( laughter ) ♪ ♪ >> reporter: his family says sid rosenblum talked very little about his war experience. he became a psychologist. he died in 1988 at 63. hank andersen was headed to a law career before the war, but became a minister instead. he was an active civil rights campaigner in the '60s, influenced deeply by an all- black unit-- the army was segregated then-- which fed and comforted the ship's survivors when they reached land. >> they surrounded us and sang christmas carols and i was so... uh, i was so stunned... >> reporter: at 87, he lives in retirement with mary andersen, his wife of 64 years. tim hart-andersen says he's glad his father is still alive to see an important story preserved by and for the next generation, one that, in some ways, has morphed into a sermon. >> it's a theme that's universal. it becomes everyone's story because we all thrive in the light and long for the hope, and we can all sing our way to it. ♪ ♪ >> suarez: fred's reporting is a partnership with the undertold stories project at saint mary's university of minnesota. >> woodruff: again, the major