The Seminary Explores

Dr. Michael Birkner, Professor of History, Gettysburg College ,talks about his recently edited book Democracy’s Shield: Voices of World War II. He describes the oral interviews conducted by Gettysburg College students of veterans of the Second World War. This project took place over a twenty-five-year period. The interview process began with a network of veterans he knew. The interviews included:  men and women, persons who had been in combat, those who were not, WACs and WAVES. He noted the difficulty in locating and interviewing veterans of color. Birkner highlights some of the memories and notes the importance of oral history. From his perspective, Birkner feels that the project and the book that resulted from it humanized World War II.