World War II Experience
2 Seasons
This series tells the story of the World War II experience from the veteran point of view. Subjects include the European front, the shame of American internment camps amidst the heroics of the Nisei Soldiers, the experience of concentration camp liberator, and a daughter's memory of a Dad that, to her, embodied the Greatest Generation.
Season II continues the story of World War II experience from the veteran point of view. In this season, we focus on the Pacific Theatre. Stories include a Marine that stormed the beaches in the pacific, the Bataan Death March, one of the first woman marines, and the experience of a Gay Merchant Marine and the founding of the Alexander Hamilton brigade of the American Foreign Legion.
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11:43Episode 1Aldo Giannini: Pacific Theater
Episode 1
Directed by John Giannini
Aldo Giannini fought in the Battle of Tarawa, endured a shrapnel injury, and witnessed the loss of 3,250 U.S. lives. Nearly eight decades later, he wonders if winning the island was worth the price.
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14:37Episode 2Bataan Death March
Episode 2
Directed by Jesse Collier Sutterley
Within hours of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, bombs rained down on U.S. and Filipino forces in the Philippines. After months of vicious fighting, Allied forces surrendered on the island only to be met with a brutal march to P.O.W. camps dotted across th...
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08:39Episode 3Remembering Port Chicago
Episode 3
Directed by Alexander Zane Irwin
In California's Bay Area, a painful memory lingers of the Port Chicago disaster of WWII, when hundreds of the Navy's first Black Sailors perished, and the White officers in charge were protected by the chain of command.
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Merchant Marine Paul Goercke and the Alexander Hamilton Post
Episode 4
Directed by Alexander Zane Irwin
While Merchant Marine veteran Paul Goercke rests with his family in his plot at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, he is survived and remembered by his pioneering American Legion Post 448, the only predominantly LGBTQ post in the nation.
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07:29Episode 5Adele Shimanoff: U.S. Marine
Episode 5
Directed by Hannah Anderson
In 1945, Adele, with the energetic support of her family, joins the U.S. Marine Corps, as part of the large influx of women in the military. This short film tells her story. This series tells the story of World War Two from the veteran point of view. Subjects includ...
