Bill Sinden Larry Cappetto, editor and producer of a PBS documentary about D-Day's Omaha Beach, talks with Elgin High School students Wednesday.

Larry Cappetto recently completed the documentary "Lest They Be Forgotten" in memory and honor of veterans who were at Omaha Beach on D-Day June 6, 1944. The documentary was premiered on Veterans Day in Phoenix and Denver. It will be aired on Veterans Day 2004 by PBS in conjunction with the 60th anniversary. The class is currently in the process of interviewing and putting together its own documentary about veterans and their service to their country.

Cappetto was invited to Elgin by Principal Bob Britton after Britton heard that he had traveled to Ohio to attend the funeral for Thomas Wagner, one of the veterans he had interviewed for the documentary. Wagner was a cousin of Clair Zimmerman, husband of Elgin teacher Karen Zimmerman.

Cappetto shared his documentary with veterans of the area who had been honored at the music department's Veterans Day program and then treated to a dinner with Cappetto present on Tuesday night.

Cappetto told the class his motive for doing the documentary was to preserve the history of those who served during World War II and because of his own interest in learning more about them personally.

Bell got the class together and asked them what freedom means to them. They were taped as they sat around and talked about it. With those ideas in hand, they began the task of putting together a documentary on veterans as a class project.

Members of the class have already started their veterans documentary of local residents but listened intently as Cappetto described the technology he used. Students questioned and compared software and technology in their classroom to produce the best quality video possible. He gave the students tips on interviewing, story boarding, shooting and editing and to attain multiple technical skills.

"You are limited by your own ability to just imagine," Cappetto said.

Eric Castle, an interactive media level II student, was full of questions and listened intently as Cappetto spoke. He and Joely Corley are co-editors and producers of the Elgin documentary.

"It was very inspiring from an amateur producer working on his own project," Castle said. "He really gave us a lot of food for thought for our project."

But Castle also had high praise for the guidance of Bell.

"Mrs. Bell has done an excellent job with the interactive media and art departments. She has really helped us. She has met the challenge of having it be an art base rather than just a tech class."

Corley, who has taken art classes since his freshman year, said he was approached by Bell and asked if funding came through for an interactive media class if he would be interested.

"I said yes," he said, adding he had some computer experience before joining the class last year. "I've loved every minute of it."

He said he has also appreciated the way the class has come together to work on their project.

"We got together and each one agreed to serve in their area where they felt most comfortable and what they believed to be their greatest strength," he said. "Some are working the camera, a group sat down and made up a list of interview questions, some are doing lighting, sound and others advertising."

To begin his project, Cappetto said he wanted to focus in on an area with large segments of retirees to begin working on the documentary. He contacted an editor of a paper in Arizona stressing that he was looking for vets.

"A columnist at that paper wrote a column that he was looking for vets," he said. "I got over 100 calls. I couldn't answer the phone calls fast enough."

As he began talking to veterans, Cappetto said, he narrowed his search to those who specifically were on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. He told the class the media is a good place to help get the word out when working on a project and reminded them to consider their local media for their class project.

"It was emotional for me and very emotional for some of the guys who had never told their stories before," Cappetto said. "The D-Day invasion was the largest in our history. Many of these guys who are approaching 80 were 18 or 19 during the war. It really gave me a better appreciation for all veterans."

In the video or DVD, Capetto let the veterans tell their stories. He said he asked them all the same questions in order to have continuity to the story as it unfolded with many of them sharing that in the documentary. For several veterans, emotions are evident in the video.

"In most documentaries, a narrator tells the story," Cappetto said. "That's what was neat about this. I asked the men the same questions. Each one told me something different. I was just able to put in sequence the way things happened."

Castle and Corley are both seniors. Corley hopes to become a producer. Castle plans to pursue a career in fashion design or fashion management. Both said they are grateful for the opportunity to interact with Cappetto and the opportunity for the interactive media class at Elgin.

"I'll be interested to come back in five years to see how far this class has come," Castle said.

"I did learn a lot from him (Cappetto)," Corley said. "Being able to talk with a producer really helped me a lot."

Brenda Donegan: 740-375-5150 or bdonegan@nncogannett.com

Originally published Sunday, November 23, 2003