For Immediate Release
November 5, 2007

Lt. Governor Peter Kinder Helps Launch Veterans Video Project

ST. LOUIS – Lt. Governor Peter Kinder joined with other civic leaders today for a unique movie premier at the Missouri Veterans Home in St. Louis, Missouri.

The event features the premier of a new 30-minute documentary, commissioned by the Missouri State Legislature, which includes first-hand accounts of the military experiences of 44 of the home’s resident veterans. The documentary, entitled “Hometown Heroes”, features live interviews with the residents, as well as their period photos and mementos.

The premier is part of the Missouri Veteran Stories project, spearheaded by the Lt. Governor and funded by the Missouri State Legislature. The project employs professional crews to collect high-quality interviews on DVD with hundreds of veterans throughout the state of Missouri. More than 250 interviews have been collected since June of 2007, with hundreds more scheduled for the next few months. Interviews are conducted with men and women from all branches of military service, whose eras of military service range from World War II to present conflicts. The veteran interviews are included in a permanent digital archive, and made available on a new interactive video console located in the State Capitol, as well as through http://www.missouriveteranstories.com/>

The goals of the Missouri Veteran Stories project are:

• to honor the sacrifice and service of Missouri’s Veterans;
• to build an engaging and meaningful resource for Missouri educators and students; and
• to strengthen Missouri communities by sharing the stories of hometown heroes.

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