Coming in May and June to American Public Television
"Surrender on the USS Missouri"
Narrated by Country Music Superstar Luke Bryan. Stay tuned!
Luke Bryan
Meet Our Latest Narrators
Emmy Award-Winner.
Jane Lynch will be narrating our upcoming film Women in War: WWII
SingerDarius Rucker will narrating our future film on the Tuskegee Airmen in Italy
Heroes from Foggia: The Tuskegee Airmen.
So excited to be working on another new film with this great American who does so much for all veterans, Gary Sinise. Gary will be narrating Jack Taylor: The Enterprise.
Looking forward to working on another future film with actor Greg Kinnear. Greg will narrate Mountains, Missions and Mules: Italy in WWII.
CBS Sports' Jim Nantzis narrating our latest film Elvis and The USS Arizona.
May 2021
Dear Friends,
We, at The World War II Foundation, hope that you and your family continue to remain healthy.
There is one word, in particular, that I associate with the month of May; that word is honor. Every Mother's Day, I am reminded of the valiant efforts of the women of World War II. Clearly, the women of World War II should be recognized for the unwavering and, often, unassuming role they played in the war efforts. We are thrilled to announce that Emmy-Award winning actress Jane Lynch will narrate our upcoming film, "Women in War: WWII". Thank you, Jane.
There was another opportunity this month to honor those men and women serving in the military as we celebrated Armed Forces Dayon May 20. In fact, a parade, now in its 64th year, commemorates this special day in Bremerton, Washington.
Lastly, as we approach Memorial Day Weekend, it is with honor that we recognize all Americans who died serving in the military. Thank you to the men and women who made the greatest sacrifice.
With sincere gratitude, my colleagues and I at the World War II Foundation appreciate your support and that of our tireless Board and our generous sponsors.
Stay well.
With sincere gratitude,
Tim Gray
President, Founder, and Filmmaker
The World War II Foundation
www.wwiifoundation.org
Our VR cardboard Viewing Sets for Students and Classrooms. Fits a Smartphone.
Virtual Reality -
We just can't stop talking about our virtual reality project.
So excited about the opportunity for you - students, educators, parents - to explore history with a different perspective; it's called virtual reality.
Let's get specific: We know students learn visually. They are at their best in discovering history when they can see it, hear it, and immerse themselves in it.
Here is what you need: A smartphone and a pair of inexpensive cardboard VR goggles, which we provide.
Students will experience a combination of 360-degree videos and archival images. Interviews with veterans and survivors will virtually transport students to places around the world where they will be able to “stand” and look all around important locations, such as Normandy, France (D-Day) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (December 7, 1941 attack), or the woods outside of Bastogne, Belgium (Battle of the Bulge).
They will see the landscape as it appeared in 1941 and 1944. They will hear real interviews from people who were there to experience those very moments of a combatant or a survivor.
It doesn't stop there - students will visit battlefields, beaches, overseas cemeteries, villages, and locations where the war took place.
Virtual reality now makes it possible to discover history like never before. We hope it will even motivate a younger person to actually visit the locations where World War II took place.
Find Us On:
Feature documentary
of the month:
"Eagles of Mercy"
In anticipation of the anniversary of D-Day, we invite you to watch "Eagles of Mercy".
Here's the story:
Two American 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) medics caught in a church in Normandy, France during the opening hours of D-Day. Outside a savage battle raged all around them. The church changed hands several times with American and German forces over-running the village of Angoville-au-Plain. Inside the small church, the wounded wore both Allied and Axis uniforms and civilian clothing. The American medics, Robert Wright and Kenneth Moore of the 2nd battalion, 501st PIR, treated all who were brought into the 12th century Norman church, no matter whether they were friend or foe. Narrated by Tom Kane.
Hope you will wander through these unique moments of World War II. From playing cards to a farewell kiss to women at work, these photos illuminate those "every day moments" during this global conflict.
Check out this line up in 2022!
Disappointed we won’t be in Normandy in 2021, but the 2022 lineup of guests for our June 5 Film & Media Festival is shaping up very nicely!
Scheduled to Attend the 2022 Question and Answer Panel:
Erik Jendresen-Co-Creator, Lead Writer and Supervising Producer of Band of Brothers
Douglas Spain-Actor-Band of Brothers (Tony Garcia)
James Madio-Actor-Band of Brothers (Frank Perconte)
Rick Warden-Actor-Band of Brothers (Harry Welsh)
Robin Laing-Actor-Band of Brothers (Babe Heffron)
Nick Aaron-Actor-Band of Brothers (Popeye Wynn)
Shane Taylor-Actor-Band of Brothers (Doc Roe)
Matthew Leitch-Actor-Band of Brothers (Floyd Talbert)
Ben Caplan-Actor-Band of Brothers (Smokey Gordon)
Tim Matthews-Actor-Band of Brothers (Alex Penkala)
David McCallum-Actor-The Great Escape, Colditz, Man From U.N.C.L.E., NCIS
Rick Atkinson-Pulitzer Prize Winning Author
Will Estes-Actor-U-571 & Blue Bloods
See you in Normandy, 2022.
We work with amazing partners. One of theBEST isWitness to War.They have conducted almost 8,000 video interviews with veterans from World War II through today. All listed on their website and easily searchable by any category. PLEASE check out their website. Can't praise them enough. Link: witnessstowar.org
Ready for a virtual vacation with your children this Summer?
Enjoy the FREE online resources of The World War II Foundation. Take your children on a virtual trip to discover countless locations of significance during World War II. It's easy - click on Google Earth, select your destination and away you go.
Last month, we visited Belgium where we roamed around the untouched countryside once traveled by our WWII veterans. We suggested you watch "Above and Beyond" featuring Jewish-American B-17 Pilot Bruce Sundlun who escaped from Nazi-Occupied Europe in World War II.
A suggestion for this month, let's get ready for the Anniversary of D-Day by exploring Normandy. Imagine yourself walking along Omaha Beach and wandering around the small towns clinging to the beaches of Normandy.
To complement your virtual trip, we suggest you watch "D-Day Over Normandy".
This documentary is narrated by Super Bowl-winning head coach of theNew England PatriotsBill Belichick. The World War II Foundation hired one of France’s top aerial Drone camera companies to film some of the most iconic locations in Normandy from D-Day. You will see spectacular scenes of the landing beaches and battlefields of Normandy, France. The WWII Foundation tells the story of these famous locations utilizing ONLY aerial footage from our Drone camera, along with archival footage from June 6, 1944.
Check this out: This documentary features WWII veterans who will share what they experienced on D-Day. You don't want to miss this one!
Amazing FREE resources are available to students. Hope you will wander around our website. Quizzes with answer sheets are available to you. So easy to access these resources.
The Missionof the World War II Foundation is to develop awareness and appreciation of the many contributions and sacrifices made by the many men and women of the United States military during World War II and to teach current and future generations about the heroic role World War II veterans played in ensuring the basic freedoms enjoyed by Americans today.
CLICK HEREfor a 3D Virtual Tour of the World War II Foundation's Global Education Center.
Please donate and support our non-profit mission. We must continue to educate the younger generation and the public about the personal stories of World War II. Thank you!
501(c)(3) Non-Profit-Federal Tax ID: 27-4793304
American Public Television National Award for Programming Excellence
Meet ALL Our Amazing Corporate and Individual Sponsors & Supporters:
