November 6, 2009 Southwest News-Herald - Oak Lawn, Burbank, Bridgeview
Former Reavis Student Cites WW II Vets
With Veterans Day coming up, many across the country use this time to remember those who served the United States, and those who are still fighting thousands of miles away.
Mitch Arementrout, a member of the Class of 2009 at Reavis High School, thought of a creative way to honor the veterans who served in World War II. He heard about a project sponsored by the Illinois WWII Memorial Board. He put together a documentary about veterans who served.
“I think it’s an important subject, particularly as we see the WWII generation get a little smaller each day,” said Arementrout, a Burbank resident.
In July 2008, he attended a week-long seminar in Springfield, where he learned how to conduct interviews with veterans, learned how to operate cameras and other film equipment, and learned how to use editing software, specifically for documentaries.
During the past year, Arementrout took advantage of an independent study course in order to dedicate more time to the project.
“The stories these men have to offer bring out a sense of patriotism you never knew you even had,” said Arementrout. “And, cliché as it sounds, it puts a real value on the freedoms we all enjoy today.”
So far he has conducted 21 interviews with WWII veterans who served in all branches of the military, from the Air Force to the Marines. So far, 12 interviews have been turned into complete documentaries.
Including the scheduling, conducting interviews, doing additional research and editing, each documentary could take 30 to 100 hours to complete.
Arementrout helped organize and coordinate three luncheons at Reavis High School, where many veterans were invited to conduct interviews with student groups. At the end of the school year, he hosted a small film festival where he showed highlights from the interviews.
In May 2009, the organizers of the project held a video festival in Springfield. Entries were judged according to content and style. Arementrout, whose documentary highlighted the life of infantryman Harold Henry Pankey, took first place.
Arementrout is currently enrolled at Northwestern University, where he is studying journalism.
“This project has really inspired me to keep up with video production, and I’d definitely like to work on documentaries in the future,” said Arementrout.