Remembering WWII Veteran George Ciampa

How do you say goodbye to a World War II veteran who became your friend?

Christian Taylor met George Ciampa at a dinner in Normandy. A producer on The Girl Who Wore Freedom told her to look for a World War II veteran who had become a filmmaker, and Christian couldn't find him: the man she was pointed to, in black glasses and a baseball cap, looked 65 or 70, and she couldn't believe it when she heard how old he was. George had served in the 607th Graves Registration Company from Normandy to the end of the war, and at 81 he started making documentaries about the price of freedom. He came on Documentary First for five episodes.

In Episode 215, recorded in January 2024, Christian and Jason Rugg share the news that George died on January 3, 2024, at 98, peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. Christian remembers the first time she met him, his six documentaries and why he stands for her as a representative of everyone who fought and died for our freedom. Then the episode re-airs George's first conversation with the show, Episode 115, in full: his Boston childhood, the Douglas Aircraft plant, Exercise Tiger, landing on Utah Beach, the first temporary cemeteries in Normandy, and the day he broke down and a lieutenant sent him back to work.

The episode opens with Christian's news for 2024, the 80th anniversary of D-Day: a pending deal with Canal+ to bring The Girl Who Wore Freedom to French-speaking countries, a possible deal with American public television, and producer David Paterson's push to get the film into more theaters.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Christian met George Ciampa in Normandy, and why she couldn't find him
• The six documentaries George made after he turned 81
• How a boy from Boston ended up in a World War II graves registration company
• What happened to the 607th Graves Registration Company in Exercise Tiger
• What wading ashore on Utah Beach and starting the first temporary cemeteries was like
• Why the markers in American military cemeteries show no date of birth

CHAPTERS

0:00 2024 and the 80th Anniversary of D-Day

2:10 Remembering George Ciampa

7:16 Born in Boston, One of 10 Children

11:22 From Aircraft Plant to Graves Registration

16:21 Exercise Tiger and an English Family

21:03 Crossing the Channel Under Fire

24:19 Wading Ashore on Utah Beach

29:16 Temporary Cemeteries and a Night in Paris

34:02 Breaking Down and the Price of Freedom

37:53 The Bulge and the 40% Who Stayed

44:48 Coming Home to a Christmas Tree in January

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who was George Ciampa?

George Ciampa was a World War II veteran from Boston who served in the 607th Graves Registration Company, recovering and burying American soldiers from Normandy through Germany. At 81 he began making documentaries about the price of freedom through his nonprofit, Let Freedom Ring. He died on January 3, 2024, at 98.

What documentaries did George Ciampa make?

Christian Taylor lists the six films George Ciampa made: Let Freedom Ring: The Lesson Is Priceless; Let Freedom Ring: Memories of France; Remembering the Fallen Heroes of the Mighty Eighth; They Will Never Forget; America's Finest Ambassadors: Our Armed Forces; and D-Day Veterans Return to Normandy: 75 Years Later.

Is Episode 215 the same as Episode 115?

Episode 215 opens with about seven minutes of new conversation, in which Christian Taylor and Jason Rugg share the news of George Ciampa's death and remember him. It then re-airs Episode 115, George's first interview with the show, in full. George's story continues in Episodes 116, 117, 120 and 121.

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ABOUT THE GUEST

George Ciampa

World War II Veteran and Documentary Filmmaker

George Ciampa was born in Boston in 1925 and grew up in Southern California. He served in the 607th Graves Registration Company from Normandy through the Battle of the Bulge to the end of the war, then spent seven months in the army of occupation in Germany. He later worked for the Los Angeles Times. At 81 he began making documentaries about the price of freedom through his nonprofit, Let Freedom Ring, and shared his stories with students in the United States, France and Belgium. He received the French Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre. George Ciampa died on January 3, 2024, at the age of 98.

Website: http://www.letfreedomringforall.org

ABOUT DOCUMENTARY FIRST

Documentary First is a weekly podcast about the people behind documentaries and how the work changed them. Host Christian Taylor, director of the award-winning The Girl Who Wore Freedom, talks with filmmakers from Ken Burns to first-time directors. Listen Notes ranks the show in the top 5% of all podcasts worldwide.

THE GEORGE CIAMPA SERIES

• Part 1, D-Day and burying the dead in Normandy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeBaBYOxWjg
• Part 2, the Battle of the Bulge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc5I8EbJd-A
• Part 3, the army of occupation and Margot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pg8DCBaIUI
• Part 4, Margot again and his life after the war: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG_KeqThEro
• Part 5, his films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eokgDr_iAGA

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• George Ciampa remembered (The Palm Springs Post, 2024): https://thepalmspringspost.com/life-of-wwii-veteran-and-filmmaker-george-ciampa-to-be-celebrated-in-private-ceremony-sunday-in-palm-springs/
• The Girl Who Wore Freedom: https://geni.us/TheGirlWhoWoreFreedom