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Category Archives: pbs mini series

A veteran passes: Quentin Aanenson

So I was thumbing through the pages of the Frederick News-Post this afternoon and noticed a curious obituary. “That’s  Quentin Aanenson,” I thought. Those who viewed Ken Burns’ The War know that Aanenson played a key role in that narrative.  A more detailed article about his death is here from a Minnesota paper.  The link is worth […]

More on The War by Ken Burns

So it’s been about a year since The War hit PBS. At the time, I did my best to keep up with the series as it ran, but technology (as in a crappy VCR) foiled my attempt to watch it all straight through. At the time, I ended up missing the last episode (“A World […]

Carrier on PBS

Not WW2 related, I know, but it’s been an interesting ride seeing all the different views aboard the USS Nimitz. Check the Carrier web site on PBS for details.

Joe Medicine Crow

Some readers of this sight may remember Joe Medicine Crow from Ken Burns’ The War.  His story certainly added to the drama of the series, in telling how he fulfilled the requirements to become a chief: “touch a living enemy soldier; disarm an enemy; lead a successful war party; and steal an enemy’s horse” (source).  […]

The War, Episode 6

Episode 6 marks a high point for me in the series, especially the discussion of Iwo Jima.  All the color footage was amazing to see, mixed in with sound to boot, and that certainly heightened the drama of the descriptions.  Amazing stuff. This is been the surprise of the series for me…the sound of it […]

Don Burgett and The War

If you happened to catch Episode 4 of Ken Burns’ The War (this is the invasion episode), you may have noticed the paratrooper/smashed pumpkin simile, with no author attributed. It was referenced as “one man described it as…”. That one man is Don Burgett, member of the 101st Airborne (A-1st-506), and noted author of four […]

Al McIntosh, Rock County Star-Herald

So I’ve been watching Ken Burns’ epic The War on tape (I mean, who can do 2.5 hours per night?), and checking some of the history forums online to see what folks are thinking. Generally, the tone is positive, but one thing has come up a few times: “some” are annoyed at Burns’ focus on […]

Why We Fight

Viewers of Ken Burns’ The War no doubt noted the reference to Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series in Episode 1. The offerings on youtube are pretty scant, though there is one clip, likely from early in the series, where all the setup is taking place. Note the emphasis on different religions in uniting against […]

The War in the Washington Post

Two articles on Ken Burns’ The War appeared in today’s Washington Post. The first is a lengthy review here by Rich Atkinson and the other is a feature-length piece (by Paul Farhi) on one of the men in the documentary, Quentin Aanenson. Both articles aptly set the tone for those ready to wade into Burns’ […]

Ken Burns and The War, #4

You know, I realized that in my previous posts about Ken Burns’ new mini-series, I neglected to post the basics…So here it is, for those surfing in, straight from a PBS press release about the series. It’s getting close. THE WAR will air over two weeks, beginning Sunday, September 23, 2007 (four nights the first […]