Across Indiana
An American Hero | Classic Across Indiana
Clip | 5m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
World War I veteran Gus Streeter recalls his time in the service at age 105.
Gus Streeter had just turned 105 years old when this 2001 episode was released. He was a World War I veteran who was awarded France's highest military honor, The War Cross, as well as a Purple Heart from Uncle Sam. He was injured by shrapnel, but continued to fight after bandaging himself with his government-issued first aid kit.
Across Indiana is a local public television program presented by WFYI
Across Indiana
An American Hero | Classic Across Indiana
Clip | 5m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Gus Streeter had just turned 105 years old when this 2001 episode was released. He was a World War I veteran who was awarded France's highest military honor, The War Cross, as well as a Purple Heart from Uncle Sam. He was injured by shrapnel, but continued to fight after bandaging himself with his government-issued first aid kit.
How to Watch Across Indiana
Across Indiana is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ Fairytales can come true ♪ ♪ It can happen to you ♪ - [Jerry] Gus is a living legend.
♪ If you're young at heart ♪ - [Nun] A real gentleman.
He always pours the coffee for the ladies at his table.
♪ To be narrow of mind ♪ - [Jerry] He's a holdover from an era that's long gone.
♪ If you're young at heart ♪ - [Jerry] He's 105 years old.
♪ And if you should survive to 105 ♪ ♪ Look at all you'll derive just by being alive ♪ - [Jerry] He embodies things that don't seem to be very much in vogue these days, loyalty and honor, patriotism, standing by your word.
♪ The very young at heart ♪ - [Narrator] World War I Veteran Gus Streeter is a survivor who served his country until the end.
After most of his comrades felt their mission was complete, Gus stuck around through trench warfare, poisonous gas, the stench of death, and the agony of injury.
Gus was determined to finish the job Uncle Sam sent him to do, a mission he says he survived only by the grace of God.
- I was injured by shrapnel in both legs, but being a pharmacist, when I was hurt, I used my first aid kit that Uncle Sam gives me to take care of my wounds because if I'd have told anyone in the field, they'd probably sent me to the infirmary or to the hospital, and I'd be sent home for wounds to serve, in service.
But I wanted to stay there until the end, so I healed my own wounds.
- He made a decision to stay.
He could have fought that war from a stateside hospital bed, and he declined.
- [Narrator] At a time when Gus was free to go, he stood by his country, and that sacrifice may have brought freedom to the world.
He remembers a final mission in the basement of an old cathedral.
- As I hit the floor, I looked up, and I saw hundreds of wires of various colors coming from one ceiling going over to the other ceiling.
And I thought to myself, "Well, this is enemy territory."
So I took my bayonet, cut the wires off the wall there, cut the wires off the wall there.
Well, the following day, I learned that the enemy had surrendered and that they asked for armistice to be signed.
That was November 11th at 11 in the morning, 1918.
It was asked the enemy, why did they surrender?
They says, "All of our communications that were on the wall were destroyed.
We were unable to continue World War I, so we had to surrender."
So I thought to myself, "Did I do that?"
- [Narrator] 80 years after World War I, the country of France bestowed its highest military honor ever on Gus, the Legion of Honor, also known as the War Cross.
- The Croix de Guerre.
I want you to hold it, keep it, honor it, protect it, and wear it wherever you are to show to France that France and the world that France cares for you.
- And he was told to wear it with pride and let people know that France valued him.
And he took that literally, and he wears the medal daily.
- After he got the Croix de Guerre from France, he said, "What about my own country?
Why won't my own country give me something?"
- The Purple Heart Award on behalf- - [Narrator] On November the eighth, 2001, Gus finally finished his business.
He was awarded a Purple Heart.
For almost 83 years to the day, Gus patiently awaited for his country to honor his service, a precious medal for a man who risked it all for the land he loves.
♪ Bless America ♪ ♪ My home sweet home ♪ (crowd applauds) - [Announcer] For more "Across Indiana" stories, go to wfyi.org/acrossindiana.
Video has Closed Captions
St. Patrick’s Day brings fun, but it’s also a celebration of Irish culture. In 1995, Across Indiana (4m 27s)
Video has Closed Captions
In 1993, Across Indiana producer, Titus Rush, visited a Hoosier buffalo farm. (5m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Another Indiana?! In 1994, Across Indiana explored its surprising similarities to our own state. (9m 52s)
Video has Closed Captions
No date on Valentine’s Day? You’re not alone! Let’s revisit 2006 to explore Cupid’s favorite holiday (4m 51s)
Video has Closed Captions
In 1994, David Stoelk visited a Kokomo club where llamas dance too! (4m 26s)
Video has Closed Captions
In 1995, Todd Gould highlighted how Robert F. Kennedy delivered the news of Dr. King’s death. (8m 36s)
Video has Closed Captions
As Trump’s inauguration nears, Across Indiana explores presidents' notable and obscure health issues (7m 7s)
Video has Closed Captions
In this classic episode of Across Indiana Titus Rush explores Ski World in Nashville, IN. (5m 20s)
Video has Closed Captions
An elderly disco sensation shares the secret to his happy life. (5m 51s)
Video has Closed Captions
The moment when Wabash, IN saw the light, before everyone else. (6m 1s)
Video has Closed Captions
The Head of Christ, how an image born from creative desperation went on to reach billions. (9m 54s)
Video has Closed Captions
From a quirky idea to a thriving business: the story behind The Bentcil™ Company. (5m 38s)
Video has Closed Captions
Join Russell Levitt's beer journey in Bloomington on Across Indiana. (4m 38s)
Video has Closed Captions
In this classic Across Indiana we explore the great squirrel invasion in Salem, IN. (7m 38s)
The Music Maker | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Saxophonist Jimmy Coe's fantastic journey from high school grad to jazz legend. (5m 20s)
Video has Closed Captions
From church newsletter to vital Black newspaper, the Indianapolis Recorder's journey. (5m 12s)
Video has Closed Captions
Historian Rea Ferguson uncovers the hidden Black history of Indiana's rural communities. (5m 12s)
Video has Closed Captions
Explore Madam Walker's legacy and the iconic Madam Walker Theatre. (4m 41s)
Video has Closed Captions
Remembering the pottery, simplicity, and unique perspectives of Richard & Marj Peeler. (4m 12s)
The Milkman Cometh | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Dave Stoelk walks in the shoes of one of the last remaining milkmen, Don France. (8m 12s)
Not-So-Modern Medicine | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
The Indiana Medical History Museum holds many oddities from a time long gone. (4m 13s)
Crossing the Language Barrier | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
In this 2006 episode, William Rasdell used photography and technology to celebrate life. (5m 10s)
Video has Closed Captions
Hoosier history at risk! Archivist fights time to save Indiana's past. (7m 42s)
The Swiss Connection | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Berne, Indiana, was established by Swiss immigrants in the 1800s. (4m 17s)
Spirit of the Season | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
In 1994, "Across Indiana" discovered the Twelve Mile Christmas Pageant. (5m 29s)
Murphy's Lore | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Join this Hoosier family in the age-old tradition of picking out the family Christmas tree (5m 17s)
Artist Leigh Dunnington Jones | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Artist Leigh Dunnington Jones makes unusual Christmas sculptures from unwanted materials. (5m 1s)
The Vanishing Hitchhiker | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Across Indiana re-creates "The Vanishing Hitchhiker", a Hoosier urban legend. (2m 55s)
Tell Helen I Found God | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Jack Cooper's words survive tragedy in World War II Pacific. (7m 58s)
The Pumpkin Man | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Check out Pumpkin Fantasyland, one of the country's biggest pumpkin farms. (6m 5s)
Jacoby's Light | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Does a ghost haunt the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre in Indianapolis? (5m 20s)
Haunted Indiana | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
Across Indiana hosts a sampling of Hoosier Halloween stories from around the state. (3m 37s)
Now PlayingAn American Hero | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
World War I veteran Gus Streeter recalls his time in the service at age 105. (5m 46s)
The Indiana War Memorial | Classic Across Indiana
Video has Closed Captions
In this archival story, explore the history of the Indiana War Memorial Plaza. (4m 45s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Across Indiana is a local public television program presented by WFYI