Audiences captivated in learning Idaho's naval history through Idaho Public Television documentary

Wed Mar 11th, 2026

By Raiza Giorgi, Managing Editor

People might know Idaho has ties to the U.S. military, with nuclear research taking place at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) near Arco, and that Sun Valley Resort was used as a convalescent hospital during WWII, but those ties go even deeper as revealed in a new documentary "America's Sagebrush Navy" by Idaho Public Television (IdahoPTV).

The Sun Valley Policy Forum (SVPF) recently hosted a screening of the documentary along with a panel discussion with Jay Johnson, (Ret.) Admiral of the U.S. Navy; Dave Honabach, site director for Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) and Aaron Kunz, producer of "America's Sagebrush Navy," at The Argyros Performing Arts Center. The event was part of a larger campaign to celebrate America250 as well as the creation and future missions of the USS IDAHO nuclear submarine, which is to be commissioned on Saturday, April 25 at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.

The documentary explores the history of U.S. Navy sailors training at what is now Farragut State Park. During its 30 months of existence, Farragut had six camps with a drill field, swimming pools a mess hall and barracks, along with a prisoner-of-war camps for captured German prisoners. Around 300,000 sailors went through basic training until the gates closed on Dec. 3, 1944.

The documentary also pays homage to Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, known as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy," for his development of the U.S. Navy's nuclear propulsion program at the NRF between Arco and Idaho Falls.

Rickover believed the future of the Navy was nuclear-powered submarines, and developed the "Nautilus," in 1951. He then continued building submarines and also created the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier known as the USS Enterprise, as well as the first commercial nuclear power plant, according to his biography on the Naval Reactors Historical Association.

IdahoPTV captures first-person accounts of those who worked under Rickover, who was known to be a very tough man to work for as his expectations were perfection. The documentary showed a chair intentionally made to feel off-kilter to make the person interviewing for a job uncomfortable.

The documentary also explores other areas of Idaho that contributed to the success of the nuclear technology as many of the submarines were tested at Lake Pend Oreille.

"Lake Pend Oreille was the most important body of water because it provides one-of-a-kind place to test every element of the summaries," Johnson said after the documentary. "Getting a submarine to life is unlike anything been done and (the USS Idaho commissioning) is a special event."

Johnson lives in Ketchum, but he was a fighter pilot and flew combat missions in Vietnam and has received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the National Maritime Historical Society Distinguished Service Award.

He told a story of flying to Alaska to the USS Hawkbill for a project and he told one of the sub's commanding officers to call him from the North Pole jokingly. After about 10 days he got a phone call from that person who said he was watching some of the sailors playing football at the North Pole.

"Years later I was sitting at Pickles Place in Arco having a burger, and I look across the street, and there's the sail for the USS Hawkbill next to the little museum. I chuckled to myself," Johnson said. "What our subs do around the world are truly remarkable. I'm a fighter pilot, but I have a deep respect for our submarine crews."

Kunz gave a background of his experience in broadcast journalism and growing up in Blackfoot and knowing INL's importance. He had always wanted to tell the story of nuclear history, but never thought it would happen. Kunz had previously reached out to do a story on Rickover in 2017, but was denied.

"When I finally got the call to document NRF, I couldn't even shoot it myself. I had to use their cameras and videographer, and could only tell them what shots I wanted. Before I was given any footage, someone had to look over all of it to make sure no states secrets were hidden," Kunz said. "This is an incredible part of U.S. history and important to tell."

Honabach said projects such as the USS Idaho are vital to the country to ensure America stays the best in the world. He was interviewed by the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office to memorialize the historic role NRF had in creating nuclear energy and dominance of Naval operations.

Honabach was a student and then instructor at NRF, particularly for Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse (S1W), the naval reactor prototype plant, which supported the development of the USS Nautilus. S1W was built to simulate a submarine hull, with a nuclear reactor compartment surrounded by more than 300,000 gallons of water to mimic ocean-like conditions. The SW1 site was demolished in June of 2025, as that technology was phased out.

"It's vital for this country to never lose the lead position, whatever it takes," Honabach said.

To view a version of the Idaho Public Television documentary visit HERE.

Raiza Giorgi is an award-winning journalist and publisher. She graduated from Cal Poly SLO in 2008, with her degree in journalism. She founded and operated the Santa Ynez Valley Star from 2015 to 2022 when she sold it to 13 Stars Media. She's received the Spirit of Entreprenuership Award for Emerging Business in 2018, and Service Award by the County of Santa Barbara Women's Commission in 2022.

Raiza moved to the Wood River Valley in 2021 with her husband and two children. Aside from news, she loves baseball and film.