Scout Captures Hometown Heroes' Stories

Gen. Douglas MacArthur said "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away," but Hillsborough Girl Scout Nicole Rossi is helping make sure Hillsborough soldiers' memories don't fade either.

Nicole is in the middle of a project for Girl Scouts' highest award, the Gold Award, which will create a documentary featuring the memories of Hillsborough veterans of World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and Iraq. So far she's got six interviews "in the can," in filmmaker's parlance, with several more scheduled.

She got started after a trip to Washington, D.C. inspired her, and she introduced herself to several veterans at the Memorial Day Parade in May.

"I've made a bunch of contacts in the township since I started this," she said.

Thanks to help from the mayor's office, Nicole has been able to meet and interview veterans at the municipal building, at their homes and at military offices.

During the interviews, which are videotaped and will be compiled into a feature-film length with photos the vets also provide, Nicole is hearing of the duties and jobs of the veterans.

"You get the up-close and personal story," she said, adding she has learned bits of history she never would have in classrooms and textbooks—including how dull war could often be and who Bob Hope was.

Which is really the point of the whole project—securing the details, stories and thoughts of veterans to be shared with generations to come.

"My goal is to present the documentary to Hillsborough Township by this coming Veteran's Day in November as a tribute to Hillsborough's veterans," Nicole said. "The goal is to have this documentary kept at the library, and to present it to the Board of Education to be used in the school system."

Nicole is getting help with the project from her friends, including Dana Fuchs, and members of her Girl Scout Troop 61098, as well as troop leaders Judy Zobele and Nicole's mother, Lisa.

Any veterans interested in participating in the project and who would like to be interviewed can email Nicole.