Student Filmmakers Work on Vietnam War Documentary
Randy Griffith - The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Jun 04, 2008
NORTHERN CAMBRIA - The Vietnam War ended long before they were born, but a group of budding filmmakers hopes to give a voice to veterans who fought decades ago.
"Remembering America's Longest War: Western Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans and the Approach of the Golden Anniversary" is in the final editing stages at Northern Cambria High School.
The premiere of the History-Channel-funded documentary will be held June 15 at Northern Cambria Middle School. A second showing will be July 16 on the Pitt-Johnstown campus.
"When they came home, people didn't even care," co-producer Casey Contres said, reflecting on months of interviews with Vietnam veterans.
A poor reception for many veterans upon their return home has been followed by years of mental-health issues and other problems, co-producer Elaine Zedack said during a break in the editing work.
"The most shocking thing to me was to realize these people are still dealing with this years later, and how it affected their lives," Zedack said.
Both producers are seniors at Northern Cambria, where a team of 17 seniors and one junior spent much of their school year working on the production. Their work was funded by a $10,000 "Save Our History" grant awarded by The History Channel last fall.
The high schoolers interviewed veterans at several locations in Cambria and surrounding counties. They also traveled to Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day weekend with the Rolling Thunder motorcycle organization dedicated to veterans' issues. They filmed veterans visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
They experienced an outpouring of brotherhood, Zedack said.
"They all greeted each other," she said. "As long as they were in Vietnam, they were brothers."
Contres said he was struck by the controversy still surrounding the war – even among those who fought it.
"Even ... today, nobody knows who won," he said. "Some veterans say they won the war, but others don't know."
But the project is more about the vets' experience after returning from Vietnam to western Pennsylvania, said Paul Newman, project adviser and Pitt-Johnstown history professor.
"They talk about their experiences here at home and overseas, and especially their experiences since coming here after the war as western Pennsylvanians," Newman said.
Many of the veterans said that although it was difficult to come forward, they wanted to finally respond to those who called them rapists and baby-killers when they came home, Zedack said.
"That's a total misrepresentation of what these people went over there and sacrificed for," she said.
The two producers, along with editors and director Marybeth Rocco, are painstakingly editing hours of interviews down to create a 60- to 90-minute video that will be entered in several film festival competitions in coming months, Newman said.
The History Channel recognized Newman in April as "Save Our History" Teacher of the Year, but the project had not been completed to enter the channel's documentary competition.
If you go...
What: The debut of the documentary, "Remembering America's Longest War: Western Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans and the Approach of the Golden Anniversary."
Showings: 7 p.m. June 15, Northern Cambria Middle School auditorium; 7 p.m. July 16, Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, Pitt-Johnstown campus.
Admission: Free.
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Copyright 2008 by The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
