On Thursday evening S.C. Education Television’s "South Carolinians in World War II: A Time to Fight” premiered for Veterans Day featuring portions of an interview conducted with a local veteran of the war.

With about 184,000 South Carolinians serving in World War II, and thousands more who moved here after the war, ETV and The State newspaper partnered together to tell the stories of these veterans in their own words.

The result was a new, three part documentary series.

Episode I, "A Time to Fight," aired at 9 p.m., with a re-broadcast on The South Carolina Channel scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m.

One of the veterans interviewed in the show is county native Spann Watson of Johnston.

Producers of the documentary believe they have recorded the last interview ever given by
Mr. Watson before he passed away in April of this year.

Watson, born in Johnston, S.C., and was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen.

He fought racism in order to even be allowed to be a pilot then flew combat missions over North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He later became a flight instructor in Walterboro.

The documentary begins with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and follows 22 South Carolina veterans through training at The Citadel and Fort Jackson and into the deserts of North Africa and skies over Europe.

Among those profiled in this first installment are:

- Bill Farrow, a Doolittle Raider from Darlington, who was captured and executed by the Japanese

- Doris Brandenburg from Elloree. She graduated from Piedmont Hospital in 1941 and serviced in North Africa, Italy and Southern France with the 42nd General Hospital

- Leroy Bowman, a Tuskegee Airman from Sumter. This Congressional Gold Medal recipient was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group, flying missions over Italy and North Africa

- Russell Meyne, from Irmo, survived Pearl Harbor, and served in both the Pacific and European theatres

- Moffatt Burris, born in Anderson, was a Holocaust liberator who also participated in the invasions of Sicily and Italy. During Operation Market Garden in Holland, he led the amphibious assault across the Waal River made famous in the movie, "A Bridge Too Far"

- Ted Bell, from Columbia, was a Citadel alumni who served briefly in North Africa, but spent most of his time in the Pacific theatre, including the Battle of Iwo Jima

The "South Carolinians in World War II" series is part of a larger effort by ETV and The State newspaper to collect the stories of South Carolina veterans. The second and third episodes will air in 2011.

"This helps preserves the institutional memory of who we are and what we stand for," said executive producer John Rainey. "And it acquaints the younger generation with our past and what their parents and grandparents sacrificed to have the security and prosperity we have today."

"Every day we lose more and more of these veterans," said producer Jeff Wilkinson, of The State newspaper. "It is critical that we capture as many of these stories as we can before they are lost forever. Already, one of our veterans, Tuskegee Airman Spann Watson, has passed on."

More information about the project can be found at http://www.facebook.com/scworldwarII.

"South Carolinians in World War II" was funded in part by Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina.

ETV is South Carolina's statewide network with 11 television stations, eight radio stations and a closed-circuit educational telecommunications system in more than 2000 schools, colleges, businesses, and government agencies.

Also, another ETV production, "The Big Picture", will be shown Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. chronicling the Medal of Honor Convention held in Charleston over the summer.