a great holiday and goodnight. . welcome to a special hour ap"an american journey. >> we're that southern tip of manhattan, once an out post to protect new york city from attack. and just a stone throw from ellis island. this hour, we're taking you on a journey that highlights america's proud past through a lens of modern stories we reported on this year. our journey begins at george washington 's creation,

westpoint, the oldest continuously operated military post in the united states and it's there you can now experience the major battles that shaped our naelgdss. and they allow you to tee up that unhurls one hole as a time, beginning with the american revolution and ends with afghanistan. i had an opportunity to play the course with the men and women. who keep us free. 250 years back in the history of this nation. >> george washington found this to be the key of the continent and thought if he could control westpoint against the largest navy in the world, that we could secure the united states and it was an eight year war in the revolution. ♪

>> westpoint, george washington's brain child, the world's oldest academy. and it has trained. >> some of the best of those that have led in the war time. mcarthur, eisenhower, petraeus and now it's a place where america's warz and those who fought in them are memorialized in one of america's favorite games. >> good, perfect. ♪ >> nice. >> you got that, right? >> carve undd into the granite s is its golf course, historic in its own right, it's the product of the legendary course

designer, and using an unusual labor source, german prisoners of war transported from the battle fields of europe to this american army post. i recently played around at westpoint. he was a lowly pleeb, a freshman entering westpoint and now he's served all over the world including deployments to bosnia and afghanistan and iraq. and one of his concerns is how american civilians and military personnel relate to each other. >> we have a growing military and civilian divide with less than 1% of the population has served in the military. so, as we're crusting off the last 14 years of warfare, although there's a lot of concern and danger and forces deployed around the world, we do want to insure that the civilian

society and military society, that they come together and this is a great place to do that at united states military academy at westpoint. >> fellow soccer team member is dan rice. >> i would bet that he would be a general but not that i would be in this position now. >> he entered the business world and then reenlist during the iraq war as infultry. and back in the states and back in business, he and other graduates saw an opportunity in the gates. this was managed about as well as the federal budget. >> it was struggling after 9/11 and a group of graduates took over the management of the hotel and have really revived it. we have corporate strategy meetings here, over 100 weddings. it's part of america's history

and owned by the american public. >> which brings us back to the golf course, it too was in need of spit shining, so the sayer donated markers commemorating the major wars, and number one is the american revolution, a war won by the man who gave birth to this place. as golfers battle the course, they're reminded of the military battles that shaped our nation, through the war of 1812 and the civil war, the nation's bloodiest in which westpoint educated generals led the war on both sides. >> for a lot of cudets, it took their individual states to suseed before they decided to go with the south. >> i think that significance of the brother on brother, the bonding you get and how close you know each other here, it's incredible to see that although you have the north and south and

the confederacy and the union and they understand their had been habits and strengths and weaknesses. >> golfers arrive at the 13th hole commemorating vietnam, still america's most controversial war. it cost the lives of 58,200 americans. after the paris peace acords ended the war in april, 1973, they would see more than a decade of quiet until communist cuban troops over tlhrew a tiny european nation and president ordered the invasion of grenada. >> we were told it was a paradise and it wasn't it was being redied as a major military bastion to export terror and undermine democracy.

we got there just in time. >> for general malcolm frost and dan rice, the 16th hole has particular meaning. >> it's in honor of operation desert storm, class of 56 from westpoint, liberated at the direction of president george herbert walker bush. >> turning a blind eye to sudom's aggression would not have avoided war, it would only have delayed the day of reckoning. >> and our class mate and he was shot down in the last day of the war. >> so, it brings it home to you guys, i mean the sacrifice of so many of the men and women who've gone to this institution. >> quite frankly that's what kept me motivated to continue to serve through bosnia and the last couple of wars which we have seen those on 17 and 18, the great monuments for

operation iraqi freedom and operation enduring freedom. >> and they're both parfives. long in golf speak and they also commemorate our nation's two longest wars, iraq and afgh afghanist afghanistan. >> 95 westpoint graduates have been killed in action, 93 men and two women and over 5,000 soldiers. so, those two markers are really two of the first monuments, so to speak, to those wars. it resonates with us, whether it's the soldiers that serve with us, whether it's the class mates or those that we knew and served with on the soccer team, but the sacrifice, 4,477 who have died in iraq and 2,351 in afghanist afghanistan. >> and ad time to a round of golf and here that's expected and perfectly acceptable.

so, no course marshal is going to be hustling people along if they're pausing to read the markers is. >> those markers are there for a reason. you get a great outing with buddies or maybe with your company or just with friends or family and you get a tour of history and you do it at a national landmark at the united states military academy at westpoint. >> this course, rich in history and historical markers and on westpoint property is open to the public. >> the fact that westpoint has been a place that has chosen to honor the current wars that we have just most recently served in as well is pretty significant and the history from hole 1 to 18, the golf course itself on historic westpoint, united states military academy, it's open to the public and we hope to see a lot of the public here. >> those men and women who gave their lives for our freedom did

so to protect all of us and to honor the stars and stripes. >> each patriotic holiday a very special flag is flown over the george washington bridge. it's the largest free flying american flag in the world. so, how do they it? very special access, next. >> i'm glad you didn't wear your high heels to this. i really didn't need that type of equipment.

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the george washington bridge spans the hudson river. >> today, it's the busiest bridge in the entire world and it also houses the largest free flying american flag. we were able to witness how a supersize old glory is proudly flown. this is a world's busiest bridge and it's more than 600 feet to the top. and we're going all the way up there. ♪ do you ever get a little bit afraid up here? >> you have to have a little bit of fear. >> pretty high, i'm not going to lie to you.

this year's signs of this bridge means for a flag to appear majestic, it has to be massive. you're about 6'2", right, so about two stars? >> and you're a star 1/2. i don't mean anything bad by that. >> i'll take half a star, why not. half a star. >> almost three foot across point to point. the flag is 60 by 90 to give you perspective, it will cover a full size basketball court, 60 by 90 and it weighs just under 500 pounds. >> wow. >> it's something we take a lot of pride in. this is the tube that the flag is stored in, this fiberglass tube runs from the bottom of the arch all the way up top. >> so, the flag is living in the tube all year long. >> yeah, the flag is always up

in the tower and we lower it and deploy it. >> the tube helps shield the flag from the elements and from thousands of drivers who pass under it and don't even a know it's there likely. >> that goes straight down to the roadway, so we're very conscious of that. >> you have to see this. and although most of the flag flying operations are high tech, i found out repairs can rely on good old-fashioned handy work. >> got any patches that have to be sewn if it gets rips, if we have to do any sewing -- >> do you do the sewing yourself? >> i have done sewing. >> i bet you didn't think that would be part of your job description? >> i have three daughters and i do the sewing at home. my mother taught me. >> but to understand the hoilei

and the mavl marvel of this flag, i had to get a different perspective. these are my claws, by the way. nice. ♪ >> looking nervous. >> okay, it's a little nerve racking. do you see what i'm going to do? okay. see you guys later. >> you all right, jenna? >> i'm okay. i don't really know how far i need to go to experience it. my legs are shaking a little bit. ♪ oh, my god. right now i'm standing right above where they fly the world's

largest free flying american flag. ♪ >> how was it it? >> awesome. now that we've seen the flag from all angles, it's time to get to work and actually unfurl old glory. >> i'll be lowering the actual boom and flag. >> got it. ♪ >> and after the work of three strategically placed teams and men, it's all worth it. >> good team work, yes. >> after having to do this task in the early morning hours on holidays when most of america

has the day off and collect it late in the day year after year, i had to ask this question. did the guys like putting down the flag? is it a hassle? >> no, it's not a hassle. it's a great thing. you get a chill every time when you see it fly. something that enormous, we take a lot of pride in it. as you've seen flying this flag is no small feet and those who do it, feel especially honored. >> up next, we'll talk to some of those responsible for putting this very special symbol of america on very public display. >> people walk by, they see the flag up and they look at us and say, wow, this is terrific. this is america. this is a good thing. and a positive attitude from the people walking on the bridge. it gives you a sense of accomplishment like you're doing something good. >> you swell with pride when

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holidays. >> but what's hidden from public site is the heart and soul of the men who make it happen. here's their story. >> the fleet passes hawaiian shores bound for the united states. >> the tradition of hanging a giant american flag on the george washington bridge dates back to veteran's day 1947, as a sign of victory, an honor for those who served in world war ii. today, it's the largest free flying american flag in the world and replains a sign of american pride on major holidays. >> labor day, veteran's day. we should do it more than they let us but that's not up to us. >> reporter: for this team of men it's more than just another day at the office. >> i believe it's one of the few countries that's proud of their own flag, for me, from another country to be adopted to this

country, it's very emotional. >> reporter: the height, the danger, all just a way of life. when you're climbing the cables, you have food on you and everything, how did you get to do that? >> we prepare for everything. we got water, food, coffee. >> reporter: do you ever get afraid? >> no. >> reporter: are you afraid of heights? >> no, i could ride a bike up there. i'm enjoying my job. >> reporter: the heart of this team reflects the unitee of the flag itself. >> i depend on them and they depend on me. so it's a great family atmosphere. >> reporter: and the response makes it all the more worth while. >> when they walk by, they see the flag up and look at us and say wow, this is terrific. this is america. this is a good thing, you know. it's a very positive result, positive attitude from people on

the bridge. they're happy to see it. truckers are beeping the horn. especially in tough times with afghanistan and the isis and everything going overseas. we're proud of america. proud to fly the flag and the people appreciate it. >> reporter: only once in the 67 year history of the hanging of the flag did it fly for more than just one day. >> we flew it for 30 days after 9/11 to let everybody know all the volunteers and workers going down to ground zero, we took one of our old flags, repaired it, took it to ground zero and hung it on a school to let everybody know we're here and this country's strong. >> reporter: and from high above the bridge connecting new york and new jersey, over hudson river, the resolve of these men remains. >> when 9/11 happened, we wanted to put the flag out right away

and there was concern that there might be other targets and us being one of them and we wanted to get it out there. we wanted to let everybody know that we may have gotten a kick but we're not down. >> reporter: from world war ii, to 9/11, to today, on national holidays, a special flag is lowered to be raised. a simple act that provokes deep reflection on what our country was, is, and will be. >> you swell with pride when that flag comes out. it's just incredible. and it's such a great honor to be able to do that for the people, for the port authority. for the veterans. it's just a great honor. >> that symbol of our nation's pride and freedom has flown over battle fields all across the world. >> in world war ii, the powerful

call of patriotism led some of the biggest sports hero to put on fatigues and fight for the flag. >> almost everybody of consequence did serve, either they were stars before the war or after the war. before ♪ i built my business with passion. but i keep it growing by making every dollar count.

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live from america's news headquarters, i'm molly line. and there will be a massive recovery operation this christmas. the tornados left a trail of death and destruction. 14 people are now confirmed dead. many more have been hurt. mississippi saw the worst of it. those left homeless will be spending christmas in emergency shelters and forecasters say the danger of more bad weather will persist over the weekend. it will be a merry christmas afterall for the lunch lady in idaho who got fired for giving a 12-year-old girl a free meal. it sparked a national out cry, so loud in fact that the district decided to give her job back. by the way the cost of the meal was $1.70. now back to "american journey."

and leaving the diamond and dawning new uniforms, leaving the baseball field for the battle field. >> from demageo to bearau. and they gave up major league careers and sometimes their lives to fight in world war ii. ♪ >> reporter: imagine the biggest stars of america's past time leaving the field and putting on very different uniforms. heroes headed to a battle field in the armed forces of the united states. it happened in the early 1940s. >> joe demageo at bat. the yankee clipper swings for a home run. >> it wasn't a game that every boy played and every town had its own team and the minor leagues were thriving. >> reporter: he's major league baseball's official historian. the game was going strong but

war was brewing across two oceans, about to change everything in america, even our leisure. but there were 500 major league players who served. >> yes, almost everybody of consequence did serve. either they were stars before the war or after the war. >> reporter: and yet you read some of the names of those who served, ted williams, joe demageo, pee we reece, yogi barra. biggest names of their day. >> biggest names of their day in some cases were drafted rather than enlisted. that's not true of greenburg. >> reporter: he left first base for the army, served his time and then went back in. >> he had been drafted in 1940 and when the draft year was

given and pearl harbor was bombed, he enlisted the very next day. >> reporter: baseball legend ted williams is every bit as legendary in the marine corps where he served as a fighter pilot and during training, he set records that still stand in the marine corps till this day. >> people like ted williams, went over, served, came back and seemed to pick up right where they left off. >> most players were able to do this, returning to major league action after years away and pick it up but there were those who didn't. people who lost their skills or appetite for the game because of what they had seen in the war. >> reporter: and it's also true that a lot of these guys weren't necessarily in front line combat rolls but there's a reason for that. >> you couldn't put joe demageo in a situation where he would be

wounded, killed or from a propaganda standpoint, worst of all, captured, so the most of the men who -- most of the major league baseball players who joined the military, spent their time playing ball on airports and navy teams. >> reporter: for the fighting men, it was a rare gift, a chance to watch nine innings of normalcy and brought back memories of the home they were fighting to protect. >> i don't know that they're that different but certainly the times were different, the war was different. the perceived threat to our liberties. there was no point in having a national past time if the nation was going to be challenged in its basic tenants. the idea of baseball being a daily war, which was a metaphor. >> bill pitches for new york. -- >> seems silly when you were

confront with actual war. >> reporter: so players turned warriors and good old american pride. america had given birth to baseball, now baseball returned the favor, a country scarred by war but stitched together in part by a love for the game. >> you might disagree with your neighbor about religion or politics but it seemed everybody agreed that baseball was a blessing in america. >> right behind where we stand is a place so many immigrants pass through on their way to pursuing the american dream. most made it through ellis island but some weren't so lucky. >> their path was less certain but started down a very specific hallway hidden away from the public for decades until now. we'll take you there next. >> who determined you are free to go but you, you have to stay? >> well, there were a couple of things that had to happen to be

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an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at its source and helps stop it from spreading in the body. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu, tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. anti-flu? go antiviral with tamiflu. nearly half of all americans today have a relative that entered through ellis island, a passage that wasn't easy. >> in fact, some didn't make it through and their stories were long forgotten until now.

here's a hidden look at the hidden haul ways of ellis island. >> reporter: scenes like this remind us of our past at one of the most iconic places in all of america, ellis island. nearly half of all americans today who have at least one relative that entered the country through the gateway to the american dream and while we can easily search the great hall, an untold story exists where the less fortunate ended up, a unique path only few have walked since the doors opened in 1954. the hidden halls of ellis island. >> if you failed your health inspection, and it depended on who you were. if you were a child, then a

family member stayed with you. if you were a husband or father and you were detained, then the entire family would be detained with you. >> reporter: this hallway is the very same path walked by immigrants who just learned the news that they would be admitted to the hospital. they had to have the right gear to be let into the country, so we needed the right gear to go check out where we're going. >> you need to wear a hardhat. >> reporter: it makes me feel very legitimate. let's go. so, contagious diseases, what would they be looking for? >> ring worm of the scalp. and dip theria. whooping cough, scarlet fever. >> and we're not going to get any of those diseases, i mean you guys cleaned up?

just checking. the skeleton of the contagious disease ward still stands. poison ivy wraps around old windows framing the haul ways in what was once the largest hospital in the country. >> you're going to be detained first. they were going to decide whether or not you had something that could be treatd and cured and find somebody that could pay for it. >> reporter: of the 12 million who came through ellis island at its peek, one of every five were detained and less than 1% of those detained were admitted to the hospital. for example, approximately 350 babies call ellis island their birth place though they didn't get automatic citizenship.

more often health detention happened for more common ailments. who determined you are free to go but you, you have to stay? >> there were a couple of things that had to happen to be admitted to the hospitals. you had to have something that could be cured and treatment wasn't free. >> reporter: in fact, until an immigrant could determine who would pay for their health care, they would send the bill to whatever steam ship delivered that immigrant. would people stay for days, weeks, months years? >> yes, all of that. and you could be here for years and the person who pays for your treatment runs out of money and you're deported. >> reporter: and you could unfortunately not make it, right? >> about 3200 people do die on

ellis island. this is an amphitheater. for autopsies. >> reporter: you have to see this. so, an amphitheater. so, this looks like something out of a medical school or something. >> exactly. this was a teaching hospital and people were doing their residencies here. so, they were learning from the doctors on ellis island. remember, this was the best hospital in the world at the time. medical students would stand up here and observe what was happening. >> absolutely. >> reporter: i'm presuming the body would be put where that cart is? >> that's probably not the autopsy table. i'm going to say that was probably a table for instruments but the gentleman who cleans up the wards says he found that table in 1972 and he has left it there since. >> reporter: built to hold 750 beds, they treated patients in

nearly identical rooms project would an eye towards a cure. if you were suffering from something a lot of people had, you would be in those rooms together. we call them measles wards. there would have been a bed between each window and the windows would have been open year round for air flow. it. >> reporter: just recently after 60 years, the save the ellis island foundation opened these wards for limited tours but we received some incredible access. and we're going to upstairs that no one else gets to see. that's exciting. what are we going to see up here? >> do you see this chair? sfwlr >> this is my favorite ward and when i see these chairs i want to know who was sitting here

last and why. >> reporter: have you ever sat in that chair? >> i don't sit in any of the chairs. it looks completely different from any of the wards that we go in here and it's the story of world war ii, on ellis island. >> reporter: the hospital remained open providing treatment to returning service men for shell shock during world war ii. this whole place doesn't have that eery feeling that i was expecting. knowing that there is a morgue or that people stayed here for years, i kind of expected to have that haunted house feeling but it doesn't feel that way in here. it's different. >> to me, it's almost like this whole level of care that people were given and dignity and respect and how they were treated here, i feel like i don't necessarily there are ghosts or creepy feelings, it's more energy and emotion.

that said, i'm not sure i would like to be here in the dead of night on halloween for example. >> i don't want to come back on halloween. >> reporter: our finals take us to one final spectacular room where immigrants awaited to learn their fate. some made it to land mand america and some didn't. >> you have to see this. this is so beautiful. you could be in one of the beds being treated and you would look out the window and see the statue of liberty. you're so close to being able to be free and whatever that means for you but you were detained and this is what you were able to look at. ♪ >> our final stop in this journey across america is where it all began. >> james town, virginia, where

our first colonists landed on the new world and thanks to the perseverance of those pioneers, our nation is here today. >> the sacrifices of the early colonists here at james town, you know, if it were to collapse, the world would have been a completely, completely different place. ♪ ok, we're here.

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xfinity's winter watchlist. watch now with xfinity on demand- your home for the best entertainment this holiday season. >> it is really first america, and people don't quite remember that, and i think that we should. >> when we think of the first people who came to america though, we also think of the pilgrims. when did these settlers arrive in relation to when the pilgrims arrived? >> well with, these are 13 years earlier. >> so they were the very first? >> the very first. this is the first permanent english settlement, and plymouth is 1620. >> and without a strong

intuition from archaeologist dr. william kelso, we may not know much about the first settlers, because many thought they were underwater, but dr. kelso had a hunch, and luckily for us, he followed it. >> well, i came to the spot on a tour with a park ranger, and i saw an exposed bank with where you could see the soil layers and one of them was a dark l layerrier. there were artifacts sticking out. and i was not an arkle yol gist at the time, and i said, that is pretty cool. so i asked the ranger where where is the fort? he said, it is washed into the river. and i said what about the ark? he could not answer me. >> without you you toing that, would it be found? >> no, there was a feeling of don't disturb the past. >> but you had a different feeling? >> yes, i thought it was time to catch the brass ring. >> and that decision to deep dig

deeper is to link into the past. and now dr. kelso is part of the jamestown proskwekt y. he is in a project to find out what happened here with those men who landed here four centuries ago. his goal is to bring it back to the early 1600s. >> bring us back to the early people who arrived here in 1607, and who were they and why did they come? >> well, there were 104 who made it to jamestown to live here. they thought it was the land of gold and silver, and they really believed it. >> but they would soon learn that the very existence in the new world faced many threats. instead of the land of gold and silver, it was the land of cold and starvation and death. >> and many of them were dying of hunger, because it took them five months to get here instead of five weeks as they had

planned so they had used up all of their provisions. >> and in addition to food, the colonists were drinking water from the jamestown river. which in the early daes it was fine, but then the salt strengthened, and so many of them died due to hydration. and so what was the main cause they didn't survive? >> it is the food. >> and because they weren't good hunters and they didn't know what to do? >> some of them were but they were kept in the fort, and they could not venture beyond the island to find fresh water and food. >> and the fishing? >> well, the nets rotted an the boats -- >> they were really out of luck, everything they tried. >> yes, everything. it is like the worst, you know, storm of bad luck. >> very first winter for these settlers, and what was that l e

like? >> the first winter was very brutal, but a a far more difficult winter was coming up in two years the 1609-1610 winter was the worst. >> and that became known as the starving time. what did that mean for the early settlers. >> te relations were sour pretty fast in 1609 as the colllonnists were more demanding to get more food. >> desperate times called for desperate measures. the food for settlers had no use. >> and so we are in the center where we found an early kitchen. >> can we go down there? >> yes, follow me and we will go. ♪ >> so this is a bread oven?

>> yes, in is the facade for the oven, and the hol e low of the cavity that would go back further. and imagine a igloo-shaped kitchen. >> and so by 1609-1610, it is not a kitchen anymore. >> over 200 colllonnists die here in that winter alone, and only about 60 survive. >> settlers made incredible sacrifices to stay alive forced to eat their dogs and horses and worse. >> so it is your belief that now we foe that it was such a desperate time that they had to resort to cannibalism to survive. >> right, it is not a ritual, but it is survival cannibalism, because we know without a shadow of a doubt that cannibalism took place at this time in jamestown that winter. >> how do you know? because we found at the soil at about this level, we found a

mandible, a jawbone, and fragmented jaw or cranium, and the tibia which is the shin bone, and these belonged to a young english woman about 14 years of age when she died. and we saw the same markings on her bone that we saw on the dog and the horse that were evidence of processing basically, and so she was without a doubt, eaten. >> so the struggles of jamestown was very real, there were glimmers of hope in this newly formed society. obviously, the first several years in the settlement were tremendously difficult and there was a lot of death, but what about the new life? what about children? there were women and men here. they started families, didn't they? >> will there were children here pretty early on, and some of this them made it to adulthood, and you know, it is the colony that survived. >> the men who fought, and the stories are of the families that formed are now owners by piecing

together the soil, and the fabric of our existence today discovered by overturning one stone the at a time. to make that discovery and to really have an idea of what these folks went through, what kind of thoughts happy to you? >> well, we get a connection with these guys, and we see everything they ate and their ceramics and the glass and everything they left behind and what is coming together is a more complete picture of what life was really like here at the fort. >> do you is a feeling that without them america would not be what it is today in. >> yes, without the sacrifices of the early colonists here at jamestown, jamestown were to have a collapse, the world would have been a completely, completely different play, and you and i would not be standing here today. >> the earliest steps of our ancestors are a far cry from where the nation is today, but still many americans work very

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our forefathers. i'm jon scott. >> i'm jenna lee, and thank you. make it a merry christmas. hello and merry christmas. i'm kimberly guilfoyle, along with juan williams, eric bolling, dana perino and greg gutfeld. it's 5:00 in new york city and this is "the five." ♪ ♪ thank you for joining us tonight. and welcome to our christmas special, we've got an exciting and fun show for you ahead. and we are really looking forward to it. especially because our secret santa has arrived and dropped off all the presents. it's finally time for us to open them. all right, greg. even though you are the king of christmas scrooge. would you like to open your secret santa gift? >> i'll open the big one first. i have two gifts here. >> big ones matter. it feels like