Stewart plays Lt. Col. Robert "Dutch" Holland, a suburban-dwelling baseball player with a military past who is recalled to Air Force duty when the Strategic Air Command finds itself with a few pilots too few in the midst of the Cold War. With the impending threat of nuclear aggression from the USSR, Holland returns to service without hesitation, but at the price of considerable stress on his wife (June Allyson). This flight adventure about the bravery and commitment of bomber pilots also acts as a rousing piece of American propaganda from a closed chapter in U.S. military history. Academy Award Nominations: Best Motion Picture Story.