Warfighter Outfitters benefit at Cork Cellars

Last updated 12/4/2018 at Noon

Jeannie Gilgenberg Buck's most recent TV project was an emotionally moving experience for her - so much so that she's carrying it forward to assist the locally operated veterans charity Warfighter Outfitters.

Most folks in Sisters know Gilgenberg Buck as co-owner of Cork Cellars Bistro & Wine Bar. She's also a TV editor. For eight weeks recently, she was hard at work in Los Angeles on the Netflix Original documentary series "Medal of Honor," which recounts the stories of men who have received the nation's highest award for valor. Episode 8, "Ty M. Carter" was "her" episode.

U.S. Army Specialist Ty Carter's bravery while wounded and under fire by the Taliban in Afghanistan earned him the Medal of Honor. According to Stars & Stripes magazine, "As enemy forces breached the walls of Combat Outpost Keating during the deadly Battle of Kamdesh in 2009, Carter and his fellow soldiers worked to hold their ground and recover their fallen comrades. Carter was singled out for the award for his effort to save Spc. Stephan Mace, who was mortally wounded and stranded in the kill zone before Carter ran to his aid."

The process of editing the episode was an unusual one for Gilgenberg, who has plied her trade for 28 years. Usually, editors work off of a script. In this case, Gilgenberg was tasked with creating a coherent story out of film footage and interview transcripts.

"They had a bunch of footage and they said, 'Here, do something with this,'" she recalled. "I was lost at first."

Jeannie's husband, Tom Buck, a Marine Corps veteran and co-owner of Cork Cellars, helped with technical advice and also "really helped me a lot to make sense of that story."

The experience of editing the footage was intense, especially since she was dealing with footage that showed the actual attack that took American lives.

"The Taliban actually videotaped their attack," she said. She as working with that footage, juxtaposed with interviews where the subjects grew visibly emotional recollecting the impact of the attack.

"I had to sit there and listen to this chanting (the Taliban crying 'Allahu Akbar!') over and over again - to the point I had to turn it down... A couple of times I had to take a break and walk away because I had tears in my eyes. It was emotional. It was very emotional... I've never worked on something that touched me like that before."

She was so touched that she and Tom knew that after the documentary series dropped on Netflix, which happened last month, they would do something to give back to veterans.

On Wednesday, December 12, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Cork Cellars will host a fundraiser for Warfighter Outfitters. The $25-per-person event includes a glass of wine and appetizers, with all proceeds benefitting the Sisters-based organization that helps wounded veterans by getting them out in the field and on the water for hunting and fishing expeditions.

The event is not a screening of the documentary, but the Ty Carter episode will be on in the background during the event.

For information or to make reservations, call 541-549-2675.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.