He was sweeping the aisle in the local Ocean Job Lot outlet. He was conversing with another worker who was stocking shelves with discount batteries. They were trading tales of their service days. He, the battery guy, spoke of doing time in Nam. The other guy, the older one, painfully thin, almost lost in his blue tank-top uniform, told of the day the Hiroshima bomb fell from the sky. He remembers it distinctly. He was in the pacific. In a place called Okinawa. He wouldn't tell me his age, but he let out he hitched on in '41, at 17, after his mom suggested he maybe could have his choice if he enlisted as opposed to waiting for a direct invitation in which he would sure as hey wind up in the army. Guy's 87 years old! To-nite we had dinner, his treat. He'd been a teacher in China, traveled to Japan after the war, and once challenged segregation laws in the deep south by having the gaul to sit in the back of the bus (he's white). He agreed to sit for an interview with me, tomorrow, at 7:30, at my place. He'd going to walk from his place (thought he'd kill us both on the drive home tonite, he can barely see!) He's consented to me taping the session. Can't wait. I've got a million questions. Or maybe best to just let him warble on...whatever comes out, I'm sure, will be more than worth it. Can't think what I've done to deserve such a moment. Thank you History God. And to boot, if the tape runs out of batteries, I know this guy...
Have a list of questions handy (I'm sure you can find a list somewhere, search here or Google for "WW2 vet interview questions"...I've seen lists before, but not sure if it was here or another site) in case the conversation develops any sort of awkward pauses or for when a subject winds down. Bring extra batteries. And enjoy yourself, cuz there's a BUNCH of jealous folk out there who would love to be sitting at your table!
Since we can't do audio, give us a summary here, then transcribe it and post the whole interview. We're all jealous.
Double Ditto... What a great time you'll have !! Glad to say I'm lifetime friends with 3 Vets at my church. These brave Vets will sometimes open up to a WW 2 buff more than their our family. My 2 cents worth..... Ask him about his childhood first and the rest will follow.
"his mom suggested he maybe could have his choice if he enlisted as opposed to waiting for a direct invitation in which he would sure as hey wind up in the army." - A very switched on mother! And agree with Rabid, have some questions ready, and do a little research before hand also...From previous writers, they say that this enables one to "jog" their memories...you ask a general question and they say "Oh that!?"..."Well let me tell you what really happened..." and so on...Beer is always good for getting a person to talk, old spy trick there...
Great points, all of em. Tonite's still to come, but couldn't wait to get off a thought or two beforehand. First of all, he came out with a remembrance or two which blew me away (I'll elaborate when I do the overall report)). I mean really astounding stuff which cause me to sit up and listen: from the merchant marines hijacking military supplies in the pacific and transporting them back to Cali for private resale (theft? piracy?), to being ordered to work in uniform for a private firm in Norfolk, VA per order of his CO, to being braided down by an admiral, no-less, for his refusing to 'go along' that is 'volunteer' to 'buy" war bonds like all the other guys in his unit (kickback?). Hey, I can get historical events from the History Channel, but this stuff is, as they say...priceless! The list thing, I've thought of -- rather he thought of. He came equipped with pencils and paper and made lists of areas I might want to cover, after which, get this, he presented me with a Tuskegee Airmen 2011 calender (imagine, I get the gift!) Listen, guys I better quit, else I'll get into the diary supposedly kept during the war for which he's going to hunt! ...again, mucho thanks, get back to y'all soon...
