honored. At a time when so many stories are forgotten, PBS has the opportunity to help preserve one that should never be lost.

Please sign this petition and ask PBS to make ABOVE AND BEYOND: The Story of Cpl. William T. Perkins Jr. USMC available to viewers, educators, veterans, military families, local PBS stations and communities across the country.

Let America know Bill Perkins’ name.

Let this film be seen.

Let his story live.

See the trailer: WATCH 

We respectfully ask PBS to:vvvvvvv

• Make ABOVE AND BEYOND: The Story of Cpl. William T. Perkins Jr. USMC available on PBS platforms.
• Allow local PBS affiliates across the country to air or stream the film.
• Recognize the film as a public service documentary honoring an American hero, not as a vanity project.
• Help preserve and share the legacy of Cpl. William T. Perkins Jr. with new generations.

Please sign this petition to help bring this necessary documentary into every American household.