Soundprint interviewed producer Richard Paul shortly after the production of his radio documentary We were on Duty. Here Richard speaks of his inspiration to document this story and also the production of the program. Click on the blue audio buttons below to hear his interview...

SP: What attracted you to this story?
RP: The thing that attracted me is that the story has received almost no attention outside the Washington D.C area.

SP: What were your expectations before meeting these survivors? Did this change after your meeting?
RP: People could have come away from this many different ways, scarred, cynical and I was amazed that...

SP: Did you visit the crash site at the Pentagon? What were your impressions?
RP: I had the opportunity to see it from an unusual perspective...

SP: There's almost no narration in the program. Was this a conscious effort and why?
RP: It was a conscious decision. After my first two interviews...

SP: Can you play us any audio that you thought was wonderful but didn't make it into the show?
RP: There are two clips of tape, one anecdote that didn't make it into the hour-long version is of Brian Birdwell being saluted by the President...

SP: How did you choose the title for the show?
RP: After I found out that I was going to be able to produce this program, I thought of the words honor, duty, country and...

SP: What's your favorite tape?
RP: Two favorite pieces of tape from the program, both come from Brian Birdwell, he confided to me that I was the first person to ask him about that conversation with God when he lay there burning..

SP: What were your most memorable moments during the production of the program?
RP: I had two, I guess most memorable moments...both of them were uncomfortable in their own way...

To learn more about Richard Paul you can visit his website . To hear Soundprint documentaries by Richard Paul click here