Frank Sandoval was 23 when he was killed in Burma during World War II, but his many letters home to Silvis and his spirit live on in a new documentary to premiere next month in his hometown.
WQPT, Quad-Cities PBS, and Moline-based Fourth Wall Films teamed up to produce a half-hour film, "Letters Home to Hero Street," which will premiere Jan. 15 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. The project was funded by a $30,000 grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
Mr. Sandoval was one of eight men who lived on 2nd Street in Silvis -- now known as Hero Street USA -- to fall in combat in World War II and the Korean War, the most from a single street in America. He joined the Army on Oct. 3, 1942, and served in North Burma with Co. C 209 Engineer Combat Battalion. He was killed in action on June 26, 1944.
"The large amount of documentation and supporting materials is what made the decision for us to focus on him," said Kelly Rundle, director of "Letters Home." "Our soldier was not chosen because he is more important than the other seven heroes, nor more important than others who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice. In 'Letters Home to Hero Street,' he stands in for the seven and for all who have served.
"It's a story unique to the Quad-Cities, but it's a universal story for anyone who has served," he said. The documentary includes excerpts from 130 letters the family saved from Mr. Sandoval, the last one written in May 1944, a month before his death.
Frank's older brother, Joe (one of 10 Sandoval children), entered the Army in 1944. His company position was overrun on the Bank of the Elbe River near Schonebeck, Germany, and he was reported "missing in action" on April 14, 1945. After an investigation, he was listed as "killed in action" on April 15, 1946, at age 26.
Other Sandoval sons to serve in World War II were Emidio and Tanilo. Mr. Rundle and his wife, Tammy, said Tanilo was a great help in assisting with production of "Letters Home." Santiago Sandoval, the youngest son, served in Korea, came home because of an injury and died in an auto accident just five weeks later. Eddie Sandoval also served in Korea.
Frank was an engineer in Burma, helping to build roads, when the Army needed more troops and he was rushed into combat, fairly unprepared, Mr. Rundle said, adding that his letters to his family had to be translated into Spanish by his siblings at home because his parents did not speak English.
"Frank was a very hard-working person. He worked extra jobs," Mr. Rundle said. "Tanilo referred to him as a workhorse. And he's a prolific letter writer. He fired off letters the way we do emails today."
The holidays were a difficult time for Frank, Mrs. Rundle said. In his letters, "he's very open about his emotions, what he was missing. What was interesting about this project was sitting down and talking with Tanilo and (sister) Georgia, helping us to understand what was going on during the family letter readings."
"Letters Home to Hero Street" stars Eric Juarez, Maya Chavez, Cindy Ramos and Josh Wielenga, re-enacting the writing, sending and reading of the letters.
"It kind of flirts with the boundary between documentary and docudrama," Mr. Rundle said, noting that docudramas dramatize and, at times, fictionalize real events and people. "This is not a docudrama. These are all Frank Sandoval's words."
The family also provided their mother's chair and Santiago Sandoval's dog tags for the filming, and the documentary incorporates World War II archival footage
The WQPT partnership -- led by director of local content Lora Adams and videographer/editor Chris Ryder -- was especially helpful, the Rundles said. The project had to be complete by the grant deadline of Dec. 15.
"It was a great collaboration," Mr. Rundle said. He hopes the short film will boost interest and fundraising in their planned feature-length documentary on the eight "Hero Street" soldiers.
"We're trying to honor them all," Ms. Adams said of the short film, adding that Frank Sandoval stands for all of them.
"This was a project that you wanted to get done right," she said, and it's a natural extension of the Moline-based PBS station's "Embracing Our Military" initiative.
Started in late 2013 and running through 2015, it includes special events and monthly programming to support and educate the region about the military, in cooperation with community partners.
Its goals include increasing the number of veterans connecting with local resources and raising the visibility of the military community in the area.
"The reason we were able to pull it off is we did good pre-production, and everyone genuinely liked each other," Ms. Adams said of "Letters Home."
Mr. Juarez's mother, Norma, works at WQPT as a volunteer and brought in a big Mexican feast for everyone on the last day of production, Ms. Adams said.
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/film-brings-hero-street-soldiers-letters-to-life-quad/
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