Honoring, Remembering Heroes Through Video

Ask Shirley Bard and she’ll describe herself as an average senior who doesn’t have a lot of patience, but does have a strong sense of determination. Ask the AARP or some of the many war Vets she’s interviewed and they’d probably describe Shirley as energetic, enterprising and even a bit … tenacious.

A retired telecommunications manager with little previous camera or computer experience, Shirley found a way to achieve her goal to support our U.S. troops as well as generations of United States war veterans by interviewing them and creating videos of their histories for the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

“I got started in video editing when I became a volunteer in Big Bear, California, in the mid 1990’s,” Shirley recalled. “I wanted to improve the decision making process of public officials whose intimidating demeanor and decisions were adversely impacting the financial well being of the locals (particularly seniors and retired veterans). I wanted to video actual meetings and show them on local TV before decisions were made. If the public could see for themselves how certain officials operated during public meetings there was hope for change. That’s when the whole scene changed for me. It also suddenly became important to be able to document what was being said at Department of Water and Water Reclamation meetings. And it became critical to be able to record older adult’s stories when they complained about being mistreated when 9-1-1 was called.”

Work To Remember -- Concerned about the trouble veterans have adjusting when they return and that their sacrifices might be forgotten, Shirley Bard joined Project Hope and the AARP’s veteran recovery programs. She taught herself video post production with Pinnacle Studio and has produced a continuing series of DVD videos that will be available to visitors at the U.S. Library of Congress.

Shirley bought her first computer back in 1996, set it up herself, and learned how to use it all by herself. She admits that first year was a blur, sitting down in front of the computer in the morning only to “come to” some time in the middle of the night wondering where the day went, and going to bed to start again the next morning.

“This went on pretty much for months,” recalls Shirley. “I turned the air blue all around my home with the choice words I picked up while trying to learn how to ‘compute.’ My highest sense of achievement during those weeks/months was my ability to withstand the temptation to throw my computer out the window during the learning process. My frustration ran very high at times.”

Still, Shirley admits there are a few benefits to being self-taught, including her well-earned ability (gained through countless hours of trial and error), to understand some of the elements of how a computer works.

“I can now diagnose and fix many of the problems that have come up, and that saves time,” says Shirley. I wanted to become computer literate because of the word processing capability. And, of course, to send and receive E-mails. I have since learned how to research on the Internet, which I do frequently; and of course, I can edit video.”

When Shirley first decided to try creating videos, she had little experience in taking picture with a regular camera, much less a video camera. But that didn’t disuade her and before long, she had recorded her first video interview, leaving her with one thing left to do … edit.

“When I went shopping for movie producing software I had no clue what to look for or what to expect,” admitted Shirley. “I chose Pinnacle Studio 8 because the “box” seemed easy to understand. There were other programs, but Studio just felt right to me, like it would best meet my wants, needs and goals. I took it home; loaded it into my computer and my first production went so smoothly I could hardly believe it.” Because of the initial ease of learning to edit with Studio 8, Shirley became a loyal customer and has since gone through numerous upgrades.

“I’m now using Pinnacle Studio 11 Movie Box Ultimate” said Shirley. “I don’t even consider any of the other editing software packages now. I really like all the ‘bells and whistles’ that Studio has. They’re so much fun to play with. Those tools also help me produce a more professional-looking video, one that’s worthy of the vets I’m working with.”

Working as a volunteer with AARP Chapter 239 Encinitas, California on a program called Project Hope, Shirley’s video memoirs serve a multi-faceted purpose: creating a video history of the personal experiences of generations of war-time veterans, honoring them and their service, as well as providing this generation of war vets with the comfort and hope that comes from knowing that others have survived war, felt the trauma they now feel, and continue to survive and heal.

“Project Hope was originally founded by Dr. Abe Krems, PhD, Retired M. D., to help older adults stay as independent as possible for as long as possible. But since starting the Veteran History recordings a new opportunity has emerged. The opportunity to help San Diego vets find and get mental health services they need from the moment they return home from combat,” explained Shirley. “San Diego has excellent veteran services, but they are not always well-known. If the services are not known about and/or accepted vets can go through unnecessary delays in getting their lives back. Some vets have even survived the rigors of combat only to come home and take their own lives because they don’t understand what they are going through and that there is help. Some apparently would rather suffer and/or die than acknowledge that they have ‘that crazy vet thing,’ as one vet put it. Too many do not even know that there is name for what they are going through, PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. And there is no shame to being human and being traumatized by the horrors of war. Who wouldn’t be? That’s going to be a big challenge with these newest vets coming home from Iraq.”

Dr. Krems and Shirley want to produce future videos that will be used in part to take some of the stigma out of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; hopefully enabling even the strongest soldiers to realize that what they are feeling is human and that getting help to cope with it doen’t make them weak.

“It’s often difficult to avoid getting emotionally affected by the stories,” said Shirley. “Some of these vets were so young to have experienced so much horror. You wonder how they do it. These videos let people see for themselves the vivid memories of 17, 18 and 19-year-old kids who have been thrown into HELL and survived...not just physically, but emotionally. These guys and gals are incredible. That‘s why the finished products must be worthy of them. My secret heart’s desire is to be able to preserve more of these historical memories and better promote them so more people will see them. The new vets coming home from Iraq as well as the older ones from WW2, Korea, Viet Nam, and Desert Storm. Vets are dying every day with their stories never documented.”

His Time – Shirley Bard interviewed Richard Ross Larson Jr., US Navy Submariner (shown above), and produced a mini documentary on his service on the U.S.S. Thresher.

According to Shirley, one of the completed videos is the story of a young 18-year-old mid-western boy who found himself thrown into the middle of the Viet Nam War, barely able to catch his breath before dodging bullets and other “incoming” (a war term meaning incoming attack). The remarkable thing about this Marine is how he came through it all and has been able to function so well, in spite of all the horrors he witnessed.

“Too many others were not so lucky,” Shirley said. “And the families of those who return home with post war symptoms are at a loss to understand what is happening or how to help because often, the vets won't talk about it. Locally, we want to produce a DVD to help everyone better understand why Post Traumatic Stress Disorder happens, what is behind the many times bizarre symptomatic behavior and what can be done to alleviate the problems. I think any efforts we make to produce stigma reducing films can only benefit our service men and women, and should be done as a collaborative effort.”

Armed with a standard digital video camera, a stack of video cassettes and a personal commitment to produce professional-looking videos, Shirley has memorialized the personal war histories of many men and women and will soon have a library dating from the current war, back to an original Buffalo Soldier from the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry. “Each story is so amazing,” said Shirley. “The greatest satisfaction I get is watching the vets’ faces as they watch their story unfold.

The cost of production is born totally by Project Hope. It is a labor of love. In addition to the copy sent to Library of Congress, each vet gets their own free copy as well. The vets and their families love them. It means a lot to them to know that their service and sacrifice is important and will be remembered. Ultimately, we would like to produce quality DVDs to be broadcast over local San Diego TV channels. Just like Ken Burns,” she noted.

Occasionally, one of the finished vet stories are shown during an AARP chapter meeting where, according to Shirley, they’ve been warmly received--not only for their content, but because of the editing and overall production quality of the videos. “I’m just an average person, and an older person at that,” confessed Shirley. “It just proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I’m very determined to finish the things I start, but Pinnacle makes video production easy enough for even ordinary, non-techie types like me to work with. If I can edit video, anyone can.”

Shirley Bard -- sbard@aol.com

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