Lt. Governor Carney to host first screening of ongoing World War II oral history film
Wilmington - Lt. Governor John C. Carney, Jr. will join tomorrow with local film director and producer T.J. Healy II to give the first public screening of Project Delaware WWII's Voices of War. The ongoing project is scheduled to be finished in the spring of 2005 and tomorrow's screening will give veterans and others a chance to see the approximately 20 minutes that have been completed thus far.
The screening is set for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 20 at Theater N in the Nemours Building in Wilmington. The event is open to all WWII veterans as well as businesses or groups who are interested in sponsoring the project.
Carney has been working on the project in conjunction with Secretary of State Harriet Smith Windsor and the Delaware Commission on Veterans Affairs, which operates under her leadership. Nenagh Films began filming interviews with WWII veterans earlier this year.
"Sadly, we are losing about 1,500 World War II veterans a day in this country," said Carney. All of these veterans have a story to tell. Many Delawareans haven't heard these stories and that's just not right. Our hope is to create a record of what these brave people have to say and make it available now and for future generations. This film is one way we can do that."
For nearly two years, the Commission on Veterans Affairs has been contacting as many World War II veterans as it could find in Delaware. That process will continue even as work on the film progresses. There are plans to also put each interview conducted on DVD so that researchers can view an entire interview rather than the short vignettes that will appear in the film.
Although it won't be possible to include all WWII vets who participate in the film, they will be part of a printed document that will be compiled in the future. The hope is that both products will be reproduced and distributed throughout the state's school and library systems.
Any World War II veteran or others interested in this project can call the Lt. Governor's Office at (302)577-8787 or (302) 744-4333, or the Commission on Veterans Affairs toll-free at (800) 344-9900.
