HAMILTON — If your dad didn't leave an indelible mark on history or wasn't a larger-than-life character, he still has a valuable story to tell. And you should listen, filmmaker Ben Patton says.

"People should look under the surface for their relatives' rich history," Patton said.

His grandfather was World War II Gen. George S. Patton Jr., and his father was Hamilton's other military Patton, Maj. Gen. George S. Patton IV, who served three distinguished tours of duty in Vietnam. That gave Ben Patton plenty of fodder for an article in the June issue of Smithsonian Magazine, but Patton doesn't want others to feel intimidated by that.

"You don't have to be named Patton," he said. "Everyone's story is important."

Patton is a filmmaker who specializes in family-centered documentaries. He has also interviewed Manfred Rommel, former long¬­time mayor of Stuttgart and son of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the famed "Desert Fox" of World War II.

One of Patton's tips for interviewing is to be patient, and allow whatever time is necessary for a question to be answered.

During his interview of Rommel, he asked him what it takes to be a great leader.

"It seemed to take forever, but it was worth it," Patton said.

Eventually, Rommel replied: "It takes a great soul."

Ben Patton's father and Manfred Rommel had much in common, including birthdays, and became lifelong friends.

Ben's father was the unwitting catalyst for Patton's decision to pursue a career in filmmaking — and at the time, his father was unhappy about it.

His dad used to spend evenings in his basement study at Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton, smoking cigars and writing in his diaries, which he kept most of his life. One night, he accidently set fire to the journals, destroying nearly all of them.

Later, Ben Patton suggested he interview his father and record it. He did it as much for his father as for the family.

"The loss of his journals had caused him even more sorrow than his retirement from the military six years earlier," Ben Patton wrote in the Smithsonian article.

Rarely seen family films are part of the story Patton tells. There is footage of both his grandfather and father, and his father narrates a scene in which he is seen as a young boy on his father's sailboat.

As the camera pauses for a moment capturing his father at the wheel of the vessel, George Patton the younger offers a voice-over assessment of his father in a tone that leaves you wondering what he means by it.

"He was something else," he says, pausing. "That guy was something else." Being the son of a legend isn't always easy. Ben Patton writes that when his father graduated from West Point, he was approached by an old veteran who shook his hand and said, "Well, George, you'll never be the man your father was, but congratulations."

"Can you imagine that?" Ben asked.

George Patton IV would eventually see more frontline combat in Vietnam than his father did in Europe, and was just as highly decorated.

"Along the way, he earned the nation's second- and third-highest medals for bravery—twice each—and a Purple Heart," Ben Patton writes of his father.

Patton says the people who say they don't want to have their history committed to tape or film are those who are the most likely to have interesting stories.

"My father was one of those guys," he said.

Staff writer Steve Landwehr can be reached at 978-338-2660 or by e-mail at slandwehr@salemnews.com.

Record your history

Ben Patton offers some tips for creating a good record of your loved ones' lives:

"Audio quality is key. I deal in visual media, but an interview with well-recorded sound, done in a quiet room with the microphone close and few distractions, is priceless."

"Be sure to professionally copy old films or audiocassettes before you play them. You'll never forgive yourself if your tape deck eats the original while you're listening to it for the first time."

"When interviewing a family member, consider having a family friend or professional ask the questions. A subject might feel self-conscious about retelling a story to a son or daughter who's heard it before."

Ignore that feeling that you've heard it all before. "You're not doing it for yourself," Patton said, "you're doing it for your kids."