The other day, someone posted on Facebook a truly moving video about a WWII P-51 pilot reunited with a replica of his plane and a bunch of other WWII P-51 vets. This man had 55 missions under his belt, all in one plane, February. Here’s the link if you’d like to spend about 30 minutes wiping your eyes and listening to a few powerful and wonderous stories.http://www.asb.tv/videos/view.php?v=1bf99434&br=500%3E
There’s an old saying (I’m not sure where it originates, but as with most truths, it doesn’t matter). “When an old person dies, it’s like a library burning down.” When I’ve talked to groups about storytelling, that saying has proven pretty powerful. You know, we’re losing our WWII veterans in ever greater numbers, daily. Soon, there just won’t be any libraries left.
WWII vets may be unique in another way, as well: they just aren’t, it seems, inclined to tell their stories. They are pretty humble people, at least about that. I’ve sometimes asked a child or grandchild what their dad experienced during the War. They all say, “I don’t know—he just didn’t talk about that much.” That was certainly my experience with my own dad. He was in Normandy at the time of the invasion. I never did learn whether he was in the invasion itself. I think I just failed to ask—but he never volunteered any stories either.
Twice now I’ve interviewed WWII men. Both times were memorable. One’s son thanked me and said he’d learned things he’d never known about his dad. That man was a survivor from a ship sunk by a Japanese submarine. The other man had never left stateside, but spent the entire war training young pilots how to fly fighter aircraft in Europe. His impact on our war effort was pretty obvious.
But, be careful. It was “shell shock” in those days—today it’s PTSD. I’ve learned not to ask a direct question about combat experiences. It can inadvertently trigger some devastating consequences. I’ve learned how to ask more subtle questions that allow a person to “go there” if he wants to.
Do you know any veterans? Maybe it doesn’t matter if they are from The War, or from a more recent one, but we’re losing libraries. Get yourself an inexpensive recorder. If you contact me, I’ll send you a copy of my question list. Collect those stories and pass them on to loved ones who would love to have dad’s (or granddad’s) stories, in his own voice.
I'm just now reading Tom Brokaw's book, "The Greatest Generation" and it is a great compilation of "libraries" of experiences of veterans and those stateside during WWII. Each story is a phenomenal snapshot into the lives of people that lived through the war and how it changed them forever. Good for you Steve, for taking the time to get those stories in writing. It is an honorable task and one that every family member should take on personally. The insight is invaluable when seeing who they are, what motivates them and how they look at life, family, community and country.
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