Two Classic World War II Documentaries Released on DVD for the First Time

Janson Media today announced the worldwide release of Home Away From Home: The Yanks in Ireland (1 x 58') and Proudly We Served: The Men of the USS Mason(1 x 58'). The films are available from Janson Media for all markets and media platforms. Proudly We Served tells the unprecedented true story of the USS Mason and its crew, while Home Away From Home follows brave American World War II veterans back to the Northern Island lands they served on decades ago. Produced by Kelly Films, the classic documentaries have never before been released on DVD until now. The Home Away From Home and Proudly We Served programs are also available to worldwide Television, VOD, New Media, and Non-Theatric markets.

In Home Away From Home, music, myth, and memory mix as one of the last great untold World War II stories unfolds against an Irish landscape. Three hundred thousand American servicemen and women served in Northern Ireland from 1942 to 1945. History has forgotten much of the efforts of U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen, but the people still remember. And now GIs themselves return to Northern Ireland to complete the tale.

Introduced by Walter Cronkite, who was himself a &'Yank in Ireland,&' the program follows World War II veterans back to their &'Home Away From Home.&' Secrets are revealed and old loves renewed in these moving stories. Rare photographs and archival film help tell the stories.

Proudly We Served is the thrilling true story of the USS Mason (DE 529) and its crew, the only African-American sailors to take a U.S. Navy warship into battle during World War II. They challenged the segregation of the U.S. Military, fought the Nazi U-boats, and won. As a result of the media attention created by this documentary and its companion book, the crew members of the USS Mason were finally awarded the Letters of Commendation which they were recommended for in 1944, but had not received for 50 years.

Narrated by actor Ossie Davis, the film interweaves the personal stories of individual crew members with archival footage of the ship and crew produced by the Navy. The story inspired the award winning feature film Proud, which also starred Davis in his final movie role.

The response from critics for Home Away From Home and Proudly We Served has been decisively positive as evident in these recent reviews and awards:

Home Away From Home reviews: &'Extraordinarily touching and evocative.&' - Neil Hickey, TV Guide, Film & TV Critic &'Buoyant and utterly charming.&' - Kathleen Carroll, NY Daily News, Film & Television CriticProudly We Served Awards: Winner of the CINE Golden Eagle Award, 1996