NH OUTLOOK, Monday, 5/26/2003
script iconHello script iconTomorrow
script iconPreshow #1 script iconGoodnight
script iconPreshow #2 script iconfounders
script iconIntro Welch script iconTonight 10:00
script iconClark Welsh script iconMonday 10:00
script iconTag Clark Welch script iconIntro Memorial Day
script iconVeterans History script iconMemorial Day History
script iconTag Veterans script iconkey: War / Veterans
script iconIntro Discussion script iconkey: History
script iconDiscussion script iconkey: War / Veterans
script iconIntro Rye History script iconkey: History
script iconRye History Project script iconkey: Youth
script iconWeb Pointer script iconWEB PROMO


script iconHello
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Hello. I'm Allison McNair. Welcome to NH Outlook.
script iconPreshow #1
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In this special memorial day edition.
War, remembrance and honor. A Vietnam veteran is awarded a medal he says is for every soldier who fought alongside him nearly forty years ago.
script iconPreshow #2
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Plus we'll meet the people behind the veterans history project here in the Granite State.
Oral histories passing from one generation to the next.
script iconIntro Welch
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But first, for many soldiers of past wars, remembering fallen comrades is a daily exercise that is rarely shared with others.
But when their stories are told, we learn about history and how events unfolded on foreign battlefields.
There's a soldier from Durham who recently had the opportunity to bring honor to those he fought with in Vietnam. Producer Phil Vaughn brings you his story.
script iconClark Welsh
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Shot of Pentagon
Narr 1 - On April 25 at the Pentagon, a soldier was honored.
Sound from ceremony
Narr 2 - Lt. Colonel Clark Welch received the Distinquished Service Cross -- the country's second highest military honor. He was recognized for saving lives 36 years ago. It happened during an event the Army has tried to forget. Clark has been unable to.
Dip to black
Narr 3 - Durham is Clark's hometown. He graduated from Oyster River High School. At 17, he turned down a West Point education to enlist in the Army. A decade later, in 1967, Clark was in Vietnam.
Clip - "I was a brave soldier…" "We were there…liberate."
Narr 4 - Clark built and commanded Delta Company, a group of young and loyal soldiers.
Clip - "I loved them…good at soldier business."
Narr 5 - Clark's commander was Col. Terry Allen. He didn't know him well, but they fought together on a series of successful battles starting on Oct 8th.
Clip - "Through the 16th things were going well."
Narr 6 - Col Allen planned another attack the next day. Clark had concerns with his orders but Allen was insistent.
Clip - "The order was tomorrow…ordered us to do."
Narr 7 - For two hours, 142 American soldiers marched their way through suffocating jungle cover. They were heading for Ong Thanh.
Clip - "The lead company radioed back…I thought there were probably 70 of them."
Narr 8 - Clark was wrong. There were 1,400 enemy troops waiting for them. He had the opportunity recently to met with the enemy commander face to face.
Clip - "He said you kept walking towards…walking towards us."
Narr 9 - By that time, the Americans were surrounded and outnumbered 10 to 1.
Clip - "They started shooting at 10…wounded couldn't move."
Clip - "So at 10:15 we were shooting back…massacre."
Narr 10 - By noontime, nearly half of Clark's soldiers were dead. The rest lay wounded on the jungle floor. Clark was shot five times - once through the lung.
Clip - "I never said I would die…I was not going to die."
Narr 11 - So he crawled the battlefield from soldier to soldier, helping those he could.
Clip - "I would help guys…fewer guys to talk to."
Narr 12 - Col Allen lived to witness the mistake he had made.
Clip - "He was with us… … he was dead, I thought good."
Narr 13 - Clark has held tightly on to the rage he felt for his commander that day. He blamed his colonel for what happened on Oct 17, 1967. A few years ago, Clark had the chance to meet the girls he saw on the battlefield that morning.
Clip - "And looking at them…feelings washed away…angry at girl's father."
Narr 14 - And now, thirty-six years later, the time had come for Clark to honor and remember his friends and fellow soldiers.
Sound from ceremony
Clip - "So what this means to me…that's good."
Dissolve to Clark reading poem
script iconTag Clark Welch
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Welsh retired and is living in Colorado after spending years training new soldiers around the world. An Army spokesman tell us he is being considered for the Congressional Medal of Honor.
script iconVeterans History
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The stories of veterans like Clark Welch and millions of others are now being told through the Veterans History Project.
The project was created by Congress to collect the stories and experiences of veterans from World War One to the present. The stories of men and women are being archived at the Library of Congress.
It is believed that some 1500 veterans die every day. Their stories are going with them.
script iconTag Veterans
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A community-wide effort is underway to collect those stories.
script iconIntro Discussion
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Joining us to talk about the efforts here in New Hampshire are Lisa-Marie Mulkern, the Public Affairs and Development Director for the New Hampshire Veterans Home, Charles Safford, a project participant and veteran home resident and Mary Coombs, the librarian at Rye Middle School,
It's gret to have you all with us.
script iconDiscussion
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Lisa-Marie, tell us about the Veterans History Project.
Charlie, you've been interviewed. What was that experience like for you?
Mary, you spear-headed a project at Rye Middle School. Tell us about the program and what you learned.
This is a grassroots project. How does someone go about getting involved?
What does someone need to know about oral history?
Let's look at some of the stories.
Why is it important to capture these stories?
script iconIntro Rye History
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As we've learned from Mary Coombs, the program at Rye Middle School was a success.
Friday, the students who participated in the project met with the Veterans they interviewed to thank each other for the stories and lessons learned.
OUTCUE - "It's nice to be remembered"
script iconRye History Project
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For a school project, students at Rye Middle School have been collecting oral histories from local veterans for the Veteran's History Project. The oral accounts, once collected, are housed in the Library of Congress.
Rye Middle school invited the veterans who participated in the project to their Memorial Day assembly. Following the assembly, the students and veterans retreated to the library and shared some more stories.
script iconWeb Pointer
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For more information on our program, streaming video, links to our guests and interviews and to tell us what's on your mind in our discussion forum, visit our website at nhptv.org.
script iconTomorrow
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On the next New Hampshire Outlook -
Internet safety and privacy. Where can you find your name on the world wide web and what can you do to protect it.
script iconGoodnight
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That's it for this edition of our program. For all of us here at New Hampshire Public Television, I'm Ally McNair. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you next time on New Hampshire Outlook.
script iconfounders
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Thanks to our founding sponsors who have provided major funding for the production of New Hampshire Outlook:
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Public Service of New Hampshire
Stratford Foundation
script iconTonight 10:00
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Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook.
Join us for a special Memorial Day Edition.
script iconMonday 10:00
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Monday on New Hampshire Outlook.
Join us for a special Memorial Day Edition.
script iconIntro Memorial Day
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How much do you know about Memorial Day? Producer Chip Neal takes us back to a local cemetary with UNH American Studies Professor and gravestone expert, David Watters.
script iconMemorial Day History
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In this story University of New Hampshire Professor of American Studies, David Watters walks us through the history and evolution of the Memorial Day holiday. We learn how it started after the Civil War as a ceremony to honor the Civil War dead. Then over the years it expanded to include all war dead. It also featured a custom of decorating the graves with flowers and other items. In fact the holiday has also been called "Decoration Day" because of this tradition. Since the holiday started simultaneously in dozens of locations around the country, in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York as the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They claimed a memorial day celebration of their Civil War dead on May 5, 1866. In this story Professor Watters also talks about the changes and trends in gravestone decorations we are seeing recently. Changes that reflect a return to some more ancient traditions of gravestone decorations. Money and broken glass and personal jewlery might be found on gravestones now.
script iconkey: War / Veterans
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NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 5/26/03 22:00
HOST: Allison McNair Length: 9:00 minutes
In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly news magazine, in this program, a special memorial day program war, remembrance and honor. A Vietnam veteran is awarded a medal he says is for every soldier who fought alongside him nearly forty years ago. Plus we'll meet the people behind the veterans history project here in the Granite State. Oral histories passing from one generation to the next. But first, for many soldiers of past wars, remembering fallen comrades is a daily exercise that is rarely shared with others. But when their stories are told, we learn about history and how events unfolded on foreign battlefields. There's a soldier from Durham who recently had the opportunity to bring honor to those he fought with in Vietnam. Producer Phil Vaughn brings you his story.
PRODUCER/REPORTER: Phil Vaughn NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Clark Welch\Army Lt. Col. Retired
script iconkey: History
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NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 5/26/03 22:00
HOST: Allison McNair Length: 9:00 minutes
In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly news magazine, in this program, a special memorial day program war, remembrance and honor. A Vietnam veteran is awarded a medal he says is for every soldier who fought alongside him nearly forty years ago. Plus we'll meet the people behind the veterans history project here in the Granite State. Oral histories passing from one generation to the next. But first, for many soldiers of past wars, remembering fallen comrades is a daily exercise that is rarely shared with others. But when their stories are told, we learn about history and how events unfolded on foreign battlefields. There's a soldier from Durham who recently had the opportunity to bring honor to those he fought with in Vietnam. Producer Phil Vaughn brings you his story.
PRODUCER/REPORTER: Phil Vaughn NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Clark Welch\Army Lt. Col. Retired
script iconkey: War / Veterans
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NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 5/26/03 22:00
HOST: Allison McNair Length: 15:00 minutes
In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly news magazine, in this program, a special memorial day program war, remembrance and honor. The stories of veterans like Clark Welch and millions of others are now being told through the Veterans History Project. The project was created by Congress to collect the stories and experiences of veterans from World War One to the present. The stories of men and women are being archived at the Library of Congress. It is believed that some 1500 veterans die every day. Their stories are going with them. Joining us to talk about the efforts here in New Hampshire are Lisa-Marie Mulkern, the Public Affairs and Development Director for the New Hampshire Veterans Home, Charles Safford, a project participant and veteran home resident and Mary Coombs, the librarian at Rye Middle School. As we've learned from Mary Coombs, the program at Rye Middle School was a success. Friday, the students who participated in the project met with the Veterans they interviewed to thank each other for the stories and lessons learned.
PRODUCER/REPORTER: Allison McNair, Celene Ramadan NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Lisa-Marie Mulkern\NH Veterans Home, Charles Safford\World War II Veteran, Mary Coombs\Rye Middle School, Amanda Milad\Grade 8, John Rickert\Veteran, Vietnam War, William Ladrie\Veteran, World War II
script iconkey: History
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NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 5/26/03 22:00
HOST: Allison McNair Length: 15:00 minutes
In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly news magazine, in this program, a special memorial day program war, remembrance and honor. The stories of veterans like Clark Welch and millions of others are now being told through the Veterans History Project. The project was created by Congress to collect the stories and experiences of veterans from World War One to the present. The stories of men and women are being archived at the Library of Congress. It is believed that some 1500 veterans die every day. Their stories are going with them. Joining us to talk about the efforts here in New Hampshire are Lisa-Marie Mulkern, the Public Affairs and Development Director for the New Hampshire Veterans Home, Charles Safford, a project participant and veteran home resident and Mary Coombs, the librarian at Rye Middle School. As we've learned from Mary Coombs, the program at Rye Middle School was a success. Friday, the students who participated in the project met with the Veterans they interviewed to thank each other for the stories and lessons learned.
PRODUCER/REPORTER: Allison McNair, Celene Ramadan NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Lisa-Marie Mulkern\NH Veterans Home, Charles Safford\World War II Veteran, Mary Coombs\Rye Middle School, Amanda Milad\Grade 8, John Rickert\Veteran, Vietnam War, William Ladrie\Veteran, World War II
script iconkey: Youth
Return to index of stories...
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 5/26/03 22:00
HOST: Allison McNair Length: 15:00 minutes
In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly news magazine, in this program, a special memorial day program war, remembrance and honor. The stories of veterans like Clark Welch and millions of others are now being told through the Veterans History Project. The project was created by Congress to collect the stories and experiences of veterans from World War One to the present. The stories of men and women are being archived at the Library of Congress. It is believed that some 1500 veterans die every day. Their stories are going with them. Joining us to talk about the efforts here in New Hampshire are Lisa-Marie Mulkern, the Public Affairs and Development Director for the New Hampshire Veterans Home, Charles Safford, a project participant and veteran home resident and Mary Coombs, the librarian at Rye Middle School. As we've learned from Mary Coombs, the program at Rye Middle School was a success. Friday, the students who participated in the project met with the Veterans they interviewed to thank each other for the stories and lessons learned.
PRODUCER/REPORTER: Allison McNair, Celene Ramadan NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Lisa-Marie Mulkern\NH Veterans Home, Charles Safford\World War II Veteran, Mary Coombs\Rye Middle School, Amanda Milad\Grade 8, John Rickert\Veteran, Vietnam War, William Ladrie\Veteran, World War II
script iconWEB PROMO
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Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook.
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