hello, I just want to know about the wwii us army and coast guard veterans born in 1918, 1920-23 or 24 because I just want know how amny are still alive? also wwii us army and coast guard veterans please pm about your phone numebr so that I can call you. - Tommy
Hello Tommy, I'd be very surprised if any Veterans would be foolish enough to immediately give an Internet stranger their phone number. However, there's a US coastguard veteran or two that visits here, who may be prepared to discuss in a more indirect manner. The Info you're after should be available anyway though. Last time I looked the US Veterans department had very good demographics online. Aha, here you go: National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics Home Should perhaps be able to extrapolate something from there by taking the amount that served in the CG and working out a rough comparative figure against the amount still with us. Good Luck, ~A
A more suitable alternative, if you wish to interview WWII Army and/or USCG personnel would be to: (a.) Contact the Divisional / Regimental Association (or in the case of WWII USCG personnle, the actually ship). Once they have established your sincerity, a contact from the group, usually a grandson who helps with internet hosting or secretarial duties for the group will email you and you can then speak with a veteran from that specific Division or Regiment. (b.) Contact the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. The same rules apply. And, on any given day, or more specifically, during a national holiday, you will find any number of WWII veterans at the Museum who would be more than willing to speak to you about their experiences. I was there several years ago and both a 101st and 82nd Airborne veteran were present and I spoke at length to both men for over an hour. However, please be cognizant of the fact that these men are now in their mid to late 80's and tire easily. Be prepared and provide the veteran (and the family) with a list (no more than 5-10 questions) that are easily understood and can be answered first person without research. Avoid TO&E, organizational structures, etc. And avoid any question regarding combat. If the veteran wishes to provide you information about his specific, personal account of the war at the sharp end, count yourself lucky, if not, I have found it is not advisable to talk about it. I have interviewed several dozen U.S. and British WWII veterans. They are always most gracious and humble ... and they usually have a mean sense of humor that is both extraordinary and hilarious! Also note that the majority of U.S. WWII veterans have *never* had their story told ... so best of luck. I was coming out of the supermarket last year and ran *smack* into a veteran who served on Ford Island during the Pearl Harbor battle; I have only seen his name in one account. He wore a "Pear Harbor Survivor" ballcap and was walking with a cane. He said he had only spoken to one person (a college student doing a paper) about his experiences. Your performing a service not only to the veteran and his family, but to a nation that has largely, forgotten about the war and the collective sacrifice it took to achieve victory. Regards, Mick
