Bloomington filmmaker's World War I documentary tells of Indiana's heroes of the Great War

World War I's first U.S. soldier to die, Cpl. James Bethel Gresham, was from Evansville, a Hoosier. The first American Red Cross nurse to die overseas, Lottie May Berry, was from Henry County, Indiana. One of the most decorated Indiana soldiers was an African American, Aaron Fisher, from Lyles Station, Indiana. One of the country's most decorated soldiers, Sam Woodfill, from Madison, became Indiana's only World War I Medal of Honor recipient. (Fisher should have received it also, but at that time, that award was never awarded to Black soldiers.)

 "Over There: Hoosier Heroes of the Great War" is a new one-hour documentary that explores these and three other Hoosiers who served in what was known as the Great War. Jo Throckmorton, Emmy Award-winning producer and director from Bloomington, was at the helm directing.  

We forget heroes because time passes; other heroes are born. To keep their memories upfront, we build monuments, erect plaques and name streets.

The most effective way to remember heroes, however, might be by turning their stories into plays and films. The human brain likes stories. Stories stick in our minds. They help us visualize what happened.

"Over There: Hoosier Heroes of the Great War" released to PBS stations

This month, Throckmorton released “Over There: Hoosier Heroes of the Great War” to the Indiana PBS Broadcast Station Network, as well as to stations in Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

The film highlights six soldiers and one nurse from Indiana who served in World War I. It contains historical footage and artifacts as well as real-seeming reenactment footage. 

There are two people who were first to serve and die overseas, as well as five other stories of sacrifice and bravery. Two soldiers are from Bloomington: Pvt. Laurens Bennett Strain was killed in action on June 7, 1918, by a machine gun bullet to the head; Sgt. Ernest Finley Duncan was killed on June 10, 1918. The VFW Post 604 in Bloomington is named in honor of Strain. Duncan received the Croix-de-Guerre and Silver Star for his distinguished service. Ultimately, the film honors all people who chose to serve in the Great War.

Many who have worked to bring the film to production are Bloomington area locals, including its music composer Alex Tedrow.

About the Hoosier soldiers honored in the documentary

Maj. Sam Woodfill was the only World War I Medal of Honor recipient from Indiana. Not only did he survive the war, he was a favorite soldier of Gen. John Pershing.  

"Major Sam was a very modest person, seldom spoke, and always told the truth," said his great nephew Robert Woodfill in an email. "I tried to pattern my life after his character. He was a soldier and only doing what a soldier should do while in the military. He was a straight-arrow, a soldier’s soldier, and would follow the Army’s orders to the T.  Because of his modesty, his exploits and accomplishments are not known nor celebrated, and that is just the way that he would want it."

Second Lt. Aaron Fisher is not only an example of a courageous and loyal person but also an embarrassing example of racial discrimination.  

"Here is a man, a kid when he enlisted, actually, who volunteered to join the U.S. Army to fight for his country despite that country not really seeming to care for him as a person," Throckmorton said in an email. "Fisher's influence, both in leading his fellow soldiers while under attack at the Saales Pass in St. Die, France, to his teaching at Wilberforce University in Ohio, to finishing his career working at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, was immense."

Fisher's actions near Lesseux, France, saved lives and were, to many who have done the research, worthy of the Medal of Honor.  

"This film does not advocate for an interpretation, but rather explains his actions which are part of the official U.S. Army and French Army records, and lets the viewer decide."

Throckmorton makes it a point to provide clear imagery to propel the story.  

"Could we have done the film without going to France? Yes. But we would not have seen the very woods these people walked through, the towns they helped retake from the Germans, the places they were injured and the very spots they were killed and buried."

He said the locations where they filmed in France look eerily similar to Indiana.

"It makes it more visceral, more real and more relevant."

A demanding component of historical documentaries that date back more than 100 years is to find first-hand accounts. That was not possible on this film; all except one of those with first-hand knowledge have died. So Throckmorton and his staff relied on two things: official U.S. Army documents and family stories.

Three soldiers — including Pvt. Charles Harrison Forrest of Veedersburg, Sgt. Louis Carl Rupholdt of Goshen — included in the documentary were Killed in Action (KIA). For two, interviewers spoke with direct dependents.  

Family members integrated records that the film's staff provided from the National Archives with the stories the families had heard growing up. This brought up forgotten memories and facts about the soldier or nurse.

"The family members also provided the most important element of humanizing the soldier, allowing us to remember they were not unlike any of us. Just ordinary people called upon to do extraordinary things," Throckmorton said.

James Silberstein served as producer and a donator for the film. He said the crew would have liked to include additional soldiers and nurses but, for time, had to stop at seven.

The historical footage, he said over the phone, is in the public domain. For part of his research he visited the National Archives in St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

For the reenactment scenes he said Throckmorton acquired unused footage after gaining permission. This part of the action takes place in Pennsylvania with actual soldiers, not actors.

"We also used real battle tanks from World War I," Silberstein said.

According to the website theworldwar.org/learn/women, thousands of women participated in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and the Navy Nurse Corps. By mid 1918, more than 3,000 American nurses served in more than 750 British-managed hospitals in France.

Silberstein talked about the sad case of Indiana nurse Lottie May Berry, who contracted pneumonia on the voyage overseas: "Lottie died four days after she got to France."

When stories have time limits, painful cuts must be made. 

"We have so much more we could tell," Throckmorton said. "Maybe someday those stories will be told. Visit the film's website to view some of the “cutting room floor” material.

About the documentary "Over There: Hoosier Heroes of the Great War"

WHAT: "Over There: Hoosier Heroes of the Great War," the new film from Emmy Award winning producer and director Jo Throckmorton

WHERE TO SEE IT: Available now on PBS stations. View the trailer at https://vimeo.com/394514225. Visit the film's website at www.hoosierheroesofwwi.com

MORE INFO: Jo Throckmorton has been nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. He produced and directed a major film for a museum installation at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France, in 2016. That led to the production of "Over There: Hoosier Heroes of the Great War." He also has received the award for best documentary by the Society of Professional Journalists for his work on “Hard Life.” Find Throckmorton at blueacemedia.com/ and at facebook.com/JoThrockmortonFilmworks/.