About this season
Call to Glory is an American drama series created by Ronald M. Cohen, and starring Craig T. Nelson as USAF Colonel Raynor Sarnac and his family as they navigated the political tensions and military duties of the early 1960s. Heavily promoted during ABC's broadcast of the 1984 Summer Olympics, the two-part pilot aired August 13, 1984. The first episode is related to the U-2 flights over Cuba during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. During production, the plot came to focus more on the loneliness experienced by wife Vanessa while stationed on base and what she and the family would do to spend time in productive pursuits while enduring the Antelope Valley's isolation from civilization. The series, set near Edwards Air Force Base, blended historical events with the challenges of military family life, featuring themes of duty, family relationships, and the looming Vietnam War.
Episodes (22)
1. Pilot
Aired 13 August 1984 • 97 min
During the darkest days of the Cuban missile crisis, Raynor is ordered to fly over Cuba to obtain proof that the Russians are installing nuclear warheads.
2. The Move
Aired 20 August 1984 • 57 min
The entire Sarnac family is thrown into turmoil when Raynor receives a lucrative job offer in the private sector.
3. Blackbird
Aired 27 August 1984 • 55 min
Raynor faces one of his toughest missions as he tries to prevent a bitter ex-pilot from exposing the details of a top secret mission.
4. Paper Tiger
Aired 3 September 1984 • 57 min
A dangerous top-secret mission takes Raynor over Red China to see if the Chinese have developed an Atomic Bomb.
5. A Nation Divided
Aired 17 September 1984 • 57 min
The violence spawned by the Civil Rights Movement hits home when Wesley and a Black friend are beaten by teenage racists.
6. Go/No Go
Aired 24 September 1984 • 57 min
Sarnac is sent on a classified mission to Vietnam by Kennedy, to meet with and assess President Diem; to help determine in which direction diplomatic relations should go. Strained relations between Vietnamese Catholics and Buddhists complicate the issue.
7. Call It Courage
Aired 1 October 1984 • 57 min
Raynor's involvement in a bitter political controversy could cost him a valued friendship...and ruin his military career.
8. A Wind from the East
Aired 8 October 1984 • 57 min
Forced to bail out of a crippled plane, Raynor and a JAF officer struggle to survive in a dangerous wilderness.
9. A Moment in the Sun
Aired 22 October 1984 • 57 min
Raynor is torn between duty and friendship when an Air Force buddy suddenly develops a crippling fear of flying.
10. Cover Story
Aired 29 October 1984 • 57 min
While testing a new flight system, Sarnac is hounded by an investigative reporter probing for revelations about defense spending.
11. Realities
Aired 12 November 1984 • 57 min
Raynor and Vanessa are so involved in their friends' marital problems, they don't notice Carl is facing a crisis of his own.
12. The Wake
Aired 19 November 1984 • 57 min
Tension mounts in the Sarnac household as Raynor prepares for a mission that has already claimed the life of one of his best test pilots.
13. Medals All of Brass
Aired 26 November 1984 • 57 min
Raynor is forced to face the harsh truth that an old friend is really a spy for the KGB.
14. A Wind of Change
Aired 3 December 1984 • 57 min
Sarnac is sent on a second fact-finding mission to Vietnam. His helicopter is shot down in enemy territory. Along with Clayton Jones, a enlisted Black man, Raynor is captured and tortured for information by the Viet Cong.
15. Give Unto Caesar
Aired 17 December 1984 • 57 min
Stiff penalties await a pilot who disobeys orders and brings a Russian defector back to America.
16. Moonchild
Aired 15 January 1985 • 48 min
The news that a child is on the way puts a wedge in the Sarnacs' marriage as they both try to cope with feelings of doubt and guilt.
17. Images
Aired 22 January 1985 • 57 min
The Sarnac family faces an uncertain future when Vanessa decides she needs a break from her husband and children.
18. Fathers and Sons
Aired 29 January 1985 • 57 min
Raynor finds himself on an emotional rollercoaster when he discovers the truth about Carl's illness...and about his daughter's new boyfriend.
19. Just in Time
Aired 12 February 1985 • 57 min
Sarnac is sent to Vietnam a third time with the knowledge that a coup is planned that will end the rule of Pres. Diem and his family. He hopes to adopt the orphan son of Quan and spends a night on the town in Saigon with Clayton Jones. His adoption plans are thwarted when the boy is kidnapped by the Viet Cong.
20. JFK
Aired 30 June 1985 • 95 min
Raynor and his family face difficult personal challenges in the days leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
21. Fathers and Daughters
Aired 26 February 1987 • 57 min
Jackie is left to consider her future upon learning that she is unable to enter the Air Force Academy.
22. The End, the Beginning
Aired 27 February 1987 • 44 min
In Feb. 1973, the North Vietnamese release all their American POWs, including Sarnac, who has been captive for three years. He is accused by the Air Force of having murdered two CIA agents while in captivity. He also finds America and his family have changed much in his absence: Jackie is now in college student and is a single mother; Wesley has gone to Canada to avoid the draft; and Jackie’s ex-boyfriend Patrick is now an Air Force officer, but lost a leg in Vietnam.