The date has been set for the television premier of an hour-long documentary that tells the story of the quest to have the heroic actions of World War II’s most decorated soldier, Lt. Garlin Murl Conner, correctly honored.

According to Al Cross, who has worked as the Executive Producer of the film, “From Honor to Medal: The Story of Garlin M. Conner” will first be aired on Kentucky Educational Television (KET) on May 25.

The first showing of the documentary will be on Monday, May 25, at 7:00 p.m. central time.

An encore presentation of the piece will be aired on KET2 on Monday, May 25, at 9:30 p.m.

“In 1945, Kentucky soldier Garlin M. Conner offered the ultimate sacrifice. Finding himself behind enemy lines in the French province of Alsace, he called in artillery on his forward position, hoping to save his battalion. Conner somehow survived that day.”

That’s how the opening paragraph describes the upcoming documentary in the network’s monthly listings magazine, KET Visions.

In his post-WWII life, Conner, a Clinton County native, was well known across the county as a farmer, family man and a Volunteer Service Officer with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), who helped fellow veterans receive the benefits and medal upgrades they deserved.

He had returned home from World War II with a vast collection of medals and honors, as well as a vast number of combat wounds.

Among the medals he had earned were a Silver Star with three oak clusters, a Bronze Star, the French Croix de Guerre, Purple Hearts for his seven wounds and the Distinguished Service Cross.

In an article he wrote for the Clinton County News in March of 2020, describing the then in production documentary, Cross, a Media Professor and director of the UK School of Journalism noted “From Honor to Medal: The Story of Garlin M. Conner is an hour-long documentary to be released by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues within the College of Communication and Information at the University of Kentucky. It will tell the story of Conner’s life and the campaign to honor him.”

He also explained in that article that the documentary is sponsored by private donors and the Veterans Trust Fund of the Kentucky Department for Veterans Affairs, which assisted the Conner team’s legal efforts at the direction of then-Commissioner Heather French Henry, whose cause was veterans when she was Miss America.

After a fight that lasted for over 20 years, often ending up in the courts, Conner finally and correctly had his awards listing upgraded to the nation’s highest military designation, having earned the Medal of Honor.

President Donald Trump presented the Medal of Honor to Conner’s widow, Pauline Conner, in a ceremony held at the White House on June 26, 2018.

Pauline Conner still lives on the family farm in the Concord Community, just down the road from the couple’s son, Paul Conner.

A trailer and a “teaser” for the documentary is online at www.honortomedal.us, along with information about Conner and some of the major players in the effort to get him the nation’s highest military honor.

The film is written and directed by Jeff Hoagland of Lexington, who has helped produce, write and edit documentaries that appeared on KET, the American Heroes Channel (formerly the Military Channel) and the National Geographic Channel. The associate producer is Janet Whitaker, formerly of KET and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues.