10:34 a.m., May 26, 2007--“The Last Ridge,” a new documentary about the U.S. Army's elite 10th Mountain Division, will be shown at 10 p.m., Monday, May 28, on WYBE 35, a public television station in Philadelphia. Based on a book with the same title by McKay Jenkins, Cornelius A. Tilghman Professor of English at UD, the documentary tells the complete story of the division during Word War II, with an update on its more recent deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The one-hour documentary, narrated by National Public Radio's Scott Simon, opens with footage from Afghanistan and recounts the division's history, beginning with its earliest days as a legendary alpine fighting force. The elite group of soldiers made up of Olympic and recreational skiers, mountain climbers and outdoorsmen underwent two years of extreme training in Colorado before they were sent to Italy to destroy the German blockade that had hampered the Allies for so long.

The 10th Mountain Division helped change the course of World War II in Europe by climbing the steep mountain ridges that were left unprotected at night, which had been left unguarded because the Germans hitherto felt no force could scale the ridge with enough troops and artillery to mount a successful attack.

Abbie Kealy, whose uncle, Stuart Abbott, served in the elite division during World War II, produced the documentary in collaboration with Jenkins, who contributed as adviser and an interview subject. Abbott, who is one of the main characters in Jenkins' book, was killed in Italy toward the end of the war.

“Abbie had always wanted to make a documentary about the 10th Mountain Division, and when she learned of my book, the collaboration become an obvious thing to do,” Jenkins said. “Abbie dug up some terrific images, both video and still photographs, that I had never seen, and I thought I had seen everything regarding this division. She really did her homework. I'm very proud of the work she had done, and honored to have such a good film follow the work I did on the book.”

The documentary weaves together re-creations, eyewitness accounts, three-dimensional animation, Allied and captured German archival footage and newly discovered letters. The film also looks at how the current 10th Mountain Division, which is one of the most deployed units in the entire U.S. Army, is carrying on the legacy, featuring their Afghanistan patrols, comments from soldiers based out of Fort Drum and those recuperating at Walter Reed Army Hospital.

“Many young people today find it difficult to grasp the cataclysmic events of the World War II era; there's nothing in recent history that compares in size and scope of the devastation,” Kealy, who went to Afghanistan to shoot part of the film, said. “The 10th Mountain was a superstar of its time. Today's extreme sports have nothing on them. The 10th invented extreme sports--and then they used that skill and determination in battle.”

The documentary was filmed extensively in Colorado, Italy, Afghanistan and Slovenia, with insights from more than 100 10th Mountain veterans and soldiers.

“With 1,000 World War II veterans passing away daily, the 10th's extraordinary story is one that must be told now by the soldiers who know it best,” Kealy said. “We hoped to make the program of record about the 10th. It's turned out to be a story that transcends time.”

For more information and to order a DVD of the documentary with a bonus track of an interview with Jenkins, visit [www.lastridge.com].

Article by Martin Mbugua