by Luke Loranger |
When senior Mackenna Krohn initially heard Dale Bowlin give a speech to the Silver Wings club, it lingered in her mind. This speech became the inspiration behind the Greatest Generation Project, which records discussions with soldiers who fought in World War II. Though the project initially started with an interview with Bowlin, those behind the “Greatest Generation Project” are looking to expand and allow others to conduct interviews with those who were a part of World War II before it is too late.
Krohn founded the UP chapter of Silver Wings when she was a freshman, and has been involved every year since. The club promotes community service and professional development for those associated with the Air Force ROTC and the Arnold Air Society. When the idea was initially launched in the E-Scholars program, it won the $100K Challenge, meaning that the business school donated $2,500 to help create 500 pamphlets that are being distributed for the interviews. It also won the National Service Focus award at a meeting of all Silver Wings clubs last year, and is up again this year as the potential focus for all branches.
The Greatest Generation Project records discussions with former soldiers and those who helped aid the war effort by keeping records of the discussions. These records are posted to social media in the form of a photo following a caption, similar to Humans of New York.
“You can get thousands of long interviews, but there is nothing geared for our generation,” Krohn said. “We can share these impactful stories with people our age. (This format is) accessible.”
Krohn is drawn to World War II veterans because of how few of them remain, and because of the unique place they hold in modern society. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, more than 420 World War II veterans die every day.
“It is really important for our generation to see what they lived through,” Krohn said. “We are talking about people, who before they graduated high school, went across seas and fought (and then) came home and went to college.”
Krohn emphasizes that the project is for everyone who was involved in World War II, including wives and those who helped in war effort at home.
Senior Nick Ost, who is a vice president of the Greatest Generation Project, considered the moment he helped interview Dale Bowlin “life-changing.”
“The moral character that Dale exemplifies is pretty typical of everybody we have interviewed,” Ost said. “It is an example that needs to be shared through individual stories, and not just the history that you get in a book.”
Luke Loranger is a reporter for the Beacon and can be reached at @loranger18 or loranger18@up.edu.
