Insight Sourcing Group Gives Back

witness_to_war_logoThe Witness to War Foundation (witnesstowar.org) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) and was founded in 2001 by Insight Sourcing Group founder and Atlanta-based entrepreneur Tom Beaty. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving the stories of individual combat veterans.

It is about the “foxhole” or “windshield” view of combat as seen by the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who experienced it. It is about the fear, the emotions, the training, and the previously untapped wells of personal courage that enabled ordinary individuals to survive, and in some cases thrive, under extraordinary pressures and almost unimaginable danger. The Witness to War Foundation is dedicated to understanding, as much as possible, what it was like to “be there.”

These stories reflect the price that was paid for our freedom and deserve to be preserved for future generations. A portion of all revenues from Insight Sourcing Group and SpendHQ go toward this mission and make up the majority of the funding for the Witness to War Foundation.

Mission of the Witness to War Foundation

PRESERVE.

Capture the combat stories of veterans from all wars in broadcast quality HD digital video before these extraordinary stories are lost forever. Provide DVDs to the families so they have a lasting record of their loved ones’ legacy.

HONOR.

Edit these hour (or more) long interviews into two to five minute stories to make them more consumable by today’s media savvy generation. Post them online so the general public can see and appreciate our veterans’ sacrifices.

EDUCATE.

Teach current and future generations about the price of freedom and courage of those who came before them. Witness to War hopes to inject these stories into the classroom to bring the dry pages of history to life.

“The Witness to War Foundation continues to build an impressive and informative archive of veterans’ interviews. In our eyes, it is the most extensive collection of combat narratives in the nation with over 2,000 video interviews.”

Bob Patrick
Director, Veterans History Project
Library of Congress

How Was Witness to War Started?

Tom Beaty, founder of the Witness to War Foundation, never served in the military but grew up with a fascination for WWII and later for combat in general. Whenever he came across a veteran, he would ask the vet about his or her war experiences.

In 2001, he discovered a group of 150 veterans called the Atlanta World War II Roundtable who met monthly to share their war experiences. Tom was stunned to discover that most of the members had never recorded their stories. He went to bed that night thinking, “Somebody better record these stories before it’s too late.” The next morning he bought a video camera and launched the Witness to War Foundation in his spare time, despite having no video or audio expertise.

In 2002, Tom quit his consulting job and started Insight Sourcing Group, a procurement-related consulting firm, out of his basement. In 2008, the business was named one of the Top 500 Fastest-Growing Companies in the U.S. by Inc. magazine. As the business grew, so did the non-profit Witness to War Foundation.

Today, the Witness to War Foundation resides in the offices of Insight Sourcing Group in Atlanta, Georgia. It has become one of the largest private combat veteran preservation organizations in the United States. The Foundation has captured over 2,000 stories (and counting) on digital video from veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts.

Want to learn more about Witness to War?

Want to learn more about Witness to War?

Visit their site here

Are you a vet with a<br />
story to tell?

Are you a vet with a
story to tell?

Set up an interview

Emily Carley - Director Witness to War

Emily Carley - Director Witness to War

emily@witnesstowar.org
(770) 481-3018

Number of Combat Stories Captured by The Witness to War Foundation to Date:

3012

World War II

216

Korea

717

Vietnam

130

Iraq / Afghanistan