questions to ask a WW2 Veteran

Ok i have this class...profiles in history, and we're required to interview a world war 2 veteran and write an essay over the interview. So what would be some questions I could ask?

ask if used mary jane to calm his nerves :thumbsup:

How did post-tramatic stress affect you?
Was war what you expected?
Did you feel sorry for anyone who you first-hand attacked?

oh man i can think of lots.

id ask em what motivated them to stay alive, so to speak..but theyd probably laugh at me as thats too cliche of a thing to ask.

but i think it would depend on the mood what sort of questions id want to ask. if they were cool and funny id ask em tons of cool questions..but if they were all stern and emotional maybe and whatnot..id have to ask some more suitable questions.

im so high, but if you get what i mean..then i dunno. if not, sorry. :smokin:

what were your feelings over there
did you feel you wouldn'tw alk out alive
how do you treat people of german (nazi) decent today
how bad were conditions, meaning eating conditions/food cleanliness/bathing conditions... etc...
was everyday another target practice as seen in movies, or was there mostly alot of walking/moving around, and occasionally having to resort to firearms
did you ever feel sorry for anyone you killed (seriously, i wanna know this.. i don't think i could kill someone even in war and not feel bad.. sure he may be trying to kill me, but mostly i'd resort to guns as a last defense and preservation fo my own life... knowing they're basicly 'fighting for their country' would make me feel bad...)

1. Which branch of service were you in?

2. Where did you serve?

3. What was your job?

All the other questions kinda depends on how he answers those 3 questions.

Ask him if he feels that hes been in any way brainwashed.

i'd ask as few questions as possible and let them tell you what they want; there may be much they don't wish to discuss, and that needs to be honored

my grandmother in norway ran an underground resistance newspaper during the nazi occupation, and some uncles and friends were put in camps. i find it's usually difficult to extract info from them; they want to forget it; sometimes, you do have to tell them that it means a lot to you to understand what it was like; but always respect their privacy

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Originally Posted by onequickmove

i'd ask as few questions as possible and let them tell you what they want; there may be much they don't wish to discuss, and that needs to be honored

my grandmother in norway ran an underground resistance newspaper during the nazi occupation, and some uncles and friends were put in camps. i find it's usually difficult to extract info from them; they want to forget it; sometimes, you do have to tell them that it means a lot to you to understand what it was like; but always respect their privacy

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since this is for school i highly doubt "teacher, the guy i chose to interview didn't want to answer my questions" is really going to work or slide... i understand what you're saying, but you shoulda just said something like, if whoever you're talking to doesn't want to share his experience find someone else...

just a thought...

Most World War II vets will be more than happy to share, especially 60 years later. Those soldiers are very proud of what they did and were treated like heroes when they returned, unlike Vietnam vets. Should be an interesting interview.

Ask him whether he was drafted or went in voluntarily.

Ask him what branch of the military he was in and when he joined or was inducted.

Ask him what overseas countries he traveled to, what type of training he received, and whether or not he considered being a career military man. Ask him what he did when he was discharged and how the war changed him.

Ask him whether he was married during the time he was a soldier and, if so, how it affected his wife or, if he was single, how his parents felt about his military service. Ask him how he felt about the whole experience while you're at it.

Ask him how it changed his life or his views. Was he part of the forces that went across and stormed the beach at Normandy? Part of the forces that helps liberate concentration camps and saw Nazi atrocities? Part of the forces that saw action in the Pacific?

Watch the movies "The Best Years of Our Lives" (an old movie about returning WWII soldiers) and Clint Eastwood's two 2006 movies "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima." Or try and see a movie or two from the list at this site so you can learn a bit more about that war:
World War II Movies

Assignments weren't nearly this interesting in my history classes!