- When were you drafted or when did you enlist?
- What do you remember about the day you enlisted?
- How did you tell your family and friends that you were joining the military? …
- If you enlisted, what were some of the reasons that you joined the military? …
- How did you imagine military life before you joined?
Once you find a World War Two veteran, ask them what branch and units they were apart of.
Write down this information and search the units online and research what they did during the war so that when the time for the interview comes you know what you are talking about.
Next, set a time to interview the veteran, do it on their time(it is usually best to start around 9:30 AM) and at their residence (that is where they will be most comfortable talking and where they will have memorabilia from the war days). Also make sure that when the interview is conducted, that it is just you and the veteran alone because when family members sit in or are even around it skews the interview and the veteran starts to censor what he says.
When you reach the veteran’s residence for the interview, first thank them for their willingness to participate,their time, and their service. Once in the residence, look around for a well lit area, near a window is probably best (opposite the window is the best). You may have to situate them near some lamps and you may have to move some floor lamps. To easily solve this problem though you could just purchase an inexpensive floor lamp (search online Deluxe Sun Floor Lamp).
Once the veteran is comfortable and the lighting is ideal, setup the camera and move it eye level with the veteran and zoom out so that his entire face is in frame plus some. As the interviewer you should sit in front of the veteran. Do not set the camera up right in front of the veteran, rather set it up either slightly to the right or left of you,close enough that you can see the camera screen to make sure it is recording and that the audio is in check but far enough so that the veteran can have eye contact with you. Tell the veteran that when he is making hand gestures to please put the hands up higher than usual in order for the expressions to make the video.
At this point, tell the veteran that you and he are just having a conversation and that the camera is there to merely record the conversation versus you having to write it all down and also so that people will know how good looking he is!
After this and right before you begin, have a personal moment with the veteran. One in which you tell them how thankful you are for all they had to do and all they had to see. It is only because of what he and the others like him did in the Second World War that made this country what is today and made the world what it is today. Tell him that you will never forget the his actions and the sacrifices he and so many others made so that you could have an opportunity at a good life.
You can also say at this point that you will be getting into some heavy material concerning his combat and that he needs to understand that current generations have no idea the kind of horrors he had to go through and in order for us to beware of war, we need to know first hand of war’s effects and the true cost of war. Tell him that this is an opportunity to speak for the men who did not come back home. At this point shake the veteran’s hand and get started on the interview.
Below are questions that will help you with the interview. It is a great base and you can ask every question on here but please do not treat it like a script.
Instead, let your natural curiosity flow and ask branch-off questions about the things the veteran said in the interview and treat it like a conversation! Have the veteran look at you and not the camera and just hold an in-depth conversation.
The point of this section is to get the veteran comfortable talking to you and so that you can jog his memory and also so that he can can relive some fonder times in his life. If this section drags on move on to the next section and come back to this at the end of the interview. This way the veteran will still have energy to talk about his combat days.
4. What was your full rank and what part of armed services were you in, Sir?
5. What were the military units you were apart of? Ask the vet to name off as much as they remember. Examples:
7. Talk to me about your early childhood…Where did you grow up? What do you remember about your town/city during the time you were growing up? Who were the most memorable characters growing up?
9. Did you have any siblings? If so what were their names and did any of them also serve in World War Two? If they did, what branches did they serve in?
13. What kind of things would you do for fun? What kind of games would you play?
14. Please talk to me about what was it was like to grow up during the Great Depression? What else do you remember from that time?
17. Do you recall listening to FDR Fireside Chats? If so what do you remember about them? Did you listen to any other radio programs? If so what?
19. Who were some of your best friends during those years? What would you all do for fun?
20. Could you please talk about some fond memories you have concerning your high school years?
21. Were you more of academic or athletic type? Any particular classes or teachers that you were fond of? Any particular sports?
24. Did you go steady with anyone in your teenage years? If so who? What kind of things would you all do on date nights?
25. What kind of things would you do for fun with your buddies during your teenage years?
27. Tell me Sir, do you recall hearing about what was happening in Europe concerning the Nazi regime? What were your thoughts during the Battle of Britain? Do you recall hearing about what was happening with Japan and its invasion of China? Did all of this make mainstream news?
28. Can you please talk about what you remember concerning the isolationist sentiment that America held before Pearl Harbor?
30. What do you recall about the surge of patriotism that the U.S. saw in the days following Pearl Harbor?
31. Did you listen to the FDR declaration of war address on December 8th ,1941? What do you recall about the sentiments people held towards the Germans and Japanese after Pearl Harbor?
32. What did you do in the time between the end of high school and entering the service?
The point if this is to get the veteran to start reminiscing about their military days in order to get the most material out of them when you talk about their combat experience. If this section drags on move on to the next section and come back to this at the end of the interview. This way the veteran will still have energy to talk about his combat days.
33. Tell me Sir,did you end up enlisting or were you drafted? Do you remember the date? (Month/Day/Year) How old were you? Did your friends also join the service?
35. What do you remember about the day you went into the recruitment office? Were there many other people? What did they have you all do?
38. Where were you sent for induction? What did you do there? What do you remember seeing?
39. From the point you were inducted, can you please tell me all the places they sent you for training and what you did at each place?
40. Could you please take me through a typical day in your basic training? How often would you march?
41. What weapon(s) did you qualify on during basic training? (For example: M1903 rifle? M1 rifle? , Carbine rifle)
43. Did you receive any specialized training? If so, what and where? Did you already have any specialized skills or training that helped you get your job?
44. Do you remember any of your fellow soldiers that you trained with at any of the bases? Did you get close with any of them?
47. Do you remember any of the propaganda you all the soldiers would be shown to boost morale?
48. Do you remember any memorable instances at any of your training camps that you would care to divulge?
49. While at training camps, what would you all do for recreation in your free time?
50. How did you adapt to military life, including the physical regimen, barracks, food and social life?
51. What do you remember about the sacrifices the country made for the war effort? (like rationing,buying bonds, recycling of rubber, grease, or other commodities etc…)
52. Did you encounter segregation? What do you recall about it? (Only if the veteran is from the South or was trained there)
*This section is the most important by far. It is the material in this section that that defines these men as heroes. We need to get as much of their experiences in combat so that people will understand all the bloodshed and sacrifices that took place in order for us to live in the world will live in today. When talking about combat, you have to go through their missions,battles,ask them which conflicts they were in. From your research you should know this.*
57. How did you travel to the war zone? Tell me about that experience please. (They most likely took a liberty ship or flew)
59. What type of equipment and uniform were you issued before you were deployed into the combat zone?
60. How long did it take for you to reach your theater of operations? What did you do in the time from arriving overseas and reaching your combat zone?
61. Please describe to me what happened when you reached your combat zone destination. What kind of things do you recall seeing?
You should have your research done on the veteran’s Bomb Group/Infantry Regiment/Ship, etc. You should have a solid understanding of where they went and where they saw combat and what happened at each battle. So retrace their steps and along the way talk to them about what they saw,what they had to do,ask them to describe the scenes,the noises, and the smells. You should discuss their key battles/missions and talk to them about their role and their observations. You will need to talk to them about the horrors they had to endure.
You have access to someone who was actually there, so go through each to them about each part and ask what they remember and ask them the describe the scenes. There will be some parts that will be hard to talk about for the vet but you need to assure them that it is these parts that are the most important for people to hear and how war is truly hell. Their experiences need to be known so that all that bloodshed and sacrifice was worth it. As you are doing this, keep the below questions in mind as well.
65. Please talk to me about the the first time you experienced combat? Can you please tell me about some other combat experiences? Please describe the scenes and what the objectives were. Can you tell me some more about your experiences?
66. Can you talk to me about your role in your unit and the duties that the job included?
67. Did you ever have to change jobs or do a job that you weren’t trained for?
69. What were the names of some of the guys you served overseas with that you became close to? What do you remember about them? Did they survive the war?
70. What was that like to lose good friends and yet still have to continue on?
72. Was there any part of your job that you were especially good at? Was there any part of your job that you especially enjoyed? What part of your job were you not especially good at? What part of your job did you least enjoy?
73. Talk at to me about some of the things you enjoyed doing and some of the things you did not enjoy doing during your time overseas.
75. Can you please talk to me about the times in which you engaged the enemy? What did you see and what did you have to do? What was going through your mind?
76. Can you please talk to me about your experiences under fire? What were the sights you saw and the noises you heard?
77. Was there something special you would do or have for good luck before you went into combat?
83. What were some of your experiences where you felt a lot of pressure or stress?
87. What were some of your most memorable experiences? Who were some of your most memorable characters?
88. Did you know anyone who was killed or wounded in the war? Did you see it happen? Can you describe that experience for those of us who have never gone through something like that.
89. When was the first time you saw a dead body in combat? What were your thoughts?
90. Seeing all these wounded and dead, how did it make you feel? What do you remember seeing, what sounds do you recall hearing from the soldiers?
91. Were there many casualties in your unit/crew/ship? Do you know the percentage of the casualties? Talk to me about them please.
92. What effect did the war have on your physical and mental health or on that of others you knew? Did you see anyone with shell shock?
93. Were there instances that you thought that you might not survive the war? If so please describe.
94. Can you please talk to me about some atrocities that you saw? (such as concentration camps or heavy combat areas)
95. Were you ever wounded? If so please describe how it happened and where you were injured on your body.
96. Can you talk to me about you felt seeing all the destruction done to cities and urban areas? Could you describe the scenes please?
97. Would you write often home? To whom? What kind of things would you write about? Talk to me about the excitement the troops felt getting letters.
99. Were you ever a POW? How did you get captured? Please tell me about your experiences in captivity and when freed.
100. Did you ever hear any news about the war? How would you get your news?
101. Did you ever listen to Axis Sally or Tokyo Rose? What kind of things would they say? What were your thoughts on their broadcasts?
102. At any point during the war, did you ever worry that the Allies might not win?
106. While overseas, did you have any contact with civilians; how did they treat you? What do you remember about your interactions with them?
107. Can you please discuss with me your living conditions while overseas? Did you have plenty of supplies? What would you live and sleep in? How was one able to sleep in a combat zone?
108. What was the weather like where you served? What was the terrain like where you served?
109. Talk to me about the food the military would serve while overseas? What consisted of a typical meal?
110. Did you ever attend a USO show? Tell me about that experience. Otherwise, how did you and your fellow soldiers entertain themselves?
115. Do you have photographs? ( ask them to hold the photos up to the camera and to describe the photos)
Veterans day interview | military questions | marine corps
But theres a lot more to military life than the worst of the worst. And since only a small fraction of veterans ever see actual combat, there are lots of fascinating stories to be told about other aspects of military life. In fact, most veterans would be happy to share their military stories about coming of age, buddies for life, humorous situations, exotic cultures, travels, and more. All they need (and want) is for someone to ask. Problem is, most people dont know how.
This dialog can be enormously beneficial, even therapeutic, for your veteran. You may become that special person your veteran trusts enough to continue the conversation in more depth. What a gift!
To my fellow veterans, you are always in my heart and mind. I encourage you to share your stories because they can enrich your family in so many ways. For me, I find this to be very cathartic, and I believe it will be the same for you. For veteran families and others, please follow these steps:
As a Vietnam vet, I find it easier to share war stories with fellow vets than with non-vets.
So, Ive complied a list of 10 questions that can start the conversation with any veteran. Trust me, you wont be asking, “Did you kill anyone?” These are questions that elicit stories youll want to hear and veterans will be happy to share. Once the stories begin to flow, your veteran will be grateful you took the time, and might want to share many more stories.
As you can see from this list, many of the questions you’ll ask a veteran are what you might ask anyone who has had a diverse career that is unfamiliar to you. The questions are positive, show interest in them as an individual, and highlight the uniqueness of the military versus civilian career.
As the numbers reflect, only about 1% of the adult population serves in the military. Fact: the majority of Americans have not served, or likely aren’t related to someone who has worn the uniform. It’s no wonder, then, that for many civilians interacting with military veterans in a social or business setting poses challenges; one of the biggest is what to ask and what topics to stay away from.
In a 2016 article focused on diversity in the workplace, Army veteran Ryan Kules stated, “Far too often, people assume a level of familiarity with former military that not only breeches proper office conduct but also invades one’s ‘personal space’.”
As part of its growing commitment to empower military veterans, Starbucks recently published a list of suggestions on what to say. Starbucks advises civilians to, “Get to know somebody and take it slowly, just like you would with anyone else. Ask questions about who they are, where they’re from and what they like to do.”
Reading this list, you might be thinking, “I would NEVER ask that!” but many civilians have, hence the reason these lists keep appearing. Lists like these are prepared by surveying active duty service members and veterans and gathering their thoughts on the most outrageous, painful and inappropriate questions they have been asked when wearing the uniform or after.
27. Tell me Sir, do you recall hearing about what was happening in Europe concerning the Nazi regime? What were your thoughts during the Battle of Britain? Do you recall hearing about what was happening with Japan and its invasion of China? Did all of this make mainstream news?
89. When was the first time you saw a dead body in combat? What were your thoughts?
You should have your research done on the veteran’s Bomb Group/Infantry Regiment/Ship, etc. You should have a solid understanding of where they went and where they saw combat and what happened at each battle. So retrace their steps and along the way talk to them about what they saw,what they had to do,ask them to describe the scenes,the noises, and the smells. You should discuss their key battles/missions and talk to them about their role and their observations. You will need to talk to them about the horrors they had to endure.
39. From the point you were inducted, can you please tell me all the places they sent you for training and what you did at each place?
95. Were you ever wounded? If so please describe how it happened and where you were injured on your body.
The Next Step: Find the Right Job
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FAQ
What should you say to veterans on Veterans Day?
What questions should I ask a Vietnam veteran?
- Were you drafted or did you volunteer?
- How old were you at the time?
- Did you have any friends, family members, classmates, or acquaintances who also served in Vietnam?
- Where did you receive your training? …
- Did you know anything about Vietnam as a country?
How do veterans conduct interviews?
Can you ask about veteran status in an interview?
