Before the preview screening, Ken Burns made a brief introduction, explaining that his impetus to do the film came from a compelling statistic.
Ken Burns: We're losing 1,000 veterans of WWII a day.
A number of heads nodded in recognition of the dwindling of their ranks. The vets were somber as they watched 30 minutes worth of excerpts from the 14.5 hour documentary, simply called The War. The film clips chronicled events many of them had witnessed, some 60 years ago.
Clip: The Second World War brought out the best and the worst in a generation.
Afterwards, the veterans seemed moved by what they had seen. Former Navy Lt. Regina Heisler said she thinks it's important to document this history for future generations.
Regina Heisler: Because our children don't realize what happened in WWII. Iraq is today, but WWII is history and it's not emphasized anymore.
Burns has received some criticism from Latino groups for the film's lack of any Hispanic-American perspective. Viewers will be able to judge for themselves on September 23rd, when The War debuts on PBS. David C. Barnett, 90.3.