2008 Woodie Awards
Speaking of history
WWII narratives are captured, shared and stored before time runs out
Katherine Ruhl
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Features
One thousand World War II veterans die every day, many without a chance to tell their stories-which is where Ken Burns, the Veterans History Project and even student-recorded interviews come in.
Oscar nominated filmmaker Ken Burns had toyed with idea of making a documentary on World War II, after hearing this shocking statistic, he knew that it was now or never, according to Crystal Kleaver, projects manager for CET, which is Cincinnati's PBC affiliate.
This sense of urgency led to the creation of Burns' 15-hour documentary The War, which premiered on PBS Sept. 23 and will rerun at 9 p.m. every Wednesday through Nov. 14.
It uses firsthand accounts instead of traditional sources and historians to tell the story of World War II from the bottom up.
The Veterans History Project and PBS-sponsored projects are making firsthand accounts from veterans available. Both organizations tie in a local focus, making more than 122 minutes of footage about John E. Dolibois, Miami alumnus and the man for whom Miami's Luxembourg campus is named, available for anyone to hear his accounts as a World War II veteran and former United States ambassador to Luxembourg.
"We believe in giving back to your community through putting videos up," Cleaver said.
A personal process
Burns collected hundreds of interviews, asking those who experienced World War II both in the military and on the home front to share their experiences, according to PBS.
It was this focus on ordinary Americans that drew Megan Fletcher, senior social studies education major, to watch Ken Burns' documentary.
"The reason I turned it on in the first place was because Ken Burns focused on individual accounts of what life was like during the war," Fletcher said. "He talks about a town in Minnesota and I could see how those people were like where I'm from (in Wisconsin) and I could really relate to that."
Fletcher was also intrigued by Burns' use of rarely seen images and footage.
Oscar nominated filmmaker Ken Burns had toyed with idea of making a documentary on World War II, after hearing this shocking statistic, he knew that it was now or never, according to Crystal Kleaver, projects manager for CET, which is Cincinnati's PBC affiliate.
This sense of urgency led to the creation of Burns' 15-hour documentary The War, which premiered on PBS Sept. 23 and will rerun at 9 p.m. every Wednesday through Nov. 14.
It uses firsthand accounts instead of traditional sources and historians to tell the story of World War II from the bottom up.
The Veterans History Project and PBS-sponsored projects are making firsthand accounts from veterans available. Both organizations tie in a local focus, making more than 122 minutes of footage about John E. Dolibois, Miami alumnus and the man for whom Miami's Luxembourg campus is named, available for anyone to hear his accounts as a World War II veteran and former United States ambassador to Luxembourg.
"We believe in giving back to your community through putting videos up," Cleaver said.
A personal process
Burns collected hundreds of interviews, asking those who experienced World War II both in the military and on the home front to share their experiences, according to PBS.
It was this focus on ordinary Americans that drew Megan Fletcher, senior social studies education major, to watch Ken Burns' documentary.
"The reason I turned it on in the first place was because Ken Burns focused on individual accounts of what life was like during the war," Fletcher said. "He talks about a town in Minnesota and I could see how those people were like where I'm from (in Wisconsin) and I could really relate to that."
Fletcher was also intrigued by Burns' use of rarely seen images and footage.
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