Man wants to interview WWII combat veterans in Kansas to preserve their voices, stories

Rishi Sharma landed in Wichita on Friday and had his first interview with a Kansas WWII combat veteran Saturday.

The 22-year-old has been on the road for four years, interviewing combat veterans on camera around the world to preserve their stories. He has five interviews planned in Sabetha and Hutchinson so far but intends to stay in Kansas as long as he can find more WWII combat veterans.

“I feel like I am truly contributing to history,” Sharma said. “The video element really gives (it) life, which is a beautiful thing. Because if anyone deserves to live forever it is the WWII veterans.”

When he was in high school, Sharma’s curiosity about WWII eventually led him to ride his bicycle to a retirement home to speak with veterans. The newspaper in his hometown in California wrote about the endeavor, he said.

National media attention followed.

So did roughly $150,000 in donations. More donations have followed, allowing Sharma to travel to 45 states Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand to interview U.S. WWII combat veterans and allied vets.

Sharma said he has done more than 1,100 interviews.

He said he often sleeps in a vehicle to try to be as conscious as possible with every dollar donated to him. Sharma takes advantage of a room when it allows him to edit video or do more work, he said.

Along the way, Sharma founded the nonprofit Heroes of the Second World War. The goal is to interview WWII combat veterans and provide them with a DVD copy of the interview. Copies are also given to museums and universities for posterity.

Sharma said people would jump at the opportunity to interview a Civil War veteran now that they are gone. He believes capturing these stories will make sure the same thing doesn’t happen with WWII veterans.

He hopes to capture as many stories as he can while he still can.

The National WWII Museum, citing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, estimates that 348 WWII veterans die each day.

Sharma asked that anyone with tips for connecting him with WWII combat veterans call him at 202-315-8743. Sharma said he’s been taking extra precautions while doing interviews during the pandemic.

This story was originally published July 25, 2020 at 3:23 PM.