Let Freedom Ring: From WWII Veteran to Documentary Filmmaker

As a WW II veteran of five campaigns in France, Belgium and Germany, I have seen much death on the battlefields in Europe — thousands of dead G.I.’s and Germans, as well. It has been determined that our company, the 607th Graves Registration Company, initiated seventeen temporary cemeteries, two of the sites became permanent later after the war. It is estimated that we buried 75,000 soldiers, American and German.

I was just one man of a hundred and twenty five officers and enlisted men of the 607th Graves Registration Company. As a PFC, Private First Class, I and my buddies had the gut wrenching, solemn task of gathering the dead, starting on the Normandy Beach Head at age eighteen, weighing one hundred fifteen pounds… and very immature.

Our company was divided into four platoons, some landing on Omaha Beach on D Day and others on Utah Beach. We gathered the dead every day for eleven months from D-Day until the end of the war in Germany, May 8,1945.

The last cemetery, from which we operated in Eisenach, Germany, was disinterred by us the day after Memorial Day,1945. The war had ended for ALL of us on May 8,1945. For the dead, the true HEROES, it was anti-climatic. I will never forget them! For all too many, the graves bearing Crosses and Stars of David are just THAT. But to me each marker represents a real person, a soldier who gave his life at a young age. A face goes with each Cross or Star of David. A young face.

We had Germans digging the graves to be disinterred, as we re-identified the remains of American soldiers that were transported back to France, Belgium or Holland where they were again buried in temporary cemeteries, as no American soldier would be left in Germany.

I spent another eight months in Germany, some of that time waiting to see if we would have to go to the Pacific as the war still raged on there. It ended three months later when thankfully, President Truman decided to drop the Atomic bomb which although killing many unfortunate, it saved many thousands of American and Japanese lives if the war had gone on.

In early 2006, I was prompted by a retired general, David Grange, who I met in Belgium a few years earlier and a retired colonel, Paul Herbert, who said to me,”It is up to you WW II veterans to educate people in regard to the war.” “Have you ever thought about taking history teachers with you when traveling to Belgium, as you do?” I gave it thought that day and the following day, I called Dr. John Schmitt, the Assoc. Superintendent of Schools in Torrance, CA.

He had been a principal where my kids went to high school. I said, “John, I am going to do a documentary in Belgium, talking with civilians who lost their freedom during the Nazi occupation.” I want to take there, a young history teacher from each of your four high schools, to experience, first hand, the consequences of losing one’s freedom.” He said, “George, I was a military brat. My father, who was in the Air Corps, and my mother are buried in Arlington Cemetery….come in and see me.” (spouses of military can also be buried in National Cemeteries.)

That started me off on a filmmaking career.

I formed a 501 (c) (3) 100% non-profit organization and created a website: Let Freedom Ring.

Now funds had to be raised, which I personally accomplished.

Along with the four teachers… three females and a male… we went to Belgium. I also took with us two combat veterans who had seen a lot of action, including the Battle Of The Bulge, the greatest land battle the U.S. Army has ever fought. I also served there.

Nothing was rehearsed and with the help of Belgian friends, we started filming.

The documentary was called: “Let Freedom Ring…The Lesson Is Priceless.”

It was my daughter’s first hand at directing along with Michael Wunsch of Outpost Worldwide, Lenexa KS, that filmed and edited the documentary.

My daughter had desired to do a film about FREEDOM as she expressed to me when visiting the Normandy Cemetery in June 1994, on its fiftieth anniversary. It was the first time for me to revisit Europe and that cemetery that we initiated on June 6, 1944. I was not interested in going back. She, her brother and my fiancee…now my wife… urged me to go back which was fifty years later. I am glad that I did. It was like “closure” for me.

My children’s’ mother passed away in 1981 when they were aged eleven and ten, respectively….. I had never spoken much to my late wife about my wartime experiences.

In 2007, a year after doing my first film, I thought why not do another documentary, this time in France where I participated during the Normandy Invasion.

I again personally raised the funds to do another documentary, this time with three combat veterans who landed on D-Day and two high school history teachers…a female and a male, a young female journalist and a male high school student. Again, as with the first documentary, the teachers heard stories from the citizens who lived during the Nazi occupation and heard us veterans’ experiences as well.

That documentary was called: “Let Freedom Ring….Memories Of France.”

These documentaries were done to educate our youth on the sacrifices made by young people, many not much older than they, to stress the importance of FREEDOM and more specifically, the consequences of the LOSS of FREEDOM.

My intention, when funds are available which I am pursuing, is to get these films in DVD format into high schools and hopefully middle schools, eventually. The teachers who were privileged to take part in these films are doing a great job in their respective schools. One of my teachers, Lori Spradlin, has composed a lesson plan that will accompany the DVDs.

Both documentaries have been aired on ninety PBS stations, initially in November 2009, multiple times and again in May 2010, multiple times.

We expect both films will be aired on Military Channel soon, The schedule will be known as soon as a few details are worked out.

Now, I am working on my next film. Those details for another time.

A bientot….til later….as they say in France.

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