"We'd seen the cost, and felt the relief of survivors..." ~Frank C. Hutchins, WWII veteran

Snohomish County World War II Veteran's Project.

How it Began...

People often ask how the Snohomish County World War II Veteran's Project got started. The easiest way to put it is that it started with a love for my grandpa, Bill Moore.  

A few years ago for Christmas, I put together a memory book for my grandpa and grandma.  As I sorted through old albums, I came across war-era photographs that depicted a young man in a medic's uniform- my grandpa.  I had long known that he was a medic during World War II, and had heard bits and pieces of his experience, mostly through my parents.  But my grandpa never really talked about it.  It was then that I realized that when my grandpa is gone, no one would know about the sacrifices he made.  And I felt that would be wrong.  

A couple years went by and then another thing happened that stood out to me.   My father and my grandfather came home from a Memorial Day Service.  They seemed a little disappointed.  When asked how the event was, they mentioned that none of the World War II veterans had even been acknowledged.  My father suggested that perhaps there weren't but one or two there anyway.  This made me sad with disbelief.  Were they really gone?  

Finally, last summer, I attended a photography workshop led by Don Giannatti.  I asked Don what I should do to help my photography.  Instead of giving me tips I expected, he suggested that I go out and do something for the community.  I went back and talked with my family that night and my father suggested doing a project for my grandpa.  "Of course," I thought.  So there I went, pumped up on determination and a dream, and told my grandpa all about my idea to photograph local World War II Veterans and put the photos in a coffee-table book.  And then I got busy with other things, but my grandpa didn't forget.  

Around Veteran's day 2009, my grandpa told me that the Snohomish Senior Center was asking veterans to bring in old military photographs.  I told him I would contact the center and see if I could volunteer to take current portraits of the veterans. It wouldn't hurt to ask, I thought, and then if it didn't work out, at least I had tried.  Come to find out, the center director loved the idea of honoring World War II veterans.  We worked out two dates that would work for me to photograph and briefly interview vets.  I told her that the final product- a book or a slideshow- would be dedicated to the senior center.  It was all set.  But then reality set in.  How was this really going to work?  I had a cousin-in-law, Christina, who is a journalist so I asked her to help me, and she said yes.  

What's Happening...

We started out with just a handful.  Then people started seeing what we were doing and more vets came in.  We thought if we got at least 20 we could put a book together, today we've interviewed over 40.  While Christina and I interview, collect old photographs, and take new portraits, our family has been a rock.  My grandpa has visited the center and acted as a greeter on days we scheduled interviews.  My parents and sister have watched my little boy.  Our husbands have given up time with us so we could travel and work on photos or transcribing interviews.  My mother has graciously taken over the event planning for our book dedication event.   

What started as an idea to honor my grandpa and work on my photography, has grown into a book project that is about each individual story.  Christina and I have been amazed at the willingness of men and women to take time to meet and share their experiences with us.  Neither of us had any idea how great the sacrifices were or how emotional the journey would be.  Most of the veterans we have talked with have been concerned about how the world will remember their service.  They don't want future generations to forget what they did- and our goal with this project is to hopefully prevent that from happening.

Where we go from here...

By the middle of February, we will be finished with the interview portion of the project. We want to honor each individual participant at a book dedication event we are planning for May 22, 2010.  At the event, we hope to celebrate the veterans with some music, some food, some talk, and hopefully, by providing copies of the book to each participant.  To do this, we need help.  Please look around this site and click on the above tabs for further information on how you can be involved with this project.  Thank you.