Veterans share memories of WWII at film preview

Published 10:50 pm Saturday, August 11, 2007

ARLINGTON – Eddie Picardo never talked about what he did in World War II.

Picardo, who lives near Silver Lake, flew 33 missions as a tail gunner aboard a B-24 bomber during the second half of 1944. But he tucked his memories away after returning to the states, and he got rid of most of his military possessions.

He only kept his flight jacket.

“It wasn’t difficult, it was just over with,” said Picardo, 85. “I didn’t have no reason to talk about it.”

World War II veterans remained silent for years. Now some are speaking up.

On Saturday, Picardo and other veterans of the second world war gathered at the Flying Heritage Collection at the Arlington Airport to watch a short preview of a new documentary series, “The War,” produced by filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.

The graphic, brutal segments of battlefield footage resonated with those who’d seen the horrors of war with their own eyes.

“The storytellers are not long for this world,” said Seattle resident Ralph Jenkins, who flew P-47 Thunderbolts over Europe from April 1944 to May 1945. “This should be passed on.”

The documentary “The War” makes its premiere run from 8 to 10 p.m. Sept. 23-26 on KCTS 9, Seattle’s PBS affiliate.

Also, KCTS 9 is showing a documentary called “The War: Stories from the Northwest: WWII,” to premier at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 and continue Tuesdays and Fridays through early October.

The Burns’ documentary, a seven-part series, tells the story of World War II through the eyes of American men and women who became caught up in the global conflict. The 14-hour film focuses on four cities: Waterbury, Conn.; Mobile, Ala.; Sacramento, Calif.; and Luverne, Minn.

After the screening, veterans were asked to stand up and share their stories.

“If we don’t get these stories told or marked down somewhere, it’s going to be too late,” said Arthur Unruh, 84, who flew 50 missions over Europe in a B-17 bomber.

Unruh, who lives in Arlington, wrote about his experience in the book “The Shadow Casters,” published in 2000.

Ken Burns’ new documentary will present a side of the war that people today may not be aware of, Unruh said.

“You get the death and destruction like it’s showing here, and that’s how it was,” he said. “The public had no idea.”

Picardo, who’d never talked about his experiences, decided to share his memories after an trip to the hardware store in 1996.

As he walked into the store, he noticed a man walking behind him wearing a World War II flight jacket. They started talking, and Picardo told the man he’d served in the war as a tail gunner.

“He said I was unique, and to write about it,” Picardo said.

That year, Picardo stunned his family and friends by writing his own book, “Tales of a Tail Gunner.”

“They had no idea what it was like flying as a tail gunner of a B-24 bomber,” he said. “They said, ‘Boy, you’re lucky.’”

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.