Ken Burns, the American film documenterian, will air his newest production The Vietnam War tomorrow night at 8 pm on PBS. It will chronicle America's longest war until then, which ended in 1975. The heart of the film will be the interviews with participants in the conflict on all sides. They in turn will focus on the infantryman, the grunts, the riflemen of the day. Alex Kershaw wrote the history of one infantryman from the prior war, the war we won: World War II. The events of that conflict have provided endless fodder for all writers the world over. Mr. Kershaw has written previously about historical events with considerable success. He does his homework; he writes well; and his editors provide excellent control and advice. His most recent effort- The Liberator, is his best effort to date.
All historians know the window is closing on the lives of all participants in the fighting of WW II. The youngest soldiers are in their 90's; actual numbers shrink by the day. His research, which began in earnest less than 10 years ago, just captured enough survivors' accounts to provide depth and truth to his narrative. Mr. Kershaw tells the story of one American whose experience underlined the life of an infantryman on many fronts as America took charge of the Western front in Europe in 1944.
Felix Sparks was a young infantry officer in the US Army. After the war began for the US at Pearl Harbor, the long build up of the military began in earnest. While some offensive operations began in 1942( Solomon Islands and Midway Island), it would be 1943 before serious counter attack would commence. North Africa was the initial point of landings followed by the invasion of Sicily. It was here that Lt. Sparks would taste combat for the first time as a platoon leader in the 45th Infantry Div., a National Guard unit composed of elements from Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Many were native Americans from local tribes.
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