The stories of those who fought can bring to life the experience of war. "As years go by and the high-ranking officers die off, we're finally getting a chance to hear the stories of the privates and corporals who were in the foxholes doing the actual fighting," says Mr. Ambrose, the author [of the best-selling book, "Citizen Soldiers"]. Among personal accounts of life on the front lines: "Private Art: WWII Letters to and From Home" is a collection of letters and photographs that chronicles the World War II experiences of Pvt. Arthur Pranger of Covington, Ky. By clicking your way through the pages of a calendar, you can follow Pvt. Pranger's progress from boot camp to D-Day and beyond. Need some mood music? The site offers a Hit Parade of eight popular songs of the day: Just click on the song title, including those of the Andrews Sisters and Glenn Miller, to hear a recording.

In 1944, a skinny 19-year-old from Covington, Ky., named Art Pranger fought in the forests of France and Germany with his chemical mortar battalion in the Battle of the Bulge. His lifelines to his old middle-American life were letters sent by his mother, brother and friends back home... Today, they're a lot easier for Art, now 73, and his family to read - along with whomever else wants to take a look. They're online at Private-Art.com, and reading them is a unique trip to the past through the eyes of one soldier. ... Art's son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Rebecca Pranger, run EnviroMedia, a Web publishing and design company in Cincinnati, just over the river from Covington. Taking the letters from their father and grandmother, the couple sifted through them, taking elements from the letters themselves to create a site that combines the look and feel of 1944 with the Web technology of 1998.

In 1944, Art Pranger was a 19-year-old kid from Covington, Ky., fighting his way through the forests of France and Germany and trying to survive the Battle of the Bulge. His letters home gave his family and friends a unique view of the war through Pranger's eyes. Pranger's son and his wife, who run a Web design company in Cincinnati, took the letters from their storage place in Pranger's attic and brought them to life in a captivating Web project called Private Art. On Veteran's Day last year, the site was featured in ABCNews.com's Masters of the Web. And it has been nominated for several design awards. Beyond its graphic impact, however, is the site's warm and personal feel. It's as if you were sitting on the sofa with Art, now 73, and leafing through his scrapbook.

The main focus of Private Art is the collection of letters he wrote and received during his employ with the U.S. Government. In fact his wife's original intent had simply been to transfer the letters into her computer before age rendered them unreadable. Fortunately, she was persuaded that the material would be of interest to a wider audience than her immediate family, and just as fortunately, the content is accessible through what is easily one of the most effectively and intelligently designed websites I've ever seen.

"War is a terrible thing. Just read the letters sent home by Private Arthur Pranger of the 86th Chemical Mortar Battalion ... This is one of the nicest-looking sites we've seen in a long time, having both an excellent design and snappy graphics. The content is also great, with the letters providing a first-hand look at the life of a soldier at war. Well-placed commentary from Art's wife Rose makes it even more interesting and personal. It's excellent in every way!"

"I have just gone through your web site, it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this project. What a wonderful legacy. My father was in the Pacific and I have often thought of finding out more about where he was and what he did. He is deceased now so it will be difficult but I think, after seeing what you have done, I will give it a try."

"Thank you to all of you who have contributed to this site. my Grandfather served in WWII and it means alot to me that people still remember. In my generation people are forgetting and it comforts me to see that not everyone has forgotten a tragedy like this, as it is certainly is not forgotten by all those who have lost a loved one while they fought so that we may be free. It means a great deal to me that you would put this kind of effort into remembering all those who fought."

"It's the Pvt. Arts of the world to whom we all owe a great debt of gratitude for the freedom we cherish. You must have a heart the size of a watermelon."

"Thank you for a unique and wonderful site. I was somewhat disturbed that no one in my age group mentioned Pearl Harbor day which lives on in my memory because of all the people who died during that attack and the years of sadness and destruction it signalled for all of us. It seems sad that the memory is fading, when there are still a number of people living who remember. I actually found a copy of a vmail letter among my memoirs that I have included in a Book of Memories my daughter asked me to write for her. Your site is creative and beautifully presented, a fitting memorial and tribute."

"I rarely take the time to send a note about a site: [Private Art] is what the internet is all about! This one gets bookmarked for sure!!!"

"Being a young man of only 40... I missed all the wars. Too young for VietNam, too old for Desert Storm, I can only wonder what it must have been like. I found out at his funeral that my uncle was liberated from a pow camp in Germany at the end of the war. He was a flyer who left a young wife at home as he left for the war. He was many times decorated as it seems your Art was... not so much by the army as by those who were his family and friends."

"It's hard to write -- tears keep getting in the way of the monitor. Although I was born after the War it is still the biggest, most important event shaping my life. Thank Art, thank you for a wonderful site. May it teach others how a certain kind of history can be done and may we all benefit by his work then and your work now. May you be blessed."

"The Prangers are using the Web, the high-tech medium of the new millenium, to showcase a turning point in the mid-20th century -- one man's experience in World War II. it's a family affair with the focus on Pvt. Art Pranger [of Covington, Kentucky]." (Cincinnati Post)

"I am a disabled Veteran who was medically retired from the US Navy in 1994 after 12 years. I really feel that folks in my generation owe a large debt to men like this because they fought to keep us free when it wasn't so easy. I salute Private Art and the many others who did their duty."

"I wanted to thank you for sharing your letters. They give insight to life during war from so many different aspects - mother, father, son, sibling, friend, soldier. It allows those of us who haven't lived during a war like that to know what it was like. My grandfather was in WWII but he doesn't talk about it much. This helps me to understand a bit of what he went through. It is a very creative, interesting, organized, visually appealing site!"

"As the son of a WWII veteran, I've always been very proud of his accomplishments. The music on the site, the photos, all make it very real to those of us born in the 1950's. As they said in WWII, "Keep 'em Flying!"

"This is an amazing site. It really does explain the attachment between the home front and the soldiers in combat. Pvt. Art seems to be a cool guy and have a caring family. I would like to thank him for fighting for this great country and risking his life. I am a student at Palo Duro High School and I thouroughly enjoyed your web site."

"...a fascinating site that puts a human face on one soldier's experiences in World War II. Private Art is a colorful, excellently designed site that captures the flavor of those times far better than many critically-lauded war books by professional historians. There's photos, poignant letters that the soldier sent to and from the Home Front, as well as eye-catching graphics."

"This brings back memories of my dad who passed away in 1994; he was a seaman first, stationed on the USS Jason in the Pacific during WWII. It is refreshing to see the real quality in communication that you portray in this noble effort."

"Thank you so much for this wonderful look at such an important time in the history of our country. This is a wonderful way to make a time, younger people only hear about in history class, come to life."

"I just wanted to thank you for putting such work into a site that really gives the feel of what it was like to be a private in world war II. I am a college student, and my deep interest in the history of the 30's and 40's led me to your wonderful site. From the graphics to the RA music, you effectively send your viewer back in time. Often, I have found that many resources focus too much on facts -- which general landed where, etc. -- instead of what it was really like to live in a time of war. I greatly appreciate your work. Thanks!"

"I really enjoyed your site....... My father is from Pine Knot, KY and was a POW for 3 1/2 years in the Pacific..... I hope to honor him with a site like yours someday.....Thanks for the inspiration......."

"Thank you so much for sharing your life, the photos & letters were wonderful. My grandfather was in WWII also, He was a top gunner in one of the big bombers."

"I'm one of those "babyboomers"; born in 1946. I'm very proud of my dad. He's shared many-many of his thoughts, both good & bad, with me about his experiences during THE WAR. As I've gotten older I've been able to understand more about the things he told me all my life. My interest in learning more about that part of our history and the individuals who lived it, is very important to me. I'm looking forward to exploring your site and following the links you've attached to it. But, before I do I felt I should thank you, in advance, for keeping the spirit and memories ALIVE."

"Your Private Art site is the most stunning piece of communications on the web. It's a masterful way of conveying information, plus a family affair complete with love."

"Reading these letters have help me to understand and fill in the life and times of my parents during the war. My father was home working for the war effort. I heard his stories that he experienced at that time. By the time I was asking to hear the war stories from my uncles were gone and one the left chose not to share them. YOUR family effort in sharing their lives this way can only be answer by God bless you all."

"You have given me inspiration. Reading Art's letters made me understand that we do have a legacy to pass on...be it to our children, or a neighbor we never knew. Thank you."

"Little did I realize just a few mouse clicks later, I would be totally absorbed in the story of your husband's war time service, and that I would be shocked and saddened to the point of even shedding a tear as I read Mrs. Bailer's letter to Art concerning her son, Bob. That, for me, is an absolute first in three years of browsing the web, and it is a tribute to the powerfully moving quality of your site."

"Thank you again for sharing your letters and most of all, thank you for putting your life on the line for us all. It is a gift that we can never repay."

"Congratulations, Private Art and family. You have given the world a fine treat, and your tribute to the men of the 86th Chemical Mortar Battalion is one worthy to be accepted with honor and pride."