Retiree helps document local veterans’ stories

The county’s project was created in 2003, three years after the U.S. Congress created the national initiative to collect audio and video recordings and other artifacts to preserve the memories of veterans and others who participated in World War II and other military conflicts.

Local interviews are stored in the Maryland Room of the C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick and documented by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C as part of the national Veterans History Project.

‘‘These guys [veterans] were just being ignored for years and then [the national project] put a spotlight on them,” Garver said. ‘‘The response from the veterans to having a DVD of their stories is just wonderful, especially for their families to have. Now they are up front and being blessed and that is important to me. We need to look up to them.”

Garver is modest about his own 21 months and 19 days as a member of the Army Quartermasters Corps in Fort Lee, Va., during the Korean War. Spending most of his time in the hospital, Garver said ‘‘when I got out, the war was over, so they had no use for me.”

Returning to complete his studies at the University of Maryland, Garver then spent 35 years as a physicist for the former Harry Diamond Labs, now known as Army Research Labs, in Adelphi.

A few years after his retirement in 1989, Garver, his wife of 50 years, Shirley, and their family moved to Frederick.

In 2003, the avid videographer enrolled in a two-semester video production class at Frederick Community College to help edit his own home videos.

For one of his assignments, Garver interviewed his friend and neighbor, Wes Stewart, a Marine veteran of WWII who fought at Iwo Jima. During a movie night in Garver’s basement, Stewart was looking through an old Time⁄Life book on the war when he spotted a picture of himself, sparking recollections of his service.

Stewart sat for an interview with Garver and the pair even traveled to Washington, D.C., so the WWII veteran could visit the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Once he heard that Frederick County was expanding on the national Veterans History Project, Garver immediately joined the group, offering camera advice he picked up in his college course.

Since then, Garver has helped chronicle more than 200 hours of memories from local veterans, sharing stories often never spoken about before, even to family members.

Garver marvels at the stories he has heard, from Navy sailors avoiding a sea full of land mines heading to Normandy to an Army veteran recalling the experience of sitting behind the controls of a massive tank, ensuring the safety of his fellow soldiers.

‘‘[The project] is here to make sure ... that others appreciate and understand what these guys did for all of us and what they fought for,” Garver said. ‘‘Sometimes, revisionist history screws things up, but we need to remember that these guys bled for us. I sometimes see these guys cry [while recounting experiences] and I feel for them.”

In preparation for his documentary ‘‘The War,” noted filmmaker Ken Burns had members of his staff watch some of Garver’s work.

Priscilla Rall, Garver’s neighbor in the Worman’s Mill area, has joined Garver on a majority of his 100 veteran interviews.

While Rall does the interviews, Garver handles the technical aspects, from setting up lighting to acting as a director, stopping distractions such as ringing phones or noisy refrigerators from hampering the discussion.

‘‘We work as a team,” Rall said. ‘‘... [Garver] has been very, very supportive of me as these can be very emotionally draining on everyone, but he is very respectful of everyone.”

Rall will take over as director of the local Veterans History Project later this month.

Garver said that he will remain behind the camera and handle the technical aspects ‘‘as long as they want me to.

‘‘It is too easy when you are old and retired to sit home and do nothing,” he said. ‘‘This is one area where I can interact with folks in a social atmosphere. The Bible says it is ‘better to give than get’ and I have the time and talent I can give.”

Veterans History Project

To volunteer to record veterans’ stories or recommend a veteran, contact Priscilla Rall at 301-668-1708 or 301-271-2868; or contact Carol Haag at 301-663-5241, ext. 1. For more on the national program, go to www.loc.gov⁄vets.