Veteran Interview Question Guide

The following is a list of the more helpful questions that one can ask a veteran to get a comprehensive view of what their service was like. I must admit that the questions are a little biased toward US WWII veterans, but I have tried my very best to identify groups of questions that are either specific to US service or specific to the Second World War. I believe that these questions are a good guide, any feedback/additions are appreciated, I'll add them to the list.

I have included an introduction that might also help; familiarize the veteran with this questionnaire. A notepad text file is attached to this post for those who'd like to download this.

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Preserving Your History​

Please consider saving your oral history, memoirs, diary, and/or letters home. By leaving your oral history you will have done your country another good deed, and you will serve future generations as they strive to understand their world. Answering this list of questions will help future generation understand what the world was like. Feel free to answer any individual question or skip any individual question, it’s up to you, but please know that every answer you provide gives us a wealth of information and will be greatly appreciated.


Home Front

What were you doing just before you joined the armed forces? Were you a student? Working? Married or single? Did you have any children?

Under what circumstances did you enter the armed forces? Were you drafted or did you enlist? How old were you?

Why did you join the armed forces?

Did your parents approve of you serving in the military?

How did you feel about leaving home?

How did you communicate with loved ones at home front?


Pearl Harbor (US Questions)

How did you hear about Pearl Harbor?

Where were you when it happened?

What was your reaction?

What happened in the days that followed?


War Begins

How did your country get embroiled in war?

Where were you when it happened?

What was your reaction?

What happened in the days that followed?


Training

Describe your training? Where was it and how long was it?

What weapons did you train with?

Do you feel you were well prepared for what you faced in combat?

What was the most helpful part of your training?

What are some of the things from your training that stand out in your memory?

What was the specific unit(s) that you were assigned to?


Frontline and Battles

What was your first combat experience like?

What did you feel when you were first fired at?

When did you first fire in anger?

Describe your living conditions while on assignment.

Can you describe your feelings during a mission or battle?

How did you cope with the fear of missions or battles?

What was your primary job during missions?

Were you ever wounded?


Military Service

What was your squadron/division/platoons job during the battle?

What branch of the service were you in? Why did you choose the branch that you did?

What was the mission of your unit?

What were your rank and your job?

Did you serve overseas during the war? Where were you?


Weapons

What was your primary weapon?

Did you feel it was effective?

What other weapons did you use?

What was th single most fearsome weapon the enemy used against you?

What other weapons did you have to deal with?


D-Day Invasion Only

How were you trained for the invasion?

How did you get to the Normandy beaches?

What was your job on D-Day?

What were your experiences in the first hours of the invasion?

How did your unit achieve its objective?

What is your most vivid memory about the invasion?


Hiroshima (WWII)

How did you hear about the bombing of Hiroshima? Where were you?

How did you react to the news?

Do you think the US was justified in the use on the A-Bomb?


Victory, Surrender & Peace (WWII)

How did you find out about the surrender of Germany?

What did you do on V-E Day?

How did you find out about the surrender of Japan?

What did you do on V-J Day?

What happened on the day you (or a loved one) came home?

What were the holidays like in 1945?

What were you hopes for the future?


Victory, Surrender & Peace (other conflicts)

How did you find out about the end of the war?

What did you do on your last day of service?

What happened on the day you (or a loved one) came home?

What were you hopes for the future?


Impact

What was your happiest (funniest or saddest) memory of the war?

Were you afraid? What was your biggest fear?

What do you think your biggest accomplishment was?

What impact did your unit have on the outcome of the war?

What were you most proud of during your military service?


Follow Up

What would you want people to know about this time in history?

Describe any friendships you made during the war.

What would you have changed about your war experience if you could?

Did you ever doubt that your side, (Axis, Allies, other) would succeed in winning the war?

What mistakes do you think the military made, if any, during the war.

Do you think the war could have been prevented?

What had changed and/or what was different when you got home from the war?

Did anything happen during the war that affected you for the rest of your life? How did your experiences in combat (WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, etc) affect the rest of your life?

What do you think the biggest misconception about your war (WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, etc) is?

Do you think the war was worth the price?

Do you think fighting in the war was the right thing to do?

What important question did I forget to ask you? Is there something else you’d like to share with us?

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Not bad for my 3,000th post eh?

 

Some additional info I found very helpful.

Advice from Stephen Ambrose:

Veterans often say that they don't need to do an oral history because they weren't in combat, or they don't feel that what they did was all that important. Well that's not true. Regardless of what you did or where you were stationed, your history is important. The history of WWII is only now being written. In the coming decades historians will ask lots of new questions. I don't know what those questions will be, but I'm sure they will be focused on a lot more than combat.

Please take some time to sit down with a tape recorder and talk about your experiences. It is vitally important.

Veterans often ask me how to do an oral history. The guiding rule is that you talk about whatever was important to you at the time. Begin with a description of who you were before you enlisted; include a discussion of where and when you were born. Then carry forward with your training. What was your specialty? When did you ship overseas and where did you go? Tell me what no one else can: about your emotions, about the taste, touch, and smell of daily life. Tell me all about the people you knew, your buddies, your unit.

As you relate what happened, remember that we are not simply interested in tales of combat. Tell me about your leaves, your recreation, your promotions, about all the days you spent in transit or simply waiting at a base. Tell me what you thought was significant. Tell us about the equipment that you used. Did it work well? Was the enemies' equipment better? Were you married before you left?

Of course, if you were in combat, I want to know. What happened on your first invasion? When did you get fired at? When did you first fire in anger? What happened in the campaign that followed? What did you eat? Who got wounded? How good was your C.O.? And the other officers? Where and when did you sleep? Charge forward? Receive a counter attack? Where and when did relief come and what did you do? After you've done that, gone on to the next engagement and so forth. Don't forget to add a bit about what you've done since the war and how you feel about your experiences now.

Take your time. Turn on the tape recorder and start talking. It seems to help having a daughter, a grandson, your wife, or an old friend in the room. I find that it usually takes an hour before the memories start flooding back. When you get tired, I suggest that you wait a day, then repeat the process. Pull out old photos; look at maps; call a friend from your unit; you're bound to add some more details.

 

Great advice Leslie and I fully agree. Known background information on a given unit's activities can be extremely helpful in rounding out a story and providing important reminders for events long past.

 

As the 70th anniversary of the war approaches, I thought I might mention this thread again.

Wartime exploits are always the initial focus of a veteran's history, but we must not forget the time before and after service. In my opinion, these pre-war and post-war periods really put their service in a relevant context.

 

Their user name is in BLUE and underneath it, their title is "WWII Veteran."

Their threads are found here Honor, Service and Valor - World War II Forums

 

Patricia, that is a great thing you have done. Any sections you would like to post here would be great.

At 238 pages, have you considered publishing it?

I am in the midst of writing a book about a good man from my church. When we started talking, he said he didn't think we'd get enough for a book. As we talked, he found that he would remember more and more, little things that he'd never thought about. He told me yesterday that he has really enjoyed talking with me, because I helped him remember so much. Like you, I have digitally recorded his "ramblings, to the tune of about 40-50 hours.