Iwo Jima documentary says thank-you
to veterans of World War IIBy REBECCA COUDRET Courier & Press staff writer 464-7509 or coud@evansville.net
May 26, 2005Thanks to the work of filmmaker Larry Cappetto, veterans in this area will be honored in style this Memorial Day weekend.
Cappetto will be on hand for the Midwest premiere of his new World War II documentary, "Lest They Be Forgotten: The Battle of Iwo Jima." which will be shown this weekend in Owensboro, KyCappetto will be the keynote speaker at the annual Memorial Day ceremony on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Owensboro Memorial Gardens. The film will be shown Sunday at 8 pm. at RiverPark Center on a large screen on the plaza (indoors if it rains.)
The third in a series of documentaries, "Lest They Be Forgotten: The Battle of Iwo Jima" tells the powerful story of U.S. Marines who landed and fought at Iwo Jima in the South Pacific in 1945. Veterans tell their stories of the battle that took the lives of nearly 30,000 people.
"This is not like most documentaries," Cappetto said. "It's not narrated. The men are the story. We have clips here and there, but this isn't like the History Channel. We have the men telling the stories; their memories of what they went through; what it was like."
As he talked, Cappetto was on his way back to Colorado from a screening of the documentary at a Marine base in California. "That was quite an audience. ... The story is a World War II story, but it's a tribute to all veterans of all wars."
To do the documentary, Cappetto talked with 150 Iwo Jima veterans. He has so much information, a second documentary on the same battle will go into production this summer.
"I've spent the last 2½ years documenting and recording stories," he said. "Fifteen hundred of the 'greatest generation' veterans die every day. We have to find and record these stories before it's too late."
The film is, he said, a thank you and a labor of love.
"It's a project I wanted to do to thank our veterans."
He's spent about $75,000 of his own money on the films, using speaking fees to pay expenses to different cities to spread the veterans' words. He also sells DVDs of his works.
The first two documentaries were about D-Day and the landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. Cappetto switched to the Pacific for his third (and upcoming fourth) production.
"It's humbling to learn about the sacrifices these men made. Freedom is not free - it wasn't then, and it isn't now," he said. "I think what surprised me most is that I've found that about 75 percent of the men I've interviewed had never talked about their experiences. This was as special for them as for me.
"It's been an awesome task, a huge responsibility, and one I've loved immensely."
For more information about the weekend events, contact Jerry Crowe or Christy Taylor Chaney at (270) 683-1505. Also, check out Cappetto's Web site at http://www.veteranshistory.org/