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.
Volunteer Records Veterans’ Memories
WILL-AM’s Tom Rogers looks at the work of former University of Illinois professor Bob Espeseth, who is working against the clock to gather oral histories from World War II veterans. Espeseth goes out with his cassette recorder and a list of questions to record the memories of central Illinois veterans before those stories are lost to the world forever. Espeseth’s recordings join dozens of others in safekeeping at the Early American Museum in Mahomet. WILL travels along as Espeseth interviews 87-year-old Ed Gordon.
Audio archives:
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Theodore Freeman of Rantoul
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Freeman was a steward, serving officers in the mess hall on the USS Missouri. But when the enemy struck, he had to man his position on a gun mount and defend the ship. He was on board the USS Missouri when a Japanese kamikaze pilot crashed his plane into the ship very near to where Freeman was standing. He talked with WILL-TV producer Denise La Grassa about the challenges he faced as an African-American on board ship and about the conflict between his life as Pentecostal pastor before Pearl Harbor and his life as a sailor pledged to defend the country.
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.
Oral History Interview: Merlin Taber of Champaign
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Merlin Taber served during World War II, not in the military, but as a conscientious objector in the Civilian Public Service. His Quaker upbringing shaped his decision to seek an alternative to military service. During the war, Taber built roads, fought forest fires, cared for patients in a mental hospital and served as a test subject for medical research. He talks about his experiences—and the reasons for his pacifist response to war.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
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Oral History Interview: Delbert Augsburger of Flanagan
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It was Delbert Augsburger’s boyhood dream to fly planes—and part of his dream came true when be became a crew member on an Army Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress during the latter half of World War II. Augsburger didn’t fly the plane—he was a ball turret gunner, defending his plane from enemy fire during bombing missions over Germany. Augsburger talks about his experiences—and why his pacifist Mennonite background didn’t stop him from enlisting.
RealVideo archive:
Audio archives:
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WILL Outreach Coordinator Kimberlie Kranich on the World War II Stories Project
Aired on Morning Edition interview, May 25, 2007
Dan Simeone talks to WILL outreach coordinator Kimberlie Kranich about the station’s Central Illinois World War II Stories project.
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3