WETA Digital Extras

Carmen Romero of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing discusses the worsening housing crisis in the Washington Metropolitan area: the causes of runaway housing costs, who is most affected by them, and what happens to our area when a large swath of D.C.-area residents can no longer afford a roof over their head.

How does dance survive as an art form? As Susan Shields puts it, "In today's technology, you could always throw on the DVD and learn the dance.... But the soul of a piece? That has to be passed down." For Shields and George Mason University dancer Lauren Stucko, the process of passing down the role of "Pink Girl" in Lar Lubovitch's A Brahms Symphony has been a powerful experience.

George Jones III joined the U.S. Army at the age of 17 and volunteered to be a combat medic in Vietnam. After returning from his tour, he became disillusioned with his treatment at home and re-enlisted. A few years later, he developed cancer but he credits luck for his recovery. Today, his work as a wood turner reminds him of the many second chances he’s received throughout his life.

Holley Watts' friends used to say, "You're not a guy. You don't have to go." "That's right!" she responded. In 1966-1967 Watts served in the American Red Cross Supplemental Recreation Overseas Activities program. She and other women, who were dubbed "Donut Dollys," provided outreach and a touch of home to American soldiers stationed in Vietnam. 50 years later, Holley reflects on the experience.

Local writer Kim O'Connell discusses her unique family history as the daughter of an American serviceman father and a Vietnamese mother. After coming to the United States in the 1970s, Kim's mother, Huong, was intent on becoming Americanized and raising her children as Americans. As an adult, Kim has felt a pull to connect with her Vietnamese heritage, but that connection has been elusive.

John Richardson, author of a new biography of Alexander Robey Shepherd discusses Shepherd's controversial work as the czar of public works in Washington during the 1870s. Shepherd spearheaded an effort to modernize infrastructure in the District of Columbia and transform the scraggly city into a true national capital. However, his efforts led to charges of cronyism and corruption.

When World War I broke out in Europe, Arlington's John Lyon jumped into action, traveling to France to serve as an ambulance driver. Later, when the United States entered the war, he served in the 29th Infantry Division during the bloody Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Just three weeks before the Armistice that ended the war, Lyon was killed while aiding a wounded comrade on the battlefield.

"The Good Gray Poet" Walt Whitman first came to Washington, D.C. in 1862 after the battle of Fredericksburg during the Civil War. He spent the rest of the war serving convalescing soldiers in the city's many military hospitals and remained in Washington until 1873, working as a Federal clerk. This decade was a formative period of the poet's career during which he gained international attention.

The Arlington County Police Department was established on February 1, 1940 as the country was in the midst of an unprecedented population boom. Captain Michelle Nuneville looks back on the history of the department and how it has developed over the last 75 years.

During the Civil War, thousands of slaves made their way to Washington, D.C. As the city became overcrowded, the federal government created camps on abandoned secessionist lands in northern Virginia. There "contrabands" were paid to farm crops for the Union army and given access to education -- an important step in the transition from bondage to freedom.

While most people don't realize it the George Washington Memorial Parkway is much more than a busy artery into Washington, D.C. The roadway is actually a national park and was built in the 1920s as part of the nation's celebration of President George Washington's 200th birthday.

Sue Eisenfeld, author of Shenandoah: A Story of Conservation and Betrayal discusses the creation of Shenandoah National Park, which involved displacing thousands of longtime residents from Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains.