TV Previews: Hank Stuever on 'Return to Duty' and 'Secrets of the Dead'

Long ago and farther away, in November 1944, another set of young American Army men in their early 20s crashed their B-24 Liberator in the jungles of the Pacific island of Borneo, finding themselves in an un-real world if there ever was one. There, the survivors were cared for and hidden from the Japanese by the Dayak tribe (which used to be known as "the wild men of Borneo"), who had a favorite hobby: headhunting.

This came in handy for the Allies, as fascinatingly recounted on Wednesday night's episode of public TV's "Secrets of the Dead."

In this chapter, "The Airmen and the Headhunters" (based on historian Judith Heimann's 2007 book of the same name), WWII vet Dan Illerich helps recall the many months he and his surviving mates lived in the jungle, until the fortuitous arrival of British special-ops Maj. Tom Harrison, a man-with-a-plan who enlisted the jungle dwellers' help -- with perhaps too much gusto.

Much of the documentary focuses on Harrison's tacit approval of the Dayak glee for decapitating captured Japanese soldiers and brandishing their heads on spears, among other brutalities. Harrison, a prolific diarist, urged the headhunters to "combine business with pleasure."

It's a lurid tangent that gets way too much emphasis in the first few minutes of this absorbing and brisk piece of war history. Soon enough, "The Airmen and the Headhunters" calms down and becomes the sturdy, PBS-worthy Veterans Day special it was meant to be.

Secrets of the Dead:

The Airmen and the Headhunters

(one hour) airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on WETA and MPT.

Return to Duty

(one hour) airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. on MTV.