It's a chance to peek into the lives of the brave men and women from West Virginia who have served in the military throughout the years.

A documentary called "Voices of War" will premiere 7 p.m. May 28 at Emmanuel Baptist Church on Charleston's West Side.

Author Eric Douglas drove more than 2,000 miles, devoted more than 500 hours and interviewed 46 veterans to complete the history project that has evolved into a 48-minute documentary and 200-page book.

He began work on the project in February 2011 when he heard about the Veterans History Project in the Library of Congress.

"I've always been interested in the camaraderie that people in the service have," he said. "There is a connection there that the rest of us can't understand since we haven't been there.

"When I heard that the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress only had 20 oral histories from West Virginia war veterans, I decided to take the project on. I had just moved back to West Virginia after 14 years away and I thought it would be a great way to get involved in the local community again."

He plunged into the project with the goals of submitting recordings to the Library of Congress and giving veterans copies of their respective stories.

Douglas, a West Virginia native who grew up in Cross Lanes, now lives in Pinch. He holds a degree in journalism from Marshall University. He is an author and has worked for newspapers and magazines. He has also compiled documentaries.

While working on his recent documentary, he heard emotional accounts from veterans.

"The first veteran I spoke with was in the Battle of the Bulge," said Douglas, 45. "I ended up literally sitting at his feet on the floor for a while because I was having trouble hearing him. It seemed fitting."

He heard from Vietnam veterans about the way they felt when they returned home to face protesters.

Douglas felt it was important to capture stories from older veterans.

"I've seen a lot of numbers, but somewhere between 600 and 1,000 World War II veterans die each day," he said.

"Less than 10 percent of the men and women who served in that war are still alive. So it shouldn't come as a great shock that one of the men I interviewed for the Voices of War documentary project died before I finished it up."

Eugene Lusk was born Jan. 18, 1925 on Bud Mountain, Wyoming County, and died at the age of 88.

Douglas met him last August at his home in Herndon, where the aging veteran told him about leaving for Europe in 1944. He was trained to load and unload supplies. He saw combat, guarded prisoners and survived to come home. Douglas describes Lusk as a gracious man with an easygoing manner.

"As I worked on the project and interviewed more veterans, I was struck by the similarity in their stories," Douglas said. "Whether they served in Afghanistan or in World War II, their stories were very much alike. They talked about home, family, camaraderie, and doing their duty. They loved their fellow soldiers and felt guilty if they had to leave them behind."

Douglas had a few donors for his Voices of War project, but it was mainly self-funded.

"I would never have been able to complete the project without the help of West Virginia State University Economic Development Center and DigiSo," he said.

The premiere will be free. Donations will be accepted for the Veterans Center on the West Side.

The documentary will be made available to veterans groups around the state to show as a fundraiser for their local organizations. Douglas also will be selling copies of the book, "Common Valor," which includes longer histories about the veterans who were interviewed.

"Voices of War" may be seen 7 p.m. May 28 at Emmanuel Baptist Church at 1401 Washington St. W.

Go to www.booksbyeric.com for more information.

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Information from: Charleston Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.com