Voices of War/Common Valor Documentary Premiere Scheduled

Cover art to the book. It includes the
face of every veteran interviewed.

Valor is supposed to be the stuff of legends, of heroes who sacrifice everything, of people who die to save friends or strangers. After interviewing 46 veterans who served their country in times of war, I find that valor is actually more common than we think it is.

Initially, I became interested in interviewing West Virginia war veterans when I first heard about the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. I had just finished up a documentary project on the lobster divers of Honduras and moved back to West Virginia after being away for nearly 14 years. When I heard there were only 20 or so oral histories in the Library of Congress archive from West Virginia veterans, I realized it was time, and a perfect opportunity, for me to focus on my home state.

I’m not a veteran. The military was not something that interested me. I was fortunate to be able to go directly to college after high school and then I began my career as a journalist. Over the years, though, I have always been interested in, and intrigued by, the camaraderie of those who did serve.

As I worked on the project and interviewed more veterans, I was struck by the similarity in their stories. Whether they served in Afghanistan or in World War II, their stories were very much alike. They talked about home, family, comradery and doing their duty. They loved their fellow soldiers and felt guilty if they had to leave them behind. If not for the timber of the voices and the accents, dialects and pronunciations, you might not be able to tell the difference between one veteran and the next.

After logging more than 2000 miles and collecting 50 hours worth of oral histories from West Virginia war veterans, the West Virginia Voices of War documentary is ready for its premiere.

West Virginia Voices of War will premiere at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1401 Washington St W, Charleston, WV 25387 on May 28, 2013; the day after Memorial Day.

Donations to the Veterans Center on the West Side will be accepted at the premiere. l will be selling a book called Common Valor that includes longer histories from every veteran I interviewed.

You can watch the opening to documentary here.

Voices of Warsynopsis: West Virginia Voices of War is a documentary complied from the oral histories of 36 West Virginia war veterans who served from World War II to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. West Virginia sends more of her sons and daughters to war than any other state, per capita. This documentary captures their thoughts on service, on war and on returning home.

Common Valorsynopsis: Common Valor includes the stories of 46 West Virginia war veterans with their thoughts on service, on war and on returning home. These veterans served from World War II to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Common Valor is the companion to the multimedia documentary West Virginia Voices of War and it includes the complete story from the documentary as well..