PBS Series On WWII Vets
Sparks Interest Among Locals
Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal & Guide
The ranks of the over 12 million men and women who were in uniform and served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II (WWII) are slowly being depleted.
The youngest of them are in their mid-70s. The oldest in their late 80s and beyond. But their legacy as warriors who fought in the trenches of Europe and the Pacific to defeat the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan is enduring.
President Bush presented still living members with Congressional Gold Medal.
On September 23, Public Broadcasting began airing a series by Historian Ken Burns that recalls WWII and the contributions of its warriors. Print and broadcast media have aided in promoting the PBS series with personal stories by WWII veterans and their families’ experiences overseas.
G.W.C. Brown, Jr. of Norfolk remembers his days as a WWII warrior. Mr. Brown was a student at Virginia Polytechnic College (now Norfolk State University) in October of 1944 when he got word that he had been drafted. After boot camp, Mr. Brown wound up with the 998th Field Artillery, C Battalion.
His unit was detached to Italy as the Allied forces pushed northward toward Germany.
“We were one mile behind the front lines, firing 105 millimeter rounds at the Germans who were fighting hard as we pushed them back,” recalled Mr. Brown. "These were days of segregation in the armed forces. If you were a first lieutenant and down, you were Black. Anyone above first lieutenant was White. But the Black soldiers did their jobs and did them well. We’d only see White soldiers during R and R. And we were cordial with each other at the USO.”
In the December of 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, Germany’s last offensive effort to slow down American advances, Mr. Brown said the dangers of battle got closer than usual...
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