The 'Mission Accomplished' banner aged like milk in the desert sun.
Season 1 • Episode 5
LatestIn May 2003, as President George Bush stood in front of a banner reading "Mission Accomplished," the lack of infrastructure in Iraq resulted in chaos.
Examines the key military and political decisions that have determined the course of the Iraq war, from President Bush's "Axis of Evil" declaration through negotiation, invasion, "Mission Accomplished" and beyond. Experts analyze the design of the war plan and the new technology used in combat such as the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, and Stryker combat vehicles. Frontline footage illuminates key events of the war, including the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch and the successful captures of the critical Karbala Gap and Baghdad Airport.
Production
Unfiltered Frontline combat footage, unsparing and immediate.
Editing
Jarring cuts between press briefings and ground chaos.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This aired when Fahrenheit 9/11 dominated theaters—Frontline's drier approach was deliberate counter-programming for 'serious' viewers.
The F-117 and B-2 worship aged poorly; by 2004, IEDs and insurgent tactics had already made this tech-obsessed framing feel like military-industrial complex fanfiction.
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