Stories by Media
Stories by Location
The War, Ken Burns’ seven-part documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, was the most-watched PBS series of the past 10 years. It explored the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective by following the fortunes of so-called ordinary men and women who become caught up in one of the greatest cataclysms in human history.
WILL-TV’s Central Illinois World War II Stories was developed in conjunction with the Ken Burns’ series.
Visit The War web site on PBS.org
Share Your Story
PBS is gathering WWII stories from viewers across the United States. Upload your story to PBS for sharing with all other viewers. If you need assistance, contact Mary Barrineau or Jack Brighton at 217-333-1070.
This project supported in part by:
Clark Lindsey Village
Ecowater Systems
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers #601
Strawberry Fields
Steamatic
WETA
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
WILL Stories
In stories on WILL radio, television and the Web, WILL looks at the war from many perspectives: men in battle on land and at sea, Japanese-American families in internment camps, conscientious objectors, women in the service, African-Americans at Chanute Air Force Base, German POWs in Hoopeston.
Merlin Taber, Champaign, and Delbert Augsburger, Flanagan
Merlin Taber of Champaign and Delbert Augsburger of Flanagan, whose churches opposed fighting, chose different paths when confronted with decisions about going to war. Taber, from a Quaker background, obtained conscientious objector status after being drafted and served in the Civilian Public Service. Augsburger, of Flanagan, comes from a Mennonite background, but he and his brothers went into the military against the teachings of their church.
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3
Guarding U.S. Coastline on Horseback
Rebecca Barber tells about her husband’s service in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Mounted Beach Patrol along Florida beaches. Ralph Barber lived in a barracks in the dunes near the horse stables and kept a lookout for Germans trying to come ashore from submarines.
Oral History Interview: Clarence Berbaum of Champaign
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Clarence Berbaum was drafted into the U.S. Army in February of 1942. He served in Europe with the 100th infantry, famous for being the only fighting unit ever to capture the Voges Mountains in France. Berbaum served as a radio repairman, usually a few miles behind the front lines. His prior experience in radio repair, he explains, saved him from having to fight in the front lines and probably saved his life. He also took video footage of day-to-day life in the Army. Berbaum talks about the overwhelming feeling of depression that affected him and many others throughout the war. He also talks about the dehumanizing effect that war has on soldiers.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3
Oral History Interview: Ralph Langenheim of Urbana, Part Two
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This is the second part of Ralph Langenheim’s oral history interview, and was recorded on August 31st, 2007.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3
USS Indianapolis Survivors Art Leenerman, Mahomet; Don McCall, Champaign; Earl Riggins, Oakland
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When the USS Indianapolis was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1945, only 317 of 1,196 men on board survived. Three of those survivors live in central Illinois. They got together with WILL-TV producer Denise La Grassa to talk about how they survived four and a half days in the water waiting to be rescued while battling sharks, cold and hunger. About 600 men died in the water after the ship sank. All three central Illinois survivors were brought up on farms, and were accustomed to hard work, long days in the sun and difficult conditions. They think it was a factor in their survival. “They had grown up learning to keep plowing along, no matter how tough things got. And that’s basically what they did in the water,” said La Grassa.
RealVideo archive:
Merle Ray “Bud” Mingee, Champaign
In a small brown memo book, he kept a diary about his service aboard the light cruiser the USS Houston, including the fierce Battle of Formosa, in which the ship was torpedoed several times. As an electrician, Mingee worked to keep the ship afloat. Few, if any, U.S. Navy ships operating in the open sea survived such massive underwater damage and flooding. Mingee died in 1963 at age 42, but his children treasure the diary.
Oct. 14, 1944: The order was given to abandon ship. The chief, myself and two corpsmen went below to bring out wounded. We got 3 out. When we got topside again, there was a destroyer alongside trying to get lines over to take off survivors. The sea was so rough she couldn’t do it. Many got panicked and tried to jump to her. About 50 or 60 were mashed in between. I was too busy carrying wounded to be scared or thinking about going over the side.