Filmmaker looking for veterans

By MARK SAGE/Staff

Filmmaker Larry Cappetto teamed up with a network of independent funeral homes several years ago, thinking it might help him find the stories he wanted to tell.
A story about his series of films featuring veterans telling their own stories in their own words was included in the May-June edition of The Bulletin, a trade magazine for members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes.
The magazine made its way to Abingdon member Farris Funeral Service at a time when the funeral home was looking for a way to honor veterans. David Farris said he was attracted to Cappetto’s work because the real men, the ones who fought for Iwo Jima and stormed the beaches at Normandy, did the telling, not Hollywood.
Almost immediately, Farris went online and bought one of Cappetto’s “Lest They Be Forgotten” installments. His plan was to screen Cappetto’s first film, “D-Day, Omaha Beach,” at the Cinemall. His plans changed, though when Cappetto sent an e-mail. Turns out the award-winning documentarian noticed the movie had been purchased and sent a note to the funeral home saying he hadn’t been to this part of the country before and asked if Farris would like to underwrite a trip to interview veterans in the area. A little consideration later, Farris said sure thing.
In Southwest Virginia, Cappetto said he is looking for all veterans, but especially those who lived through the Battle of the Bulge, nurses who served during World War II and Holocaust survivors. Cappetto will be in town, his first time in the state, on Sept. 7-8 to interview a group of pre-selected veterans. Those interested in becoming part of the ongoing series should call the Colorado filmmaker at (970) 254-9262 or e-mail . From there Cappetto will pick a small number for on-camera interviews at the Forest Hills Chapel of Farris Funeral Service, 19415 Lee Highway, Abingdon. The interviews will follow the Sept. 6 Cinemall screening of Cappetto’s first installment of the series, “D-Day, Omaha Beach.” The 10 a.m. movie is free and will be shown in three theaters. For information on how to get one of the 450 tickets, call (276) 623-2700.
In the six years he’s been at it, Cappetto has conducted nearly 600 interviews covering veterans from all the wars – and one with a survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima – and amassed nine documentaries worth of film that has been shown nationwide on PBS stations, public television and at schools.
The work has taken him across North America, Europe and into Japan. The work, he said, is a way to pay back the sacrifices the men and women in uniform have made.
“I’m doing this to thank and honor our veterans for what they’ve done for our country.”
Cappetto said every day is Veterans Day. It’s a full-time job, he said, recording pieces of history. Cappetto described the interview process as a sort of time travel that allows him and his audience to relive the moment with the ones on camera. Some of them, he said, shared their stories for the first time ever with him and his camera.
Cappetto said he’s not after the blood and guts of war. He wants to show the personal side, how that short moment forever altered a person’s life. Still, he admits there is a shock value to the films and the stories. He said watching can be an eye-opening experience.
One of the more shocking things, Cappetto said, is that over the near decade of interviews, not one veteran, even those awarded Bronze and Silver Stars or the Congressional Medal of Honor, has called himself a hero.
“They’re all heroes to me,” he said.
It’s been an emotional ride, Cappetto said. There’s no way to hear 600 dramatic, often traumatic stories and not have it rub off on you. Take the tale of the Iwo Jima chaplain, 91 when he told his story on camera, who recounted having to administer last rites to hundreds of fallen Marines. Or the Utah man who watched his twin brother die on that same island. That story is the one time Cappetto can remember being stunned and shaken.
It’s been a journey where in addition to collecting stories, Cappetto has collected some close friends. He travels to schools with a World War II Navy veteran who landed on Omaha Beach. The work has taught him two things, he said. First, war really is hell. Second, freedom is not free.
So far Cappetto’s work includes films on Omaha Beach, Iwo Jima, Vietnam and Korea. Future installments will feature more World War II tales as well as memories from other conflicts.
If you miss the Cinemall showing, you can order the documentaries through Cappetto’s Web site, http://www.veteranshistory.org.