In 2009, Janus Metz and cameraman Lars Skree accompanied a platoon of Danish soldiers to Armadillo, a combat operations base in southern Afghanistan. For six months, they captured the lives of the young soldiers fighting the Taliban in a hostile and confusing environment, where official rhetoric about helping civilians too often met the unforgiving reality of being a foreign occupier.

The animators of the StoryCorps Shorts, Mike and Tim Rauch, give their opinions on "animated documentaries." They explain how animation can sometimes capture aspects of reality that traditional documentary footage cannot.

Dave Isay, founder and president of StoryCorps, sat down with POV in 2010 to discuss StoryCorps' purpose and goals. Isay describes how his own background as a radio documentarian led to the StoryCorps project and how the organization helps people remember that they matter and "won't be forgotten."

David Wilson offers a glimpse into the world of competitive birdwatching, as three friends attempt to see as many species as possible in 24 hours.

When first approached by his brother to work on the StoryCorps shorts, Tim Rauch said that there was "no way" to animate the StoryCorps recordings. However, after completing two, he started to think otherwise.

Tim and Mike Rauch, the animators behind the StoryCorps Shorts, describe how they arrived at their animation style, noting how they adapt it for each short depending on the story.

The Rauch Brothers describe their animation process to POV. Using audio recordings from the oral history project StoryCorps, the Rauch Brothers animate shorts, drawing from what they learn about the characters through the audio recordings as well as in-person meetings.

The co-director of 'If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,' Sam Cullman, talks about FBI informants, radical environmentalism and post-9/11 counterterrorism efforts. He describes how the film came together, how he and his co-director gained trust from their subjects and how they found the archival footage that constitutes a good portion of the film.

In this clip from 'Steam of Life,' an elderly man tells his friends about his late wife, and the "new" relationship which he has found late in life. He shares his story candidly and openly, saying that he is now in love and having the "best years of his life."

In this clip from 'Steam of Life,' a Finnish man describes one of his best friends. Now, we've all heard of "man's best friend before," but when this man's friend reveals himself, his identity is surprisingly funny and unexpected!

In this clip from 'Steam of Life,' a former military man shares a sauna with a friend and remembers when he first got word of his mother's death, and how it affected him.

In this clip from 'Steam of Life,' a young man shares his memories of his son's birth. He remembers being at the hospital, seeing him for the first time and talks about the joy of taking care of someone who is growing every day.

In Finland, with its long, dark winters, the sauna is a national obsession whose benefits are as much emotional as physical. For the men in STEAM OF LIFE, the sauna is a place to come together and sweat out not only the grime of contemporary life, but also their grief, hopes, joys and memories.

Mike Campbell and his lawyers describe Zimbabwe's controversial land reform program. Campbell's farm was listed for redistribution by the state based on the sole criteria of his being white.

"Mugabe and the White African," much of which was filmed clandestinely, tells an alarming story from one of the world's most troubled nations. In Zimbabwe, dictator Robert Mugabe has unleashed a "land reform" program aimed at driving whites from the country through violence and intimidation. One proud "white African," however, has challenged Mugabe with human rights abuses under international law.

Mike Campbell's lawyer reviews the list of land recipients under Mugabe's land redistribution program. The list points to the program being corrupt as farms are being placed in the hands of government workers and cronies, instead of poor Africans who would not normally have the chance to own land.

Filmmaker Lucy Bailey talks with Geoffrey Smith, whose films 'Presumed Guilty' and 'The English Surgeon' premiered on POV, about her powerful film 'Mugabe and the White African.' Bailey addresses the risks and dangers of filming in Zimbabwe, as well as ethical concerns for documentary filmmakers.

In this clip from 'Biblioburro: The Donkey Library,' Luis Soriano and his faithful donkeys Alpha and Beto bring books to children in a rural, isolated area of Colombia. Soriano encourages the children to share their painful memories as a way to move forward and become the new generation that works to stop the violence that has plagued the rural areas of the country for years.

A decade ago, Colombian teacher Luis Soriano was inspired to spend his weekends bringing a modest collection of precious books, via two donkeys, to the children of Magdalena Province's poor and violence-ridden interior. As Soriano braves armed bands, drug traffickers, snakes and heat, his library on hooves carries an inspirational message about education and a better future for Colombia.

In this clip from 'Enemies of the People,' Nuon Chea, also know as Brother Number 2, describes the decision made by Pol Pot and himself to eliminate perceived "traitors" under the Khmer Rouge regime. Always putting the nation before the individual, he thinks his course of action was necessary for Cambodia.