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Classifieds

Publication Date: Friday, November 08, 2002

Remembering...

Pleasanton resident Gene Cota, now 70, remembers sitting on a dock at Fisherman's Wharf in 1951, gazing out at the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz while waiting for a ship to whisk him away to the Korean war.

Someone passed by and said to him, "Take a good look. You may never see it again." Cota was one of the lucky ones who made it back safely. But the memory of fellow servicemen who didn't return still lingers in his mind.

"I have flashbacks of people I met and wonder if they're still alive," Cota said.

For many veterans, facing the reality of war is difficult. But their stories are an important part of U.S. history. According to the Library of Congress, 1,500 American veterans pass away each day, which is why in the year 2000 Congress started the Veterans History Project and urgently began gathering veterans' histories.

When Robert Frank, chairman of the Pleasanton-based American Veterans Coalition (AVC), heard about the project he decided to get the local community involved.

"I'd like to help veterans share their stories with their families," Frank said, "and help them explain what they've been through."

With a business background in computer technology, Frank, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, has experience in building Web sites, using computers and operating digital video cameras. All he needed was volunteers.

He first enlisted the help of students but soon realized that this went far beyond the scope of a school project. This endeavor needed regular, committed volunteers to operate the technical equipment and handle the delicate nature of the veterans' past.

"I did find that veterans seem to talk to young people easier," Frank said. "But it's a complicated process. It's not easy. It took too much time to train the students on how to use the equipment."

With the help of fellow AVC members, Frank has been able to start the ball rolling and has begun the process of creating and archiving veterans' histories. But he says they are always in need of additional volunteers, and donations, to keep the project going.

Frank said they are still trying to work out the kinks and streamline the process.

"We're still at the embryonic stages," Frank said.

When California U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher heard of the efforts in Pleasanton, she decided to lend her support.

"During World War II, my dad was stationed at Camp Shoemaker, near where Parks Reserve Forces Training Area is today," Tauscher said. "I think that's why I have been so interested in doing what I can to further the work that's being done in Pleasanton. The stories my dad has told me about being stationed here are fascinating, and I want to be sure stories like his are preserved for our children and grandchildren."

Frank finds the most challenging part of the project is getting veterans to talk.

"Some veterans think, 'Why bother? I didn't do anything important,'" Frank said. But he reminds veterans that they need to realize that just because they didn't go into combat doesn't mean their efforts weren't important.

Pleasanton resident and veteran Pete Epley, 65, knows exactly what Frank is talking about.

"I'm not sure if I want to do my history. I was only in the Air Force for four years, and I never left Denver, Colo.," Epley said. "The vast majority of servicemen didn't see combat or go overseas. But I guess we have to realize that our stories are interesting. Even if we think it's no big deal."

Then there are the "lifers" - people who have spent more than eight years in the military. Frank, who is 62, spent 22 years in the Air Force. He said people who spent so many years in the service might have a hard time trying to condense it into a short video. He suggests trying to decide what you want to tell and why you want to tell it and then summarize it.

Frank said there are also other reasons veterans are reluctant to share their stories.

"First, it's very emotional for veterans to relive their war experiences," he explained. "Secondly, they have a hard time describing things to people without military experience. Also, people might not know the geography and have a hard time understanding."

Once the AVC does find a veteran who is interested in recording his or her history, that person will go through the following process: 1. Fill out the Veterans History Profile Form (available from the AVC in hard copy or on floppy disk). This documents who they are, where they served, what they accomplished, what unit they were in, what state or country they served in, what their skills were, what rank they were, what awards they earned, etc. 2. Send the form and payment to the AVC (regular mail or e-mail). 3. If the veteran is available, a member of the AVC will call and arrange a time for the veteran to come in for an interview. The interview will either be done on camera or it will be made into a digital audio file. 4. The veteran can choose to have old photos, maps or other relevant material scanned and sent to the AVC through e-mail or on a disk. These materials will be added to the veteran's history. 5. The AVC might also add additional information on the video about the geography of where the veteran served, reports about what was going on in the world at the time of service, or links to related Web sites. 6. The veteran receives a CD-ROM with his or her complete history. There is also an option to have the history accessible through the American Veterans Web site: http://www.veteranscoalition.net.

Depending on what the veteran wants as a final product, the AVC offers various prices, ranging from $100-$250. Members of American veterans organizations get a 50 percent discount. The veteran owns the copyrights to the CD-ROM and decides what is done with the history. Some might like to just keep a private CD-ROM for the family, while others might want it to be send to the Library of Congress for storage on its Web site, where it will become part of the public domain.

Frank said that sometime this year he hopes to be raising nonprofit foundation funds to help subsidize the expense to individual veterans.

The AVC hopes to eventually create multimedia histories of veterans nationwide and make the histories accessible through the Web to people who live everywhere. It encourages veterans from World War I through the Persian Gulf wars, and even those serving in Afghanistan, to participate in the Veterans History Project. All branches of the service are welcome - Air Force, Army, Marine Corps or Navy.

A Veterans History Center has been created in the Veterans Memorial Building, located at 301 Main St. Veterans are invited to use the facilities - including a computer, Web cam and microphone - and to donate historical materials.

By posting these digital histories on the Web, it will not only help preserve a part of America's past - it might help veterans like Gene Cota reconnect with those fellow servicemen he has been wondering about for so many years.

Learn more - on Veterans Day

Creating a digital history

"The majority of people wanting to get involved in the project have little technology knowledge," said Stephen Richardson, Gateway store manager. "We show them the computer basics and teach them how to create digital video and photos."

For $99, Gateway also offers a three-hour instructor-led clinic for step-by-step training.

"Being located in the community, we're able to do things like this," Richardson said. "We want to participate and help out where we can."

For more information, contact Gateway Computer at 225-0226.

A more elaborate, professional-quality video is available to veterans through Hot Shots Video in Oakland. Owner Dave Pullman, a former CBS cameraman, serves as a multimedia/video advisor to the AVC and has been assisting with the Veterans History Project. This more expensive option is for veterans who want their project completed faster, want fancier editing, or want to have a longer (life story) video document done.

For more information about Hot Shots Video, visit its Web site at http://www.hotshotsvideo.com or call (510) 562-7755.