Movie Screening - The Americans in the Bulge

Movie is FREE and open to the first 250 reservations.

Call 910.643.2773 or 643.2778 for more information

Please note - parental discretion is advised - material is not suitable for all ages.

The Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation brings you the opportunity to tour WW2 European battlefields on Friday, December 1st, and meet some of the brave men who were there.

Doors open at 6pm, the evening features a film screening of The Americans in the Bulge, one of the American Road to Victory trilogy, widely featured on public television this year. A veteran from the Bulge will speak with the audience following the screening. Also participating will be the filmmaker, Richard Lanni, and local historian, Roy “Doc” Heidicker.

This screening is free and open to the public.

Heidi Mehltretter, Executive Director for Livingbattlefield.org, said, “There is something magical that happens when veterans watch these films and then share their personal memories with the audience. No one leaves this experience untouched.” With its fast-paced tour of the battlefields of Europe, the film series engages a wide audience interested in history and travel. Unlike most war documentaries, this series is filmed in the exact locations, and weather conditions, that existed when the actions took place.

The charismatic host of the series is Ellwood von Seibold, a surprisingly agile and energetic 63 year-old who literally runs, climbs and crawls through Europe At many of these stops, von Seibold’s narration is punctuated with short archival clips, re-enactments and interviews from World War II vets sharing their harrowing memories. Recently, Von Seibold was given an honorary rank of Captain in the US Army, for his tireless work to keep American WWII history alive.

 Director Richard Lanni said, “We wanted to create something that would engage, enlighten and entertain, viewers. It is essential that we ensure that the achievements of these great men and women are not consigned to the dusty archives of ancient history.”

 The Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation invites everyone from ages 12 and up to share this momentous occasion. At a time when veterans of World War II are passing at an alarming rate, The American Road to Victory trilogy constitutes an important record of wartime memories.

 The Americans in the Bulge examines the bloodiest and most costly campaign ever fought by US forces. From the frozen Ardennes Forests to Malmedy, St. Vith, and Bastogne, von Seibold shows both the unimaginable conditions these soldiers endured, as well as their heroic efforts to foil the Nazis' plan to encircle and destroy the Allied Forces. Along the way, von Seibold, in his trademark fashion, runs across the fog-shrouded hills and jumps into the foxholes, providing a unique soldier’s point-of-view. In the process he untangles what is perhaps one of the most complex offensives of WWII, and makes it easy to follow and understand.

 This event is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide non profit and affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.