With special funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Humanities Council is partnering with West Virginia military veterans to produce a six-part web series titled West Virginia Standing Together: The Humanities and the Experience of War. Lost Valley Studios filmmakers Calvin Grimm and Tyler Miller, both veterans, have completed the first three 30-minute episodes that focus on the experiences of Mountain State veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Episodes include narration, archival film footage, and on-camera interviews with veterans and others.
The West Virginia Standing Together series can be viewed online at www.wvhumanities.org. Episodes to be added in the coming months will feature veterans of the Cold War, the First Gulf War, and post-9/11. According to the National Endowment for the Humanities, veterans of an all-volunteer service corps in which less than 1 percent of the U.S. population serves do not always find their military experiences readily understood by the public at large. “The Humanities Council is grateful for the opportunity to help foster a better understanding of the sacrifices, contributions, and experiences of West Virginia veterans from the Second World War to the present,” said Humanities Council program officer Mark Payne. “Working with filmmakers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan has really benefited this project.”
For more information on West Virginia Standing Together contact program officer Mark Payne at 304-346-8500 or payne@wvhumanities.org.