Normandy. Guadalcanal. The battles of the Pacific. The regions and cities where men fought and died during World War Two are permanently etched in these veterans’ minds.
On Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Georgia Perimeter College Newton Campus, the public is invited to hear stories directly from those who lived and fought in World War II in the program, “Oral History: Local Veterans and People on the Home Front.” The program is at 2:30 p.m. in Building 2N-1100.
Speaking will be:
• Ambassador Theodore Britton, currently honorary counsel general to the Republic of Albania. Britton is an African American Marine who served in Guadalcanal. Initially, Britton was not allowed to fight in combat because of his race, so he served in several support roles during the war. He was allowed to serve in combat late in the war.
• Fred Wiley, a familiar face to customers of Claude T. Wiley’s General Store in Social Circle. Wiley intimately remembers the day after D-Day, when, as a member of Army Infantry 29th Division, he stormed the beaches of Normandy.
• Grady Spradley, of Oxford, who fought in the European campaign.
Also speaking will be Johnnie Tuck of Oxford, whose husband served in the Army overseas, and Grace Spradley, Grady’s wife. Both women will talk about some of the sacrifices that occurred on the home front during the war.
The program will be moderated by Pat Cavanaugh, publisher of the Rockdale News and general manager of the Covington News.
The oral history program was put together by Chris Moser, GPC Newton communications instructor, as part of the college’s week-long symposium on World War II. Students in his communications class interviewed veterans as part of a service learning project.
“We’re now losing thousands of WWII veterans a day,” says Moser. “With each day that passes, we have less chance to hear their testimony and pay tribute to them for the sacrifices they made to rescue the world from fascism. Whether they were fighting at Normandy or Iwo Jima, or were doing support work in offices, to me they’re all heroes to whom we owe a great debt.”
Moser says his idea for this program was inspired by Ken Burns’ PBS series “The War.” “I decided to bring together some WWII combatants to tell their stories as well as some folks who kept the home fires burning and could describe how the war affected their lives here in our communities.”
After the program, the community is also invited to a special reception for the veterans.
The week of Newton WWII symposium activities kicks off with a special flag raising ceremony and trumpet reveille at 9:45 a.m. Monday, Nov. 7. This will be followed by a welcome reception and talk by members of the Tuskegee Airmen at 1 p.m.
Also on Wednesday, Moser and GPC English faculty member Andy Rogers will give a lecture on the “Psychological Effects of WWII and their Reflections in Literature” in Building 2-N, 1100.
On Thursday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m., Scott McGee, a senior writer/producer at Turner Classic Movies will speak about documentary film, “Why We Fight,” and WWII. The event will also be in 2N, 1100.
All events are free and are open to the public. For information, contact Laura Edmunds at 770-278-1213, or laura.edmunds@gpc.edu
