Kaitlyn Kushner visits the grave in the Luxembourg American Cemetery where her great uncle, World War II veteran George T. Kushner Jr., is buried.
Newhouse Student Documents Great Uncle’s Story in WWII, 80 Years Later
As rain fell over the Luxembourg American Cemetery last summer, Kaitlyn Kushner ’26 stood before a grave marker bearing a family member’s name she knew little about growing up, her great uncle. He died 80 years ago while serving as a private first class in the U.S. Army during World War II.
George T. Kushner Jr., who fought and survived the Battle of the Bulge during his time in the Army, died on March 18, 1945. Kaitlyn knew that his sudden death from battle wounds “was a devastating loss” and had “generational impacts” on her family.
“Everything in my family was changed by his death and I had this light bulb moment that I needed to do more research on this,” says Kushner, a television, radio and film (TRF) student in the .
Thanks to a “once-in-a-lifetime” study abroad experience through a collaboration between the , Kushner walked the same streets he walked 80 years ago, developing a strong spiritual connection while producing a documentary honoring his life.
Partnering with the World War II Foundation, Newhouse professor Shaina Holmes brings students abroad to assist with the production of documentaries that tell the stories of World War II soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Walking the same locations he walked brought up emotions I didn’t know were possible. I was processing and grieving someone I never knew,” says Kushner, who participated in the . “This was such an impactful journey, and I felt like being in the places where he was helped me get to know and better understand his life.”
Assisting Documentary-Makers in Preserving the Past
On each trip, Holmes’ students serve as production assistants on sets spread across locations that played a pivotal role in the war. Syracuse University was the first higher education institution to partner with the World War II Foundation in the summer of 2022. This summer’s trip to Normandy will be the fifth.
Students work alongside seasoned crews of documentary makers, shooting video, conducting interviews with historians and surviving family members and lending a hand while learning valuable lessons and gaining one-on-one mentorship.
“This is a great educational experience that elevates what they’re understanding from the classroom,” says Holmes, an associate TRF professor. “That’s the purpose of the World War II Foundation, for the next generation to hear these stories and keep these stories alive.”
Holmes says students contribute to between two and three different documentaries while in Europe while also mapping out their own short- and longform content, which can take the form of a documentary, articles, videos on YouTube, photo essays, podcasts or multimedia content for social media.
“The energy and the creative environment working alongside these professionals was just electric and I learned so much working with them,” says Kushner, who wants to help clients bring their stories to life as an account manager at a video production agency once she graduates in May.
A First Hello, 80 Years Later
One of the prized family possessions Kaitlyn carried with her around Luxembourg was a digitized version of the binder containing the letters her great uncle wrote to family back home in Pennsylvania during the war, along with newspaper clippings and photos of George.
Through those letters home, in which George described his movements and the sights he saw along the way while awaiting updates from his family, Kaitlyn was able to “track his weekly movements through Europe.”
“This experience brought him to life for me. I could imagine seeing what he saw when he fought in the Battle of the Bulge,” Kushner says. “I have specific letters where he mentioned certain locations and I was able to go there and picture things as he saw them. I really felt attached to my great uncle, even though nearly a century separates us.”
The most moving and spiritual experience happened when, with some help from Holmes and director of photography Jim Karpeichik, Kushner was granted permission to film in the Luxembourg American Cemetery where her great uncle was buried.
As part of Kushner’s capstone and Renée Crown University Honors Program thesis, she is working with Holmes to turn in her final project, a documentary about the life of her great uncle.
“I got to say my first hellos to my great uncle in his final resting place, and that’s when I took a moment to really feel his presence,” Kushner says. “That was when I felt the closest to him and it was such an existential moment standing in the spot where he was buried and getting to meet him for the first time.”
While applications have closed for this summer’s trip to Normandy, students interested in the 2027 summer trip to Poland can contact (shholmes@syr.edu) or (csbrody@syr.edu).
