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DeKALB – Mike Tritle said he still is learning to balance the optics of being a one-man video-editing and production crew charged with capturing stories of veterans in the community who may fit the mold of an “unsung hero.”
The DeKalb resident said the job is a lot of work and time – and it doesn’t pay. Fortunately, he’s not in it for the money.
“It was something that I was always interested in doing,” Tritle said. “Shooting video just to have so that we could look at it again someday.”
This wasn’t always part of his life’s mission. He originally planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the U.S. Air Force. What happened instead was part of what Tritle calls “God’s plan.”
“What I ended up doing was meeting my wife, and we produced two sons, one of which just retired a couple years ago as the wing chief of his National Guard wing in Boise, Idaho,” Tritle said. “Rather than me going in and spending four years as an aircraft mechanic just to get experience, he went in there and made a career out of it and was actually able to make changes and make things better for his little corner of the world for the U.S. Air Force. So, when I look back at life, I know that everything that I’ve done has been for a reason.”
It was something that I was always interested in doing. Shooting video just to have so that we could look at it again someday.”
— Mark Tritle
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Instead, Tritle contributes in his own way, in his own corner of the world. He frequents DeKalb-area veterans events – Memorial Day, mural dedications – dutifully capturing the day to record how the town celebrates its servicemen and women.
Tritle’s idea of producing video of veterans events was first conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tritle had retired from his job in the used auto parts business. Around that time, he had been producing videos at various community events, such as Music at Mansion and area car shows.
His interest only grew from there.
“I discovered how to edit and learned how to put background music into things,” Tritle said.
The idea snowballed from there.
“It’s just something that I started doing,” Tritle said. “Mike Embrey got word of it.”
Embrey, a DeKalb resident and U.S. Air Force veteran, also is no stranger to local veterans events. He’s a frequent emcee and champions local veteran causes.
Tritle recently recorded a video of a veterans mural dedication hosted by the city of DeKalb.
He said people generally have positive things to say about his work, which can be viewed on YouTube.
Embrey said it’s not too often that veterans’ events in the community receive video story treatment from TV news media organizations.
“We have on a couple of occasions,” Embrey said. “It’s got to be something spectacular. Like when we rededicated the clock, we were able to get people out. ... We never got anybody from Chicago. We sometimes get people from the Rockford TV station.”
The historic Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Clock in downtown DeKalb was previously rededicated by city officials for Veterans Day in 2021.
Embrey said it’s been a pleasure working with Tritle to capture veterans’ events on video. For him, the work is about showcasing the community’s tributes to those who’ve sacrificed for their country.
“It’s something I’m excited about because I keep these videos, and I share [them] around the country, and some of them get outside the area,” Embrey said. “They’re not just local.”