PBS documentary to focus on W.Va. soldiers and their families

HUNTINGTON -- West Virginia soldiers and family members share stories and personal accounts of deployment in a 90-minute documentary series on "Outlook," West Virginia PBS's weekly newsmagazine program.

In "Bridgeport to Baghdad," which premieres today on WPBY, citizen soldiers of West Virginia's Reserve 459th Engineering Company give personal details about how the war affected them and their families through a series of in-depth interviews, pictures and videos.

"I think people will be surprised at how a soldier's life can be turned upside down by war, and not just the soldiers' lives but their families lives, too," Staff Sgt. Tim Wilfong said.

The documentary is arranged in three parts that will be shown throughout the span of three weeks. Part 1, titled "Citizen," looks into how and why these soldiers signed up in the reserves and their family's feedback upon entering war.

"I've learned how difficult it can be to hold together a family and also the commitment to national service," documentary producer Chip Hitchcock said. "The documentary will be really good for other families so they can see that they're not the only ones going through that."

One of Hitchcock's concerns in making the documentary wasn't about public opinion, but public interest.

"The war should be a part of our daily dialogue," Hitchcock said. "Instead, Americans are said to be turning the channel on the war."

According to Hitchcock, the film is about a controversial topic, but the documentary is about getting the viewer to think, not to sway opinions.

The documentary uses photographs taken from soldiers on the battlefront and from family members back home. "Bridgeport to Baghdad" shows the long distance relationships through letters, pictures and interviews.

"You'll go deep into the lives of the soldiers and their families," Hitchcock said. "It's not just the individual soldier who puts themselves in harms way, it's the whole family."

PBS sound recordists Chuck and Jeremy Kleine wrote and performed original music for the documentary.

Tonight's half-hour episode will begin at 9:30 p.m. The next two episodes will air at 9 p.m. on Nov. 1 and 8.