what would u ask a ww2 vet...

[Otto Mekanik]

My wifes grandfather is visiting for a couple weeks. He was a captain's driver in the 42nd Rainbow division and won a bronze star for putting a string of daisey chain mines in front of a German tank in Hatten, France during operation Nordwind.

Anyway, I've exhausted my brain with questions and he looks at me and says "Ask me a question or do somefink already"...... wondered what you all would ask, thus giving me more stuff to ask him.

He landed in southern France, was involved with in the defense after Operation Nordwind started and helped liberate Dachu.

I used CM to create a map of the Hatten area for him to view again since that was where he won his bronze star.

Otto

[Michael Dorosh]

Start with the small stuff; ask him how long he was in England before going to the Continent, then ask him how many girlfriends he had there. That usually gets a smile and puts them at ease. Some may be prompted to tell you about the Piccadilly Commandos. I had one vet tell me about the time he mixed up letters to home, and his fiancee got the letter he intended for his English girlfriend....she married him anyway.

Don't get bogged down too much in specifics; if he doesn't remember place names or mixes up places you've asked him about (because you have read the divisional and regimental histories in preparation) just go with the flow.

Ask him how old he was when he joined, and another good one is to ask him what his mom thought about him joining up. That usually brings back happy memories of his family, too, and again puts them at ease.

Good luck and have fun.

[gunnergoz]

Mike, I really appreciate the sensitivity and insight of the questions you suggest. Living vets are a treasure to be valued and recognized. Still, we don't have to be stodgy or unimaginative about speaking with them when we have such a chance...just respectful and appropriate.

[Bruno Weiss]

My experience has been, as one might imagine, that each vet feels differently about their own experiences. My Father-in-Law doesn't much talk about details of his Naval experience off Okinawa. He enjoys showing the pictures he took with his brownie of Japanese aircraft attacking the fleet, and he will talk a lot about his shipmates, but all he will say as to his actual experience under fire on a landing craft is that he can still see the faces of the kids he was taking to shore, and that it bothers him as to what happened to them. You can tell he doesn't much want to go there, so I don't.

On the other hand, my distant Uncle-in-Law was a B-29 bombadier and will talk your leg off all night about what it was like, tell you every detail from watching Japanese cities burn to what it was like to see attacking aircraft coming at you and beems with pride at what the Big Bird was like to fly in.

Just depends on the fellow. I think though that Michael Dorosh suggestions are appropriate. You can sense when someone doesn't want to talk about something, or is a little troubled about a subject. The last thing I'd do is press something that a vet seemed a little too thoughtful about.

[ August 24, 2002, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: Bruno Weiss ]