Post by 2nd Bat on Apr 8, 2009 17:02:14 GMT -5
By Andrea Kjerrumgaard/ThisWeek
Travis Buettner documents stories of World War II veterans for his Web site, www.MyWarHistory.com The hobby began in 2001 when he interviewed his grandfather, Ernest Wolke, an Army and Navy veteran. Wolke's Army uniform hangs in a spare room at Buettner's home.
Local videographer and history enthusiast Travis Buettner has been doing everything he can to preserve the stories and lessons of World War II veterans while there is still time.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 16,112,566 American men and women worldwide served in various armed forces during World War II. Of that number, only 2,306,000 remain alive today.
For the last 15 months, Buettner has collected the biographies of two World War II veterans who are members of VFW Post 7883 in Westerville, along with 26 other veterans in the area, filming them as they describe their experiences during the war. He then edits and uploads the videos to a free Web site, www.mywarhistory.com .
"A project I did in college still leaves a mark on me," Buettner said. "In 2001, I did a 30-minute video of my grandfather's World War II memories. I thought it was good that I was able to do it, but I didn't think a whole lot of it at the time."
Buettner's grandfather, Ernest Wolke, served in both the Army and Navy.
"When my grandfather got sick, I decided I needed to preserve his story for future family generations, so I sat him down and shot hours of footage of him going through pictures and telling his story of everything he could remember," he said.
Buettner said he was able to complete the video and share it with his grandfather shortly before he passed away.
He returned to the project 15 months ago after focusing his efforts on a software engineering career.
"I launched my idea in October 2008; it contains biographies of what I call 'service heroes,' Buettner said. "Most names will not be found in any history book, but to their respective families, the stories are very important."
Buettner said he uses connections he has made with Motts Military Museum in Groveport along with local VFWs to find subjects to interview. After attending a Post 7883 meeting and explaining his plan, Buettner said, the first to approach him was Bob Arn.
A captain in the Air Force during World War II, Arn served in China, Burma and India between September 1942 and December 1948. The Westerville native sat down with Buettner for many hours, and his story can now be found on Buettner's site.
The next interview subject was Army 1st Lt. (Ret.) Robert Sterchie, also from Westerville. Sterchie was stationed as a POW guard and interment camp commander during World War II, serving in North Africa, southern France and Italy between April 1941 and January 1946.
"I really started hearing from people after interviewing those two, and now I've been getting referrals; I think I'm about six deep right now," Buettner said.
Taking the process one step further, Buettner and his wife, Sarah, a history teacher at Westerville Central High School, decided a few weeks ago to include high school students in the task.
"What better way to get kids involved with history than to allow them to touch it?" Buettner said. "Each student picked a service hero, most of which were family members. Students will be getting the opportunity to contact and get to know military service heroes and document their experiences through a multi-faceted and multi-layered technology project."
The Buettners and teacher Katie Walden will help students explore the historical and cultural significance of recording the stories and contributions of veterans, Buettner said. The project will culminate on Memorial Day. The veterans being documented in the project will be asked to come to WCHS where the participating students will present the group with a large quilt comprised of squares depicting each veteran, made by the students, Buettner said.
"That project will be accompanied with thank-you notes. It's just a way for the students to say 'thank you' for their service and to honor them," he said.
With a variety of World War II veterans' stories already documented, Buettner said he is going to continue the project, starting with veterans of the Vietnam War, along with those who lived stateside during such conflicts.
"I've never served (in the military), but I can share the information others have told me," he said. "That's the best thing to do, that's the information I'd like to share with the other veterans."
Travis Buettner documents stories of World War II veterans for his Web site, www.MyWarHistory.com The hobby began in 2001 when he interviewed his grandfather, Ernest Wolke, an Army and Navy veteran. Wolke's Army uniform hangs in a spare room at Buettner's home.
Local videographer and history enthusiast Travis Buettner has been doing everything he can to preserve the stories and lessons of World War II veterans while there is still time.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 16,112,566 American men and women worldwide served in various armed forces during World War II. Of that number, only 2,306,000 remain alive today.
For the last 15 months, Buettner has collected the biographies of two World War II veterans who are members of VFW Post 7883 in Westerville, along with 26 other veterans in the area, filming them as they describe their experiences during the war. He then edits and uploads the videos to a free Web site, www.mywarhistory.com .
"A project I did in college still leaves a mark on me," Buettner said. "In 2001, I did a 30-minute video of my grandfather's World War II memories. I thought it was good that I was able to do it, but I didn't think a whole lot of it at the time."
Buettner's grandfather, Ernest Wolke, served in both the Army and Navy.
"When my grandfather got sick, I decided I needed to preserve his story for future family generations, so I sat him down and shot hours of footage of him going through pictures and telling his story of everything he could remember," he said.
Buettner said he was able to complete the video and share it with his grandfather shortly before he passed away.
He returned to the project 15 months ago after focusing his efforts on a software engineering career.
"I launched my idea in October 2008; it contains biographies of what I call 'service heroes,' Buettner said. "Most names will not be found in any history book, but to their respective families, the stories are very important."
Buettner said he uses connections he has made with Motts Military Museum in Groveport along with local VFWs to find subjects to interview. After attending a Post 7883 meeting and explaining his plan, Buettner said, the first to approach him was Bob Arn.
A captain in the Air Force during World War II, Arn served in China, Burma and India between September 1942 and December 1948. The Westerville native sat down with Buettner for many hours, and his story can now be found on Buettner's site.
The next interview subject was Army 1st Lt. (Ret.) Robert Sterchie, also from Westerville. Sterchie was stationed as a POW guard and interment camp commander during World War II, serving in North Africa, southern France and Italy between April 1941 and January 1946.
"I really started hearing from people after interviewing those two, and now I've been getting referrals; I think I'm about six deep right now," Buettner said.
Taking the process one step further, Buettner and his wife, Sarah, a history teacher at Westerville Central High School, decided a few weeks ago to include high school students in the task.
"What better way to get kids involved with history than to allow them to touch it?" Buettner said. "Each student picked a service hero, most of which were family members. Students will be getting the opportunity to contact and get to know military service heroes and document their experiences through a multi-faceted and multi-layered technology project."
The Buettners and teacher Katie Walden will help students explore the historical and cultural significance of recording the stories and contributions of veterans, Buettner said. The project will culminate on Memorial Day. The veterans being documented in the project will be asked to come to WCHS where the participating students will present the group with a large quilt comprised of squares depicting each veteran, made by the students, Buettner said.
"That project will be accompanied with thank-you notes. It's just a way for the students to say 'thank you' for their service and to honor them," he said.
With a variety of World War II veterans' stories already documented, Buettner said he is going to continue the project, starting with veterans of the Vietnam War, along with those who lived stateside during such conflicts.
"I've never served (in the military), but I can share the information others have told me," he said. "That's the best thing to do, that's the information I'd like to share with the other veterans."