Ken Burn's "The War" series starts this Sunday night

Thanks for the heads up. The Civil War by Ken Burns is absolutely the best thing that I have ever watched on television. If you haven't read "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara which was the inspiration for the documentary, please do yourself a favor.

Ken Burns should pick another subject than war.

Ken Burns should pick another subject than war.

Well, my sentiments exactly. But I have 2 males in my house that are just ecstatic about this series.

Ken Burns should pick another subject than war.

Like baseball, jazz, Mark Twain, the Brooklyn Bridge, Huey Long, Lewis and Clark, or more?

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/

I respect your opinion.

Our, America's, wars have defined us as a nation.

Just watched the first episode tonight. Wow.

I watched parts of it last night. This probably should be presented in schools as part of world history. It is too depressing to watch entirely, but I am drawn back to it, in honor of my Dad and ALL the others who saved the world and are truly the great generation!

Ken Burns re-invented historical documentaries. His Civil War series is amazing to say the least.

I cannot remember who said it from that series, maybe it was Shelby Foote, but they said, and I'm obviously paraphrasing, "One simply cannot understand the society of Americans today without first understanding the Civil War."

I believe the same can be said about WWII and it's influence on world society. I don't think Ken Burns has done too much on the history of these wars. I think we have paid too little attention to history.

Like baseball, jazz, Mark Twain, the Brooklyn Bridge, Huey Long, Lewis and Clark, or more?

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/

I respect your opinion.

Our, America's, wars have defined us as a nation.

Just watched the first episode tonight. Wow.

I watched last night the first hour. My little league coach survived the Bataan march. I have another friend whose father survived the same march and was shipped to Japan to work in the copper mines as a slave. It's too depressing to rehash the biggest war of a war filled century. Sadly, this next century continues the proud tradition. I could not be more anti-war. War is worse than crime. It's organized barbarism whose cure exceeds the proposed reason for it's existence.

Thanks for the heads up. The Civil War by Ken Burns is absolutely the best thing that I have ever watched on television. If you haven't read "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara which was the inspiration for the documentary, please do yourself a favor.

I second the rec on "The Killer Angels" it really fired me up for history. I sometimes buy copies and give them away. Not right now of course

I watched last night the first hour. My little league coach survived the Bataan march. I have another friend whose father survived the same march and was shipped to Japan to work in the copper mines as a slave. It's too depressing to rehash the biggest war of a war filled century. Sadly, this next century continues the proud tradition. I could not be more anti-war. War is worse than crime. It's organized barbarism whose cure exceeds the proposed reason for it's existence.

I'm definitely not a fan of war, but it is an integral and important part of our history. Hopefully documentaries like the one that started this thread can help impress upon people how awful and terrible war really is and prevent future conflicts.

And while you're watching, take notice of the soundtrack. Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Sam Bush. Very good!

I watched my first episode tonight. Anyone who suggest that this series glorifies war hasn't watched it yet.

Having said that, WW2 was so different from Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, and Iraq (1 and 2) in every imaginable way that it's impossible to view them in the same light.

Ken Burns re-invented historical documentaries.

On a MUCH lighter note, the menu for the screen saver slide show on my new Apple TV has a control to turn on/off what it calls "Ken Burns effect". That's when it pans and zooms on your still photo to give the sense of motion. ;-)

One of the veterans interviewed in the first episode said that WWII was a "necessary" war. We HAD to participate in it.

Otherwise, we Americans would be speaking German today. When I saw Ken Burns in Atlanta, he related a story told to him by a vet who was watching over some German POWs. One of the POWs asked the vet where he was from. The vet said a certain town in Connecticut (I don't remember the town); the POW said what street did he live on back in his town. The German told him the street crossed over such and such creek. The vet was amazed that this German knew so much about his hometown. Turns out that this POW's future job was to be administrator of the vet's hometown when the Germans took over America.

Watching this series, I am amazed at how much the people back home sacrificed and did without during the war. It was a time when most everyone was involved in this singular effort.

If you know of a veteran from this war, you can participate in an awesome project. Go to this link: http://www.pbs.org/thewar/vet_hist_project.htm

You simply video or even audio record a veteran's experiences from the war. At the link, there are guidelines as to recording a good interview. When you send in your interview, the recording will stored in the National Archives.
I am going with a friend of mine this weekend to interview his 94 year old grandfather who was in the Battle of the Bulge.

Like baseball, jazz, Mark Twain, the Brooklyn Bridge, Huey Long, Lewis and Clark, or more?

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/

I respect your opinion.

Our, America's, wars have defined us as a nation.

Just watched the first episode tonight. Wow.

You beat me to it Happy Camper. He is definitely known more for his war documentaries but all are great.

One of the veterans interviewed in the first episode said that WWII was a "necessary" war. We HAD to participate in it.

Otherwise, we Americans would be speaking German today. When I saw Ken Burns in Atlanta, he related a story told to him by a vet who was watching over some German POWs. One of the POWs asked the vet where he was from. The vet said a certain town in Connecticut (I don't remember the town); the POW said what street did he live on back in his town. The German told him the street crossed over such and such creek. The vet was amazed that this German knew so much about his hometown. Turns out that this POW's future job was to be administrator of the vet's hometown when the Germans took over America.

Watching this series, I am amazed at how much the people back home sacrificed and did without during the war. It was a time when most everyone was involved in this singular effort.

Wow! Gotta admire German efficiency & organization!

The project to record veteran's stories is very cool! Both my grandfathers served, but they didn't talk about their experiences w/ their children & grandchildren, so all I know is that one grandfather was the only midwestern tanker to survive and the other was supposed to be docked at Pearl Harbor, but had a scheduling/duty change and that grandma and her friends moved to New York and threw parties for all of the hometown boys who were shipping out..........and broke every single glass in their rental by the time it was all said and done!

Wow! Gotta admire German efficiency & organization!

The project to record veteran's stories is very cool! Both my grandfathers served, but they didn't talk about their experiences w/ their children & grandchildren, so all I know is that one grandfather was the only midwestern tanker to survive and the other was supposed to be docked at Pearl Harbor, but had a scheduling/duty change and that grandma and her friends moved to New York and threw parties for all of the hometown boys who were shipping out..........and broke every single glass in their rental by the time it was all said and done!

If your grandfathers are still with us, it would be a tremendous experience for you and them to participate in the project.

The thing that is so common among these vets is that they committed truly heroic acts over there, then came home and didn't discuss it. But they will definitely talk about it if we ask them.