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Playlist: Memorial Day

Compiled By: PRX Editors

 Credit: <a  href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/crusey/">Tony</a>
Image by: Tony 
Curated Playlist

Memorial Day is Monday, May 29th.

Below are picks chosen by PRX editorial staff. You can see all Memorial Day pieces by using our search.

Hour (49:00-1:00:00)

Food Fight

From Things That Go Boom | 59:00

The time for summer barbecues is here, but how much do you know about the food on your plate? Host Laicie Heeley unpacks the surprising ties between global conflict and the meals we might take for granted. First, we meet a military mom struggling to feed her family, even as her husband serves -- then we hear from children of the US Secret War in Laos who are keeping their family's stories alive through food.

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This time of year, with the flags and bunting, flipping burgers on the grill… it tends to get us thinking about what exactly it means to be American.

There are a lot of answers to that question. But one we don’t often explore has to do with those burgers, or pad thai… whatever you might find on your plate… and what those things have to do with our national security.

In this special from from Things That Go Boom, Inkstick Media, and PRX: Two stories about food, family, and the choices our government makes in our name.

The US Secret War turned many Southeast Asians into refugees. Now their kids are keeping that story alive. 

But first…. We meet one of the one-in-four military families dealing with hunger, even as they serve our country.

Surviving The Bataan Death March (Narration by Jack Doepke)

From Ronald Duffy | 57:32

Veteran Ken Porwoll’s story recounts his inhumane treatment & riveting story of survival as one of 10,000 American & roughly 50,000 Filipino soldiers on the Bataan Death March of WW II and his ensuing 3+ years as a Japanese prisoner of war.

Ken’s graphic recall of these events, told with deep humility and no lingering animosity, captures for listeners the gut-wrenching experience of these soldiers who suffered wartime brutality almost beyond belief.

“Surviving The Bataan Death March” is a story of man’s inhumanity to man—yet inside this story of brutality and despair, are powerful moments of warmth, humor, compassion, kindness and faith.

Ken’s story is testament to the human spirit’s ability to overcome all obstacles and endure - told in such a way it symbolizes the story of all 10,000 American soldiers on the Death March. His account serves as a tribute to all the soldiers on the Bataan Death March who survived this ordeal and the thousands who did not. (Ken Porwoll passed away, on Veteran’s Day, 2013.)

Porwoll_kenneth_small For Broadcast in 2023

SURVIVING THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH (57:32)

Narration by Jack Doepke
(Professional Voice Talent)

Special Encore Presentation
Offered as a "Remembrance & Tribute to all American Prisoners of War, Living and Passed On, for their Service and Sacrifice for America."

Suitable for use as Evergreen Program:
All narration and interview content in this program depict events that occurred from 1942 - 1945.  There is nothing in this program that would indicate the current date or time it is being broadcast.

Suggested Air Dates:
April 9 - The Anniversary date of the start of the Bataan Death March
May 29 - Memorial Day
June 14 - Flag Day
July 4 - Independence Day
Nov. 11 - Veteran's Day

(Total Program Time: 57:32)
Track 1: 20:51 (Program content)
Track 2: 14:44 (Program content)
Track 3: 20:56 (Program content)
Track 4: 01:01 (End Credits)

One minute music beds at the end of Track 1 and Track 2.

Promos: 

Track 6:  :15 promo
Track 7:  :30 promo 

Program Description
Veteran Ken Porwoll’s story recounts his inhumane treatment & riveting story of survival as one of 10,000 American & roughly 50,000 Filipino soldiers on the Bataan Death March of WW II and his ensuing 3+ years as a Japanese prisoner of war.

Ken’s graphic recall of these events, 80 years ago, told with deep humility and no lingering animosity, captures for listeners the gut-wrenching experience of these soldiers who suffered wartime brutality almost beyond belief.

“Surviving The Bataan Death March” is a story of man’s inhumanity to man—yet inside this story of brutality and despair, are powerful moments of warmth, humor, compassion, kindness and faith.

Ken’s story is testament to the human spirit’s ability to overcome all obstacles and endure - told in such a way it symbolizes the story of all 10,000 American soldiers on the Death March.  His account serves as a tribute to all the soldiers on the Bataan Death March who survived this ordeal and the thousands who did not.  (Ken Porwoll passed away, on Veteran’s Day, 2013.)

Comments from Public Radio Listeners about “Surviving The Bataan Death March”
"It was wonderful.  So well done...I hated to get out of my car...." (Edmond, OK)
“…such a fine interview…Ken shared from his heart…” (Berkeley, CA)
“Wonderfully done…program brought tears to my eyes…” (Northbrook IL)
“I was very moved by the program….a powerful piece.” (Wichita, KS)
“This should be heard in high schools….…Tremendous story…” (New Milford, PA)
“It was so good!  I did enjoy it!” (Morgantown, WV)
“I enjoyed it very much…very impactful…I am so glad you do this!” (Moran, WY)
“Excellent!…no nonsense…. sincere…matter of fact.” (Miami, FL)
“That was a dynamic dissertation of what went on…” (Myrtle Beach, SC)
“I was just riveted to the radio!”(Broadus, MT)
“…overwhelming…a beautiful program…Ken spoke so honestly.” (San Francisco, CA)
“Fabulous…Phenomenal….I hated to turn it off, it was so incredible.” (No address given)
“Very moving.  Job well done!” (Fargo, ND)
“Very riveting…excellent…really touching….a powerful presentation…” (La Barge, WY)
“Just outstanding.  I was transfixed…” (Albany, GA)
“A really fine program.” (Knoxville, TN)
“Young people….living history…make them aware…” (Morgantown, WV)
“A moving, moving piece.” (Skowhegan, ME)
“You did a great job!” (Petoskey, MI)
“I really enjoyed this….very captivating…it really grabbed me!” (Moatsville, WV)
“An honest depiction of what went on…awestruck by the story…” (San Francisco, CA)
“I was taken with his account…tribute to Ken and the human spirit…” Morgantown, WV)
“Wonderful project!  Powerful presentation!” (Larkspur, CA 94939)
“Excellent program!” (Galeton, PA 16922

The Afghanistan Papers

From The Washington Post | 53:54

After a three-year legal battle, The Post obtained hundreds of records of candid interviews assessing the war in Afghanistan and its failures.

PRX worked with The Post to turn their podcast on The Afghanistan Papers into a radio special, with broadcast-exclusive reactions from veterans.

Afghanistanpaperspodcast__1__small After a three-year legal battle, The Post obtained hundreds of records of candid interviews assessing the war in Afghanistan and its failures. PRX worked with The Post to turn their podcast on The Afghanistan Papers into a radio special, with broadcast-exclusive reactions from veterans.

We've Never Been The Same: A War Story

From Atlantic Public Media | Part of the The Transom Radio Specials series | 53:28

We've Never Been The Same: A War Story is the story of one night of battle and the decades of recovery that followed. Produced by Adam Piore and Jay Allison.

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All wars are the same, it is said; only the scenery changes. And the repercussions are pretty much the same too.

Over the course of five years, Adam Piore gathered the stories of the surviving members of Delta Company, a Vietnam-era paratrooper unit; Jay Allison joined him for the last two years when it turned from a book into a radio story. We’re proud now to feature the finished hour on Transom and here at PRX.

At Fort Campbell before deployment, Delta was a ragtag bunch, the “leftovers” as one of their fellow soldiers put it, but on the night of March 18th, 1968, they became heroes. Their leader received the Medal of Honor and two others were awarded the nation’s second highest honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, for their valor that night when the company endured a long and devastating battle—not as long or as devastating, however, as the years that followed, after the men of Delta Company came home separately to live alone with the memories.

Adam Piore became dedicated to this group of guys and to their common story of trauma, guilt, courage, heartbreak, and reunion. This is Adam’s first work for radio and his notes about the transition from print are at Transom. You’re invited to come talk with him about his process or the finished work and to see archival photos.



Produced by:

Adam Piore has spent the last two decades writing for newspapers and magazines, covering everything from the U.S. Congress to the aftermath of genocide to the War in Iraq. You can read some of his recent work at adampiore.com.

Jay Allison is variously the founder, collaborator, and producer of The Moth Radio Hour, This I Believe, Lost & Found SoundTransom.orgPRX.org, and WCAI on Cape Cod where he lives. He has created hundreds of documentaries and has received six Peabody Awards. More at jayallison.com


Transom.org  channels new work and voices to public radio, with a focus on the power of story, and on the mission of public media in a changing media environment. Transom won the first Peabody Award ever granted exclusively to a website. Transom.org is a project of Atlantic Public Media which runs the Transom Story Workshops and founded WCAI, the public radio station in Woods Hole, Mass.

Support for this work comes from National Endowment for the Arts 
 
National Endowment for the Arts    

for Memorial Day -- Scott Simon hosts Alan Seeger: Instrument of Destiny

From Murray Street Productions | 58:29

From the trenches of The Great War, Alan Seeger's poems, letters and diaries spring to life in the voices of Cathedral Choir of St. John the Divine.

Recorded just before lockdown in the Cathedral, Patrick Zimmerli's new oratorio "Alan Seeger: Instrument of Destiny" fuses Seeger's formal writing with monkish chants and 20th Century music. Scott Simon hosts this moving hour of tribute to all those who saw combat, and those who awaited them at home

Seegerphotoflyer__1__small

 A One Hour Memorial Day Special   

 Alan Seeger: Instrument of Destiny

A new Oratorio in performance

Broadcast Host: Scott Simon

 

“…Irresistible energy seemed to come from everywhere:

classical forms, jazz harmonies and Arvo Part-like meditations were all on tap...”

 

wrote the New York Times about Patrick Zimmerli.  The composer and saxophonist, whose recent collaborators include Brad Mehldau, Luciana Souza, the choir Mikrokosmos, and pianist Ethan Iverson, turns now to the Cathedral Chorus of St. John the Divine.  Weaving opera, jazz and choral traditions, Zimmerli brings Alan Seeger’s poems, letters and diaries alive in a compelling music special.   Our broadcast host is NPR’s Scott Simon.

The 59 minute Memorial and Veterans Day music special, produced by Steve Rathe and David Goren for Murray Street is available beginning March, 2021, from PRX.


Paris-based director Mirabelle Ordinaire conceived this work and wrote the libretto, gathering from Seeger’s words a whirlwind of emotions and poignant battle scenes. She directs productions with New York’s Metropolitan Opera and, the Paris Opera, and other companies in works from Berlioz to Mozart and Stravinsky to Weill.

Cathedral Choir Conductor Kent Tritle has been called “the brightest star in New York’s choral music world” by the NY Times. He directs Cathedral Music at St. John the Divine and Musica Sacra as well as the Oratorio Society of New York. He teaches at Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School.

Scott Simon is a journalist and host of NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday”.  Author of books ranging from biography to memoir to mystery, he has reported from every state, five continents and ten wars.  He brings a deep humanity to his work in every medium.

Featured soloists: 

Vocalist Alex Richardson is in his fifth season on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He has sung major roles with the New York City Opera and solos with The Boston Symphony Orchestra and at Spoleto USA. His performance illuminates  

Pianist and composer Thomas Enhco’s jazz and classical performances can be heard on the Verve, Deutsche Grammophon and Sony Music labels. His melodies here bring both a light touch of classical repertoire and a thorough knowledge of jazz and improvisation.

David Rozenblatt is a drummer, percussionist and composer whose works have earned Grammy nominations in both classical and popular fields. He is the composer of five original ballets, as well as chamber, orchestral and operatic works. His multiple percussion parts bring gravity, swing and explosive energy to the Zimmerli-Seeger Oratorio.

The professional Cathedral Choir of St. John the Divine sets the standard for music at the Cathedral, both in worship and in concert. Its members include some of New York City’s finest singers, many accomplished soloists in their own right.

Photos available:  Alan Seeger; Patrick Zimmerli; Mirabelle Ordinaire; Kent Tritle conducting; Tenor Alex Richardson; The Cathedral Choir; Pianist Thomas Encho

Broadcast Marketing / info@CreativePR.com        Download from PRX – Public Radio Exchange

 

                                                                                                 031821 v1.5

Mine Enemy: The Story of German POWs in America

From Alison Jones | 54:00

During World War II, some 400,000 captured German soldiers were shipped across the Atlantic to prison camps dotted across the U.S. Suddenly the enemy was hoeing the back garden, and sometimes, sitting at the kitchen table. This sound-rich, hour-long special combines archival sound and period music with voices of those who lived this most unusual moment in history. This program from Backward Glance Productions features host John Biewen. It was produced by Alison Jones together with editor Deborah George, and mixed by Ben Shapiro.

Otto_and_linda_1945_small When captured German soldiers showed up to work the Camlin family farm in South Carolina, World War II entered the family's life in a direct and intimate way. Suddenly the enemy was there on the farm, planting tobacco, building fences, and even sitting down for meals at the kitchen table.

Some 400,000 captured German soldiers were shipped across the ocean to the U.S. during the war. The POWS went to work on farms and in factories. And in small towns across America, two warring cultures came in close contact. This hour-long special tells the story of a remarkable and under-explored episode in history, through archival sound and through the voices of those who lived it. Residents of Florence, South Carolina share vivid recollections of the Germans' time there. We learn about Camp Hearne, Texas, one of the nation's first and largest German POW camps, where culture bloomed until ardent Nazi factions seized control. And we travel to Germany to hear former German POWs, men in their 80s and 90s, describe the repercussions of their unexpected stays in states such as North Carolina, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky and Mississippi.

The piece is richly textured, and the tone varies as layers of the story are explored: The arrival of the POWs was a big event in small towns in Texas, South Carolina and elsewhere, and locals were fascinated by the enemy soldiers in their midst. The story takes a surprising turn in Segment C as we learn about secret U. S. efforts to teach German soldiers about democracy. In Segment C, which recounts the end of the war, we also hear about how the POWs are shown films of German concentration camps. Towards the end of that segment, we hear form a former German POW who is now a U.S. citizen. He describes how, decades later, he can't completely forget the Nazi songs of his youth, and shares the disturbing words of one such song. We also hear former POWs describe how their time in America affected their postwar lives.

Monumental Disagreements [rebroadcast]

From BackStory with the American History Guys | 54:00

This is a country awash in monuments. They adorn traffic circles, street corners and, of course, the National Mall. In this special Memorial Day episode of BackStory, the American History Guys explore the idea of national remembrance. What or whom have Americans chosen to memorialize? And what do these choices say about us?

Mothers-memorial_small This is a country awash in monuments. They adorn traffic circles, street corners and, of course, the National Mall. We’ve memorialized everything from famous soldiers and statesmen, to big ideas or major events – and a lot in between. Yet our ambivalence towards these monuments is as old as our enthusiasm for them. Case in point: The Washington Monument. Ever wonder why there isn’t actually a image of Washington on it?

In this Memorial Day episode of BackStory , we explore the idea of national remembrance. Looking at some of our country’s most iconic monuments, the Guys ask what—and whom—Americans choose to remember, and discover how memorials often tell us more about their creators than what or whom they memorialize.

Guests Include:

  • Kirk Savage , Professor of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh on the early controversy over whether or not to build the Washington Monument on the National Mall.
  • Kristin Szakos , City Council Member in Charlottesville, Virginia, on two local monuments to famous Confederate generals.
  • Teresa Bergman , Professor of Communications and Film Studies at the University of the Pacific, on the evolving film presentations the National Park Service has used to welcome tourists at Mount Rushmore.

HV012- For the Fallen

From Hearing Voices | Part of the Hearing Voices series | 54:00

For Memorial Day, the voices of veterans remembering their comrades.

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Host: Major Robert Schaefer of US Army Special Forces Green Beret and poet, Colonel Robert Schaefer, US Army, hosts the voices of veterans remembering their comrades:

We talk with troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, reading their emails, poems, and journals, as part of the NEA project: "."

We hear interviews from StoryCorps, an essay from This I Believe, and the sounds of a Military Honor Guard, recorded by Charles Lane.

And we attend the daily "Last Post" ceremony by Belgian veterans honoring the WWI British soldiers who died defending a small town in western Belgium (produced by Marjorie Van Halteren).

Independent Minds: At War in the Pacific

From Murray Street Productions | Part of the Independent Minds series | 55:54

A new perspective on the often-overlooked story of the Marines who fought in the brutal Pacific Campaign of World War II.

Im-at_war_in_the_pacific_title_plate_small At War in the Pacific tells the story of heroism and sacrifice by the young Marines who stormed onto the islands and fought from inside the foxholes in the bloody Pacific Campaign of World War II.  David D'Arcy hosts this compelling radio hour featuring personal testimony from the Marines and historical context from scholars. We hear how the Marines came of age during weeks and months of searing combat -- and how their sacrifices shaped the history of our nation. As the conflict unfolds in the Pacific, friends and relatives tell how they shouldered the burden back home. Filmmakers Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks offer their views on what the war in the Pacific meant -- then and now.

MODULES:
Module 1: "From Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal”
Months after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, marines launch their first amphibious attack on Japanese forces holding the island of Guadalcanal. The riveting story is told by marines Sydney Phillips and Robert Leckie, and historians Richard Frank and Donald Miller.

Module 2: “Tarawa and Peleliu"
In fierce island fighting on Tarawa and Peleliu, the marines secure vital airfields and confront Japanese soldiers committed to “no surrender.”  Marine Eugene Sledge and historian Donald Miller detail the jungle warfare, sacrifice and survival.

Module 3:  “The Propaganda War at Home”
The horrors of the “forgotten war” in the Pacific are sanitized by Hollywood, the U.S. government and tours of returning war heroes like John Basilone. But the American public faces reality from photojournalists on the scene, and Basilone’s return to duty – and death – at Iwo Jima.

Module 4:  “The Marines Come Home”
The Pacific fighting escalates with kamikaze attacks at Okinawa, and in August of 1945, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As we learn from marines Robert Leckie, R.V. Burgin and historian Donald Miller, the men who came of age in the brutal battles of the Pacific discover a longer and perhaps more difficult challenge ahead: adjustment to life back home.

War and Place

From Liner Notes | Part of the LINER NOTES series | 58:00

Tom Brokaw and others discuss memorials, veterans, Vietnam and wars.

Playing
War and Place
From
Liner Notes

Unitedstatesflag_small LINER NOTES, in an extraordinary hour entitled War and Place, Tom Brokaw and others discuss Memorials, Veterans, Vietnam and Wars. * Tom Brokaw, shares memories of his moving visits to Normandy and Pearl Harbor - how they changed his life, and enabled him to understand the great sacrifices of ordinary people, from hometowns like his. * Writer Maxine Hong Kingston helps Veterans put their memories on paper with "healing and writing workshops." * Distinguished novelist Robert Stone, ("Dog Soliders") discusses the cultural legacy of Vietnam. * Former Marine Wayne Karlin author of "War Movies: Journeys to Vietnam", shares stories about soldier/authors on both sides of that conflict and discusses how the picture of war in the movies has evolved over the years. * Writer Dana Sachs, ("A House on Dream Street") portrays the new Vietnam - a tourist mecca with fine food and beaches. She counsels us on where to travel and explains why Americans are surprisingly welcome. * Photographer Steve McCurry tells of his famous photo "Afghan Girl," and what he finds when he travels to war zones. * Psychoanalyst Emmanuel Kalftal takes a tape recorder with him as he travels to the place his parents met, Dachau, where he finds a living memorial, not a museum. * Michael Arad, architect of the prize-wining design for the 9/11 memorial at the former World Trade Center, helps us think about the power of place in mourning. * Phillip Gourevitch, editor of the Paris Review, who wrote "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Familes", reflects on those who suffered through the ethnic conflicts in Africa. * Reporter Deborah George takes us to post war Sierra Leone to meet a young woman who will become her daughter. * Finally, we travel to a small town in Cornwall, England where a young evacuee from the London blitz, now 80, found a peaceful home for life.

The Silent Generation: From Saipan to Tokyo

From Helen Borten | 58:57

The final year of World War II in the Pacific, told by men who came back and kept silent about the harrowing ordeal that changed their lives.

Daddatoanthony1_small Eugene "Bud" Clark, a pint-sized scrapper from Macon, GA, mowed down Banzai warriors, watched mass suicide on Saipan, and was severely wounded on Iwo Jima. Howard Terry was traumatized by his accidental killing of an Okinawan boy, returned home angry, belligerent and unable to hold a job. Anthony Daddato lost his best friend to friendly fire,contracted dengue fever,malaria and tuberculosis, and spent three embittered years in hospitals before a feisty nun's advice changed his outlook. Giles McCoy went down with the Indianapolis in one of the worst naval disasters in history. These are just a few of the voices in "The Silent Generation", a one-hour documentary that follows more than a score of men through the definitive year of their lives. Men from all walks of life and all corners of the nation. Men who melted quietly back into civilian life and kept silent for decades. Men who, as time grows short, have been moved to speak with unflinching honesty of events that changed them forever. Their memories are not for the faint-hearted. Here is a view of war from the foxhole. A side of war as relevant today as in 1945. To listen is to understand why they, like tens of thousands of others, could not speak for so long. "The Silent Generation" closes with their unblinking, often wrenching remarks on how combat later affected their attitudes, identity and everyday lives. Producer/Narrator Borten knits their stories into a chronological whole, adding archival newscasts, live reports from the battlefield, and little-known historical details that, together with these unforgettable stories, bring a momentous, searingly brutal chapter in history to life.

In Honor of Veterans

From Western Folklife Center Media | 53:07

This program pays tribute to America's fighting men and women through first-hand accounts of battle, as well as music and poetry that draw inspiration from the experience of war.

Default-piece-image-0 Voices of the West: Veterans' Day pays tribute to the fighting men and women of America's armed forces through story, music and poetry. Highlights of our feature include archival recordings made on the battlefield by World War II jouranlist Alvin Josephy, an interview with the first woman to serve in the US marine corps, and a Native American comedian and singer who channels his experiences as a marine into his jokes and songs. "The moving, sincere, and startling moments in this program add up to a remarkable tribute to that whole class of undersung men and women.” Dick Cavett Talk Show Host


Half-Hour (24:00-30:00)

WAR AND SEPARATION: LIFE ON THE HOMEFRONT DURING WORLD WAR II

From The Kitchen Sisters | Part of the Fugitive Waves series | 24:56

For Memorial Day —a portrait of life on the homefront during World War II featuring 4 women’s stories, rare home recorded letters sent overseas to soldiers, archival audio, music and news broadcasts from the era.

Ks_fugitivewavessm_small For Memorial Day —a portrait of life on the homefront during World War II featuring 4 women’s stories, rare home recorded letters sent overseas to soldiers, archival audio, music and news broadcasts from the era.

Love and War

From Helen Borten | Part of the A Sense of Place: Third Season series | 28:56

In 2002, on the eve of being deployed to Iraq, men and women of the Third Infantry Brigade, the first ground troops to be sent to the Persian Gulf, open their hearts and minds in a way not often heard on the media. Four married couples frankly discuss moral issues, infidelity, and sexual harassment as well as the topics more commonly broached by reporters. Two combat veterans among them tell of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. The result is a candid and intimate portrait of professional soldiers trying to combine the disparate worlds of love and war.

Playing
Love and War
From
Helen Borten

Default-piece-image-1 On the eve of being deployed to Iraq, men and women of the Third Infantry Brigade, the first ground troops to be sent to the Persian Gulf, open their hearts and minds in a way not often heard on the media. Four married couples frankly discuss moral issues, infidelity, and sexual harassment as well as the topics more commonly broached by reporters. Two combat veterans among them tell of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. The result is a candid and intimate portrait of professional soldiers trying to combine the disparate worlds of love and war. Distributed nationally in 2004 by PRI.

Bracelets of Grace: The Vietnam War Story of Major Stanley Horne

From David Berner | 29:17

It's been 40 years since the very first POW-MIA bracelet was made and distributed. The iconic bracelets had a humble beginning at the height of the Vietnam War. This documentary focuses on the lasting impact of those bracelets told through the story of one U.S. Air Force pilot, Major Stanley Horne. In 1968 his fighter bomber was shot down over North Vietnam and his name was then engraved, like so many others classified as POW or MIA, on metal bracelets distributed to millions.

The bracelets were first released in November, 1970.

The documentary is available at :29:17 length, at 20:20 length, and as three separate installments.

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In January of 1968 U.S. Air Force Major Stanley Horne was listed as missing-in-action (MIA) after his fighter-bomber was shot down over North Vietnam. Soon afterward his name was one of the many engraved on a POW-MIA bracelet. His story and the stories of those who wore his bracelet, not only contribute to the narrative of the impact of those bracelets, but also to the story of how America struggled with the war and tried to heal from the scars it left behind.

The POW-MIA bracelets of the Vietnam War era made a lasting impression on all those who wore them. Millions of bracelets with the name of a missing or imprisoned soldier were worn on the wrists of family, friends, supporters and critics of the war. It may have been the only item - the only common bond - that crossed the tumultuous political divide. 

BRACELETS OF GRACE: The Vietnam War Story of Major Stanley Horne includes audio from the personal tapes sent back and forth between Southeast Asia and Major Horne’s family in Madison, Wisconsin. It also includes recollections from the young California college students who originated the bracelets, those who wore Major Horne’s bracelet, and those who wrote hundred of letters to the Horne family until the major’s remains were finally recovered in April, 1990, 22 years after his plane was shot down.  

November 11, 2010 is Veterans Day and the 40th anniversary of the POW-MIA bracelets of the Vietnam War.

The documentary is available to broadcast in its entirety or in three installments. 

 

 


Segments (9:00-23:59)

The Vietnam Tapes of Michael A. Baronowski

From Jay Allison | 19:17

In 1966, a young marine took a reel-to reel tape recorder with him into the Vietnam War. For two months, until he was killed in action, Michael Baronowski made tapes of his friends, of life in fighting holes, of combat. 34 years later, his comrade Tim Duffie brought Baronowski's three-inch reels to Lost & Found Sound.

Mikeprx_small In 1966, a young marine took a reel-to reel tape recorder with him into the Vietnam War. For two months, until he was killed in action, Michael Baronowski made tapes of his friends, of life in fighting holes, of combat. 34 years later, his comrade Tim Duffie brought Baronowski's three-inch reels to Lost & Found Sound. The Vietnam Tapes of Lance Corporal Michael A. Baronowski aired on NPR's All Things Considered on the 25th anniversary of America's withdrawal from the Vietnam. The documentary shed light on the experience of that war, and, in some measure, of all wars. It used the power of radio to reveal the heart through the voice and to see in the dark. It combined the rare talent of the late Baronowski as a "correspondent" from the front, the compassion of his dedicated platoon mate Duffie. This program struck a universal chord with listeners--with those who fought the war, those who protested it, and those who weren't even born at the time. It generated perhaps the greatest outpouring of response in the history of NPR's All Things Considered to date. The documentary won the first Gold Award in the Third Coast Audio Festival competition. Produced by Christina Egloff with Jay Allison.

Jennie's Secret

From Linda Paul | 18:05

This is the story of a woman, Jennie Hodgers, who posed as a man during the entire Civil War and went on to live most of her life as a man in the tiny town of Saunemin, Illinois. Through the years the town has been ambivalent about their most famous citizen and has struggled to figure out what to do with her old house. From Linda Paul with Jay Allison.

Pic10_small The non-bearded soldier in this picture was known to her comrades as Albert Cashier. But she was born in Ireland on Christmas Day of 1843 as Jennie Hodgers. This is the story of a woman who posed as a man during the Civil War and went on to live most of her life as a man in the tiny town of Saunemin, Illinois. Through the years the town has been ambivalent about their most famous citizen & has struggled to figure out what to do with her old house.

The First Memorial Day

From Charles McGuigan | 16:12

Memorial Day, a national holiday of remembrance, was first celebrated south of the Mason/Dixon line in Petersburg, Virginia at Blandford Church Cemetery.

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It’s about as American as apple pie. The official kickoff of the long summer.  As American as a cookout with hot dogs and hamburgers. Almost as American as Independence Day. But where July 4th commemorates our victory over the British, Memorial Day, as it was first observed, remembered the dead of the Civil War. And there were a lot of them to be remembered. Upward of 600,000. 
Back then it wasn’t even called Memorial Day. It was known as Decoration Day. In the North, at any rate.  It was the idea, so the story goes, of the commander of the Grand Army of the Republic—General  John Logan.  On May 5 1868 Logan, in General Order Number 11, proclaimed May 30 as a national day of remembrance. Flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
In fact the first Memorial Day was observed a hundred and twenty-seven miles south of Arlington just below the capital of the former confederacy. In a country graveyard in a city built along the bluffs and hills overlooking the Appomattox River. A small city called Petersburg.

Vietnam Bones

From Karen Brown | 10:02

This is the story of Dereyk Patterson, a man trying to repatriate the bones of a Viet Cong soldier that were stolen by his father during the Vietnam War. Dereyk's father, Steve Patterson, died in a helicopter accident, leaving the remains behind in his garage.

Playing
Vietnam Bones
From
Karen Brown

Default-piece-image-2 This is the story of Dereyk Patterson, a man trying to repatriate the bones of a Viet Cong soldier -- stolen by his father during the Vietnam War. Dereyk's father, Steve Patterson, died last year in a helicopter accident, leaving the remains behind in his garage. As Dereyk tries to do the right thing, he also tries to come to terms with his own stormy relationship with his father, and to understand what would drive a young man to take such a morbid "souvenir" in the first place. This piece first ran on WFCR in Amherst, MA in June of 2003. It also ran on WNPR in Hartford, Connecticut, and WAMC in Albany, NY. It won a Massachusetts Associated Press Award in 2004. NOTE: Programmers can edit out the introduction, and the station-specific outcue.


Cutaways (5:00-8:59)

Airborne Hero

From Kathleen Polanco | 08:01

A paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, one of the most highly decorated divisions in the U.S. Army, didn’t understand what it meant to be airborne, until she experienced a humbling opportunity that will soon become non-existent for future generations of soldiers.

Cemetary_small During her service in the 82nd Airborne Division, Sgt. Kathleen Polanco despised her duty to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. It wasn’t something she fully understood nor carried with a sense of pride, until she felt the impacts of the Invasion of Normandy.

The Cost of War

From Blunt Youth Radio Project | 07:45

Weeks after S. Spencer Scott interviewed Lavinia Gelineau about the loss of her husband Chris, a young soldier who was killed in Iraq, Lavinia herself was murdered by her abusive father. A mediation on life during wartime.

Default-piece-image-0 Blunt Youth Radio Project producer S. Spencer Scott interviewed Lavinia Gelineau about the loss of her husband Chris, a young soldier who was recently killed in Iraq. Weeks later Lavinia Gelineau was murdered by her abusive father. Scott deftly weaves the two tragedies together in a thoughtful commentary about the cost of war. Versions of this feature originally aired on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network and on WMPG's Blunt in Portland, ME.


Drop-Ins (2:00-4:59)

Can AI help predict military suicides? The VA is funding a project to find out.

From American Homefront Project | 03:54

The project is using artificial intelligence to analyze data from smartphones, laptops, and other devices of people who take their own lives.

Dustin_millado_small Like many of us, Army Captain Jim Gallagher, a West Point graduate who served in Iraq, could scarcely be separated from his smartphone.

He and I were constantly texting throughout the day,” said his wife, Amanda Gallagher, who lives near Fayetteville, N.C. with their three young daughters. “And he would be on Twitter all the time.

"He was just always using his phone," she said. "To the point where we could get into arguments about like, you know, 'you need to get off phone and pay attention to what's going on here.'"

Then one Saturday night they were watching TV, and he got up and told her he was going to the bathroom. Instead he went into the garage to kill himself.

Gallagher left his iPhone on the kitchen counter and wasn’t wearing the Apple Watch that had become a constant presence on his wrist. She was surprised to find it later in the house.

Now his two laptops, tablet, and that phone – likely containing data about his heart function and sleep patterns uploaded from his watch – are in the hands of the Black Box Project. The initiative - which won a $3 million VA grant - will use artificial intelligence to look for patterns in data from the devices of people who die by suicide.

“In today's day and age, our digital devices, especially smartphones, know more about us than things we've shared with even those we’re closest to,” said Chris Ford, who leads the Durham, N.C.-based non-profit group Stop Soldier Suicide, which runs the project.

The group's main work is suicide-specific telehealth therapy with clients who voluntarily seek help.

Suicide research is notoriously hard, and a key reason is that the people scientists most need to study are, of course, no longer alive. Now, though, the devices that have become extensions of us offer a new window.

“The inner thoughts, feelings and behaviors, the things that I'm doing at two in the morning when I can't sleep,” Ford said. “Those don't get shared with our intimate partners, those don't get shared with our parents or our friends in most circumstances. So, when we came up with this approach, we felt it was the last missing piece in the advancement of understanding suicide risk.”

They also thought it could be an unusually reliable source.

“Psychological autopsies have been done for decades,” he said, “But it's not the whole picture. It's third party data around the person who died… you're asking friends, co-workers, and loved ones their perspectives about the person who died. And so it's biased by the person who's being interviewed and their thoughts and feelings and memories, and it's biased by the interviewer. because if they think suicide is driven mostly by mental health, they're going to probe deeper into mental health. If they think it's more driven by relationships or isolation, they’re going to drill into those things.

“So we really believe the data that we're getting from these devices are the most objective data available to really help us understand the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors in that last year of life,” Ford said.

Some information the devices contain might be obviously useful, like texts, emails, and browser and location histories. But the artificial intelligence will also be looking for patterns in less obvious data that might correlate with suicide risk - things researchers may not have even thought of yet.

Ford said the project is focusing on three questions: who's most at risk for suicide, whether there was a moment when the person was actively seeking or was receptive to help, and how they expressed their desire for help.

The project is just getting up to speed, but it may already be changing some long-held beliefs among suicide researchers, such as the rarity of suicide notes.

“Most research studies in modern times indicate suicide notes happen 15 or 20 percent of the time,” Ford said. “In just looking at our test set, we're finding drafted and deleted suicide notes in at least half the devices.

The digital forensics examiner for the project, Dustin Millado, said these are often in a phone’s notes app or sometimes take the form of an audio or video recording.

“It almost seems like they want to tell somebody what's going on, but they don't really want to tell a person," said Millado. “So that's why they document these things in these notes."

Experts say the project's results could apply to the non-military population, too, with caveats about the differences between the two groups. But they caution against expecting too much from technology.

“Suicide has so many different possible combinations of variables and factors that there are an infinite number of pathways to get there," said Craig Bryan, an Ohio State University professor and a suicide prevention researcher.

He said predictive analytic, large data approaches probably are never going to be able to predict when a specific person is going to attempt suicide. But he said the technology might allow for an approach that he compares to weather forecasting.

“When there's a tornado warning, we don't know if a tornado is going to hit anyone's house in particular at a particular time, he said, "but we know that, hey, the conditions are right, in this county or this city.”

So far, the project has received more than 100 loaned devices that were used by people who died by suicide. Millado - the forensics examiner - handles them with gloves and keeps them in meticulously tracked evidence bags. After he copies the data, he ships the devices back with their contents still intact.

There’s a reason he’s so careful: To people like Amanda Gallagher these aren’t just phones and computers.

“So all of his possessions are really important to me, and they seem like such a limited resource,” Gallagher said. “Like I have to repost the same pictures every year on his birthday, because there aren't any new pictures. If I want to see him with his daughters now, I have to lay one picture on top of the other."

She thinks he’d have been happy to be a part of the project.

“Because it would be exactly the kind of work that he would want to do, because he had a real heart for the soldiers that he worked for and a real passion for data analysis,” she said.

Even though she made copies of the data, she said it was stressful to send the devices away to the Black Box Project. But she said if it helps prevent even one suicide, it's worth it.

“I knew that if there was a chance that another woman didn't have to sit in her child's bedroom and explain to them that their dad wasn't coming home because I was willing to let the phone go, then I should let the phone go,” she said.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 988.

CrisisText Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.

This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans.

Civil War Re-enactors

From Jake Warga | 04:50

A non-narrated portrait of a small group of Civil War buffs re-dedicating a Union veteran's grave in Oregon and reflecting on when our nation, as we understand it, was created. "We have the best country in the world, bar none."

Civilwarpic_small Good for any patriotic holiday: Veteran's, Memorial, 4th of July, Christmas...

Two lengths/Versions
4:49 (featuring more voices)
2:02 (fewer)

Orig. Aired Memorial Day 5/25/2009 "All Things Considered" (2min Version)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104521881

WarInVoice Medley

From Bianca Giaever | Part of the WarInVoice series | 03:34

Veterans share their experiences. STATION WARNING: UNBLEEPED swears listed in content advisory.

5901772920_dcffa579e8_o_small Veterans share their experiences

The Memorial Day Parade

From The humble Farmer | 02:38

It is not only the people from away who ask silly questions.

Modelt_small "Can I take this road to Rockland?" "Far's I'm concerned you can."