“No story lives unless someone wants to listen." ~J.K. Rowling

Every veteran has a story to tell. On Veterans Day, listen. Here are some of the most heartfelt moments from our veterans’ oral history interviews conducted throughout Western Pennsylvania.

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On Veterans Day Listen to Their Stories Local Veterans Oral History Recordings Argot: Audio Short Stories Podcast   Argot: Audio Short Stories Podcast is a collection of creative story vignett…

In 1961 while stationed in Berlin, Ron Potter remembers the Berlin Wall being erected to divide the Allies from the Soviet Union. The Cold War was never more heated. But the Berlin Wall, like the Soviet empire, could not stand forever. Today marks the 30th anniveresary of the day the Wall fell on November 9, 1989.

BACKSTORY
After kicking around for a couple of years after high school, Ron Potter decided to join the Army and get his military service over and done with. It was the dawn of the 60s, the height of the Cold War, and the Soviets were giving the US a hard time over Germany. “It was the military hotspot in the world at the time,” recalls Ron, especially Berlin. That was ground zero.

And that was where he was sent.

Ron’s unit, the 6th Infantry Division, was stationed along the political borderline between the Soviet Union and the US occupied areas of Europe—the fragile thin buffer between the communists and the “free world.” At least that’s how we thought of it back then. One false move on the border—later to become the Berlin Wall—and the world would erupt into WWIII.

Soldiers on both sides pointed their tanks at each other. “We knew we wouldn’t survive any of it,” Ron admits. “It would have been total annihilation. But we were there as a show of force anyway?”

Now the Berlin Wall has come down and Germany is unified. “It’s hard for me to imagine it,” Ron says. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

On May 16, 2015, we filmed our 7th episode of "Veterans and Their Stories" at MCA-TV in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The talk show features interviews with veterans from Moon Township and surrounding communities. Veterans and Their Stories is hosted by Moon Township resident Beth Feather, who is also the MCA-TV community producer for this program. ... See more

On Veterans Day, ask a veteran to share their story.

Every veteran has a story about their service. On this Veterans Day, take time to listen to their story.

Tom Flynn | Hermitage, Pennsylvania

On this day in 1979, the Iran Hostage Crisis began--a diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran. Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage by Iranian students and political hardliners for 444 days from November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981.

On the 100th day of the standoff, Tom Flynn of Hermitage, Pennsylvania decided to erect 100 flags and raise one flag every day afterward until the hostages were freed. At the end, there were 444 flags, one for each day of captivity.

Tom's memorial gained international attention was featured on the cover of Time Magazine. Tom, a veteran of the Army's 101st Airborne Division, died in June 2018.

On episode 33 of Veteran Voices: The Oral History Podcast, we have a conversation with Tom Flynn of Mercer County, and we talk about patriotism, remembering, and preserving stories through his Avenue of 444 Flags and War on Terror veterans memorials in Heritage, Pennsylvania.

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Tom Flynn | Avenue of 444 Flags & the War on Terror Memorial On episode 33 of Veteran Voices: The Oral History Podcast, we have a conversation with Tom Flynn of Mercer County, and we talk about…

"If history were taught in the form of stories,” wrote Rudyard Kipling, “it would never be forgotten.”

We owe a debt of gratitude to PCN and the fine work they are doing to capture, preserve, and share the stories of veterans. Despite the momentary attention oral history projects such as “Voices of Veterans” and our own “Veteran Voices of Pittsburgh” attract every Veterans Day and Memorial Day, there is usually far too little interest from the public in listening and learning from these amazing lived experiences.

Sadly, we are rapidly approaching the end of the WWII generation. The Veterans Administration estimates that by 2306, there will be no WWII veteran alive to tell his or her story. But we must remember this: the Vietnam Era veterans are dying at a rate faster than the WWII generation.

For those of us who do veterans oral history work, we struggle against time and a serious lack of resources to help us record veterans’ stores before it is too late. Yet, we continue to do what we can. Future generations are depending on us. ... See more

This Veterans Day, watch PCN's Voices of Veterans marathon with all new episodes on cable and streaming.

Fritz Ottenheimer was born in Kontanz, Germany. He was able to escape Germany along with his family and come to the United States before the darkest days of the Holocaust. Speaking of the atrocities that the world–and especially Jews–suffered at the hands of Nazi Germany during World War II, Ottenheimer says, “It won’t hurt for people in the future to hear some of these things.”

After coming to America, Mr. Oppenheimer enlisted in the United States Army. He served in Germany as a translator because he was fluent in the German language.

In this video short, Fritz ponders the almost inconceivable notion that millions of German people could have stood by and allowed the Nazis to carry out the Holocaust. ... See more

Let’s face it, it is disingenuous at best for us to say we value the stories of veterans (and others in our community), proclaiming they should be recorded and preserved for history and future generations-–yet, we continue to do nothing.

In our experience doing oral history for a decade, we rarely get second chances with missed opportunities to record oral history interviews.

Unfortunately, as people pass on their voices fall silent; then we can no longer hear their stories in their own words. That’s a loss for all of us.

But it doesn’t have to be this way . . .

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In this excerpt from our veterans oral history interview with Tom Decker of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, Tom talks shares his thoughts about being a war photographer.

WWII Army Air Corps veteran Victor Miesel of Tionesta, Pennsylvania talks about his coming home from the Pacific Islands at age 26. At age 80, Victor realized that his family had never asked him about his service, and then he decided to share his story so that future generations will not forget what he and his fellow soldiers endured.

At the time of this interview, Victor was 94 and he was still telling his story so that future generations will understand the sacrifices veterans made during WWII.

Victor Miesel died in January 2019 at the age of 98. His obituary reads: "Vic loved to help other people and was always willing to offer his advice or service. His last years were spent being extremely proud of his military service and could always be seen wearing his World War 2 Veterans Hat. He loved when people stopped him and thanked him for his service which happens quite often."

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In All Those Years Victor Miesel WWII Army Air Corps veteran Victor Miesel of Tionesta, Pennsylvania talks about his coming home from the Pacific Islands at age 26. At age 80, Victor realized that…