refused. >> he didn't want to leave us. the fact, at one point i asked him why are you here? and he said because you're here. >> reporter: todd robinson was just a kid when this happened. he learned about it 30 years later from the survivors of the ambush. >> it was just phenomenal to sit with battle-hardened men who would weep openly in beverly hills restaurants or on military bases or wherever we might find them because this was such a powerful experience for them. >> reporter: you made a promise to these guys? >> yeah. >> reporter: what was the promise? >> the promise was that i'd get this story told on behalf of them. it was as simple as that. it wasn't hard to make that commitment to them, although it didn't occur to me it was going to take 20 years. >> pararescue jumper. >> reporter: working on an indy budget, he assembled a-list actors to play the veterans. peter fonda in what turned out to be his last movie, ed harris, william hurd, and samuel l. jackson, among others. how did you afford all those big players? >> well, nobody worked for their price. >> reporter: they were all old enough to know what vietnam had done to this country and to the soldiers who fought there. >> to a man, they wanted to pay tribute to those sacrifices that people that they knew made on behalf of the rest of us. >> get down, airman! >> reporter: no one was more moved at the screening of the first movie than peter fonda. >> he couldn't speak. he literally couldn't talk to me. he was just -- the tears were running down his face. >> reporter: pitsenbarger was killed fighting off the vietcong. the survivors recommended him for the medal of honor, but it was downgraded to the air force cross. the story of william pitsenbarger would not die. what kept it alive? >> the veterans kept it alive. with the admin of the internet, the miracle happened. and the miracle was the wives of a lot of these veterans started to connect through email, and they started to realize from one another that pits never got the medal. some of the paperwork had been lost. >> reporter: some people thought it had been hidden by the army. why would it have been hidden by the army? >> i think there was a belief this operation where pitsenbarger was killed was an embarrassment to the army because they sent this company to go out and find the enemy, and what they found was an ambush. and about 80% of that unit was killed or wounded in action. >> reporter: peters knew injustice when he saw it, and set out to fix it. >> there was a realtime pressure because pitsenbarger's father was dying of cancer at the time. so the hope was if we were going to do this, we would get it done while his father was still alive. >> scott, have i cancer. >> reporter: in the movie, pitsenbarger's father is played by christopher plummer. >> dying isn't harder than losing a child, i promise you. >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. >> reporter: there wasn't enough time left to schedule the traditional white house medal of honor ceremony. >> so i was lucky enough to have the honor fall to me. >> reporter: in december of 2000, the ceremony was held at the air force museum in dayton, ohio with survivors and their families flown in from all over the world. >> after the battle, we never saw each other again until then. >> reporter: the place was full to overflowing with people whose lives pitsenbarger had touched. >> there are about 300 people there that would not be alive as of 2000 had their parents not been saved by pitsenbarger. >> reporter: by then, pitsenbarger's father was in a wheelchair and had to be helped on to the stage. >> distinguished visitor, ladies and gentlemen -- >> the loss of his son probably was the worst thing that ever happened to him. so while he was proud that his son had performed courageously in battle, it was still the worst thing that's ever happened to him. >> now we have with us today some of the veterans of operation abilene. >> reporter: when robinson reenacted the ceremony for "the last full measure," he naturally brought in all the stars for the crowd scene. but he also brought in all the survivors of the battle. here is fred navarro, front row, aisle seat. >> i award the medal of honor -- >> reporter: the speech the actor gave was the same speech secretary peters gave. >> bill possessed the ultimate courage. anyone who has been touched -- >> reporter: the reenactment didn't need my more emotion than the original. >> would you also stand. >> i wish he was alive. he got the medal of honor, and that i could meet him. >> reporter: if you could meet him today, what would you say to him? >> thank you, pits. thank you for saving my life. still fresh... ♪ unstopables in-wash scent booster ♪ downy unstopables hey hey! you guys man, i'm thinklook like foodies. would you like to try our trashy back ribs? oh, that sounds great... everything is locally harvested, farm to dumpster to table. uhhh, what do you... what else do you got? (stammering) w-we have a melon rind stew. comes with a pork and bean reduction. yeah, we're going to just do a lap and we'll come back. okay. well, we'll be here. man! why isn't this working? my mouth is watering. i think that's just your rabies flaring up. with geico, the savings keep on going. just like this sequel. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. we got gristle pot pies! until i found out what itst it actually was.ed me. dust mite matter! eeeeeww! dead skin cells! gross! so now, i grab my swiffer sweeper and heavy-duty dusters. duster extends to three feet to get all that gross stuff gotcha! and for that nasty dust on my floors, my sweeper's on it. the textured cloths grab and hold dirt and hair no matter where dust bunnies hide. no more heebie jeebies. phew. glad i stopped cleaning and started swiffering. imagine a mouthwash that strengthens your enamel, imagine, feeling fearless when you walk into the dentist. while preventing cavities up to 70%. act anticavity rinse. for a confidant feeling in your oral health, stop imagining, start acting. taking cell phone service to the next level is going to take a lot of actual climbing. as companies race to install new gear high atop cell phone towers, there is a big demand for climbers with both technical skills and strong stomachs. kenneth craig went to a special training school for a look at how those workers are being trained for the job. >> reporter: sebastian campbell is gearing up for another day on the job. far from the confines of an office, his work requires the a daunting climb up the side of a cell phone tower that rises more than 17 stories above north texas. >> it's exhilarating. it's why i joined this industry. i want to do something that most people just really can't do. it's a thrill, and thrill-seeking is what i'm here for. >> reporter: he's at this outdoor training camp with the newest team of tower hands, brought on board by telecom giant eriksson, hired for the roll-out of fifth generation wireless, better known as 5g. >> they really are it seems the backbone of all of this. >> they're absolutely critical to our business, and it's why we're making this investment here. we can't do 5g in north america without our people who climb, without our teams who work out in the field. >> reporter: but matt jones, who oversees regional operations for eriksson in the central u.s. says there is a major shortage. >> we need to double in size. we need to take our climbing community and we need to grow it coast-to-coast in every state that we work in. >> reporter: why is it so difficult to find these kind of workers? >> the work is is not easy. physically it's demanding. it's outside. more than anything, it's at height. we have a lot of our people that work at heights of between 100 feet and up to 350, 400 feet on a daily basis. so you've got to be willing to climb. you've got to be comfortable once you're up there, and you've got to be physically able to do it. >> reporter: and this is where they take their first steps, at a 13,000-square-foot training camp. >> you might have to pull the rope out of the way. >> reporter: in louisville, texas. we met brodie lewis during his first week of climbing school. >> i'm an active person and i love to be outside. i don't want to put a suit on every day and go do a desk job and do the same thing over and over. >> reporter: he is a former marine who made the move during his transition out of the mill texas, and he is not alone. >> started climbing 100-foot towers in afghanistan. >> reporter: after time in a classroom, students strap in for hands-on training where climbers learn how to install, maintain, and repair the equipment that can deliver a 5g signal. >> everybody turn to your right, check the person that's in front of you. >> reporter: then it's time for the real deal. >> when you got the ropes up here, you want to make sure they're not tangling. >> reporter: timothy armstrong is a senior trainer. >> this is what is keeping you safe. >> reporter: this is what is going to protect you and save your life? >> at the end of the day, i don't have to trust your gear, and that is what is going to save your life when you're up there on the tower. >> reporter: wearing at least 50 pounds of gear, it's a stomach-dropping journey to the top. matt jones, who is a former climber himself says it's not only a job with a view -- >> you can see for miles. and if the weather is good, yeah, it's awesome being up there. >> reporter: but also one with a future. >> it's not going to be the end. there are more gs to follow. and that's why this is a long-term investment for us. this isn't something that we're turning around just for a couple of years of 5g deployment. this is the way our industy is going, and it's a commitment we've head to be successful in that space. >> the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. steve hartman's story last week about a businessman who changed the lives of hundreds of people got a very big reaction online. many use the word "gift" to describe his generous offer, but the businessman calls it something else. here is steve again "on the road." >> as a soon to be graduating senior, tuition, room and board, books and fees will be paid for you and you will go to college for free. [ cheering ] >> reporter: safe to say no school assembly has ever been more life-altering. >> so too can one of your parents go to college or trade school for free. >> reporter: it was a multigenerational game-changer here at scott high school in toledo, ohio. all courtesy of a wealthy businessman named pete kadence who will spend about $3 million sending these disadvantaged students to college. >> i ask only one favor in return. >> reporter: but here is what stuck with me. >> please don't ever use the word "gift" to describe what i did here today. >> reporter: why not, i wondered. certainly as our story went viral this week, that's the word many people used to describe his offer. what other word could you use? >> only use the word responsibility. >> reporter: over the years i've done a lot of stories about wealthy people doing good deeds, but i've never heard of one with this catch. don't say pete give you a gift. say he fulfilled his responsibility, because gift implies he had a choice, whereas responsibility implies obligation. pete kadence also grew up in toledo, but he attended a much wealthier school where college was expected. he worked hard and started three different companies. for that reason, pete could easily claim to be a self-made man, but that's not how he framed it in his speech. >> what became of my life was as much a factor of the inequities that exist in our society today as it was my skills, my talents, d my work ethic. >> reporter: in other words, pete says he didn't win at life fair and square. he says many successful people don't. >> the competitive set, the people i compete with are a lot smaller than it otherwise could be if everyone got the same level of education. and martin luther king always said history has a long and sordid path of people and groups with privilege protecting their privilege. well, i'm done protecting my privileg >> reporter: pete kaden changed many lives that day. now he is hoping to change mind-sets too. >> i hope others share in my responsibility in toledo and around the world. thank you. >> r orter: steve hartman, "on the road" in toledo, ohio. >> that's the "overnight news" for this thursday. from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm lana zak. it's thursday, february 13th, 2020.ursday, february this is the "cbs morning news". a new coronavirus case in the u.s. confirmed another person in california is diagnosed as a growing outbreak impacts travel and global events. where is faye? the fbi is joining the search. william barr will be questioned on capitol hill about his apparent involvement in the his apparent involvement in the roger stone case. captioning funded by cbs s