As the new year approaches, it is common to reflect on
the past. One of our Fellows, Brendan Wentz, worked on an amazing project this year and we wanted to share it with you today. He was able to share his voice to a project bringing some World War II letters to life. Please see the Washington Post below and a Podcast here.
More than a year ago, The Washington Post set out on an ambitious project to sort through hundreds of letters written by four brothers during World War II. At first, it was hard to tell if there was a story at all. Dan Lamothe, a national security writer with The Post, traveled back and forth to Arizona to dig deeper into the letters, meeting with Joe Alosi, who purchased them after a storage unit's contents were abandoned. Lamothe spent hours in a family pizza shop reading them, and Alosi eventually agreed to loan them to The Post, sending them in boxes across the country. The letters were painstakingly sorted, categorized and, in some cases, transcribed by copy aides and reporters at The Post. There were many that were left on the cutting floor. In July, The Post reached out to veterans to voice the letters, and many enthusiastically applied. Five were picked. They shared their own experience of war, and with the help of The Post’s Jessica Stahl and Carol Alderman and Lamothe narrating, brought the story to life in the form of a podcast. We hope many more will come forward to share their stories with us.
It's especially important to remember our military this time of year. We will be visiting the Arlington Cemetery December 16th to volunteer putting Wreaths on each site. Please consider joining us this year for our yearly event, it is a humbling opportunity to reflect and help, volunteer and give back.