Struggle & Sacrifice, Part 1
Check listings for air times

SEGMENT TOPICS:
Veterans History Project, Wayne Gilchrest - Mindy Mintz, reporting
Preserving these extraordinary stories for future generations is the goal of the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project. MPT’s Mindy Mintz shares her own family's story of struggle and sacrifice.

Share A Story Outreach Project - Charles Robinson, reporting
As time goes by, it becomes increasingly important to save and preserve the memories of WWII veterans now, before these valuable memories are lost. The Library of Congress' Veterans History Project (VHP) is making that possible. MPT's Charles Robinson visits a VHP workshop in St. Michaels, where volunteers are taught how to capture and record their family's stories for posterity.

Charlotte Hall - Lou Davis, reporting
Serving those who served: thousands of Marylanders struggled and sacrificed for their country in WWII—some of them are now living at Charlotte Hall, one of the largest veterans homes in the state. Charlotte Hall provides assisted living and long term care for veterans and their families. MPT's Lou Davis introduces us to some of the veterans there.

Holocaust Segment - Jeff Salkin, reporting
Six decades after american troops helped liberate nazi death camps, stories of heroism and the great will of the human spirit are still emerging.

Historian Eleanor Cunningham, The Homefront - Mindy Mintz, reporting
While American soldiers fought the battle overseas, for many citizens at home the fight was part of everyday life. Mindy Mintz shares with us some of her mother's story and those of other Maryland women who fought the war on the homefront.

Struggle & Sacrifice, Part 2
Check listings for air times

Col. Edward Wolf (Ret.) Baltimore, MD The 29th Infantry/D-Day	"You had to improvise a lot of things. For example, some of the landing craft had been used by the British, been used in Scotland and was so badly beaten up we had to put patches on the hull or take the engines out and put some other engines in them to make them go....You did what you had to and that was it."
Dr. William Atwater Director, U.S. Ordnance Museum	"Remember the Depression was going on, and while the army was trying to expand, they were finding it very difficult to do so because there was no money."
Robert Johnson Director, Fort George Meade Museum	"...over 3.5 million men and women passed through here during the war years...And it reached a point during the Battle of the Bulge that the Army Ground Forces replacement depot, which is where infantry soldiers were being trained for replacement duties, the cots in those barracks were being slept in 24 hours a day. You got an eight hour shift and then the next guy came in..."
Hazel Jenkins Colora, Maryland Women's Ordnance Worker	"...women had to come to work....The men had to be replaced; it was just a necessity for the women to move into that and some of them had two days of training; that was it."
Capt. Raymond Haysbert, Sr. (Ret.) Baltimore, MD Tuskegee Airman	"Separate but equal made the Army Air Force very inefficient while the nation was at war. So we felt this was a chance to show our stuff while we defended our country....The record of the Tuskegee Airmen was that we did not lose a single bomber that we excorted due to enemy fire....And that is the record; you can't do better than one hundred percent."

Then & Now, Part 1
Check listings for air times

SEGMENT TOPICS:
Naval Academy - Lou Davis, reporting
Then & Now begins with a visit to historic Annapolis and the United States Naval Academy. MPT's Lou Davis finds out that the Navy has evolved from a fleet of steam-powered ships to high tech nuclear-powered submarines and supersonic aircraft—and it all begins at the academy.

Veteran Pilot, Martin State Airport - Charles Robinson, reporting
From the ground to the air—Martin State Airport began in 1929 as an airplane production facility. Before and during WWII, the Glen L. Martin Aircraft Company in Baltimore County produced the B-10 and B-26 bombers, the China Clipper, and the Martin Mars planes at the facility. MPT's Charles Robinson reports from one of the state’s aviation treasures.

Baltimore Sun Archivist - Yolanda Vazquez, reporting
What role did Maryland newpapers play during WWII? The largest newspaper in the state then and now, The Baltimore Sun, delivered critical information to Marylanders several times a day during the war. MPT's Yolanda Vazquez takes us back in time.

VA Hospital in Baltimore - Yolanda Vazquez, reporting
It's one of the most modern health care facilities in the country, and it’s right here in Maryland: The Baltimore VA Medical Center offers veterans state-of-the-art medical technology, clinical services and research programs. MPT's Yolanda Vazquez takes us there.

Interviews with Schaefer, O'Malley - Lou Davis, reporting
William Donald Schaefer, who is one of the most recognizable names in Maryland politics, is also a veteran of WWII. MPT's Lou Davis sits down with Schaefer and also with Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley to discuss the impact of WWII on their families.

Fort Meade, BRAC, Lt.Gov - Lou Davis, reporting
Fort Meade opened its doors in Maryland back in 1917 and during WWII more than 200 units and over three million men used the facility as a training center. Now it is one of the largest employers in the state and about to expand, MPT's Lou Davis explains.

Then & Now, Part 2
Check listings for air times

Dr. William Atwater Director, U.S. Ordnance Museum	"The ship-building industry was very very important. Remember the U-boats are sinking ships at a tremendous rate....down here in Baltimore they were able to build the Liberty ship....They were mass produced, something no one ever thought we could do....The Germans had no idea we could do that. So we literally out-produced them. We could build more ships than they could sink. And that won WWII."
Alan Clopper Engineer, Fairchild Aircraft Hagerstown, Maryland	"I was in the flight test engineering department at Fairchild in 1942 when the after effects of Pearl Harbor were being felt."
Kurtis Meyers President Hagerstown Aviation Museum	"...suddenly the military needed many, many more and the factory space here was not nearly big enough to handle the capacity. So, what Fairchild came up with was to utilize the business and warehouses within the community of Hagerstown to build the pieces and parts of the airplane, then bring them all together and assemble them at the factory."
Master Sgt. José Ramirez Rockville, Maryland	"I will never forget it because of the fact that I knew what so man had gone through...and I lived for many years with concern that I would leave this life and not have the opportunity to say 'thanks' to my fellow comrades of WWII....I am proud to be an American."
Lt. Col. Alfred Shehab (Ret.) Odenton, Maryland	"....During the period of time we were in combat...unfortunately you do kill....it was my first patrol....I stepped into a fire lane in the woods and there was a German soldier..."

Back to main program page...