Bowden and Brokaw

Bobby Bowden and Tom Brokaw Discuss “The Greatest Generation” in the Forest of Bastogne

Nearly eighty years ago, men were sitting in foxholes, freezing in the forest of Bastogne. Hitler was on the move and the Battle of the Bulge would be his last great offensive. Enter Bobby Bowden on the set of his film project. That day the forest was beautiful. There was a magnificent natural blue light creeping through the trees. The weather was similar to the same day, in December, 1944. The Bobby Bowden team was filming in the foxholes when, about a hundred yards away, a solitary and familiar man appeared walking through the forest - NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, the man who influenced millions, and popularized the term "The Greatest Generation." Just before one of his handlers was going to whisk him away, Tom Brokaw received the question: "Five minutes on camera with Coach Bowden, Sir? It is just an historic moment for the two of you to meet here on the anniversary of Bulge."  He agreed. One take. 4 minutes. Here is a segment of the clip.