Kansas City Remembers World War II

Veterans History Project

Kansas City's Chronicler of the Greatest Generation

View a sampling of Gary Swanson's video interviews with local veterans.

It has been said that every veteran has his or her own war, and each is custodian of a unique story and memories. Of course, those stories and memories are lost forever if they are not recorded. Leawood's Gary Swanson is working to prevent those losses, chronicling Kansas City-area veterans one videotaped interview at a time.

A retired former IBM sales representative; Swanson is a volunteer for the Veterans History Project, which is collecting the personal narratives of veterans from all wars. The Library of Congress administers the Project with local historical societies and organizations serving as satellite repositories. Swanson became involved in the project when his friend Bob Babcock, president and founder of Americans Remembered, asked him. Americans Remembered is a non-profit organization and partner of the Veterans History Project.

"It's not just a bit about what they did in the war," Swanson said. "It's about their lives before, during and afterward. We create something they can pass down to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

Swanson focuses solely on World War II veterans and since January 2004 he has conducted more than 760 interviews. He has interviewed veterans, male and female, combat experienced or stateside.

"I have interviewed guys from probably every major seminal event that occurred in World War II," he said. "I recently had lunch with a guy who flew the last bombing mission on Japan. When they turned for home after dropping their bombs, on the radio comes a message that the war is over."

"I've interviewed guys who were at the Bataan Death March, a lot of guys at the Battle of the Bulge, guys at Normandy, guys at Pearl Harbor," he said. "But I've also interviewed people who didn't see combat. Some of them will say, 'I didn't do anything interesting, I don't have a story.' My rejoinder to them is, 'Did you do what you were told? What else could you have done? You did what you were told to do. Some people were called to storm the beaches at Normandy, some were at the Battle of the Bulge, but you were perhaps a landlocked sailor at a supply depot. You did what you did because you answered the call. At the very least you gave two to four years during the prime years of your life.'"

David Jackson, Director of Archives & Education at the Jackson County (Mo.) Historical Society, says that Swanson is a wonder.

"I really admire Gary," Jackson said. " I'm so thankful he is part of this project. It has just exploded, greatly due to his efforts. Gary uses his own money and scads of time. What he is doing is just an amazing gift to the community."

Jackson said that the Society, a satellite repository for the Library of Congress, has conducted more than 1,100 interviews, with Swanson conducting the lion's share.

The Jackson County Historical Society also partners with the City of Independence, Lee's Summit Senior Center and the Raytown Historical Society/Shepherd Center on the project.

"We've had to do this by word of mouth because we're relying on volunteers like Gary who supply their own equipment and time," Jackson said. "There's virtually no budget for this at all." Jackson said the only thing they can supply Swanson is videotape. "Gary uses his own equipment, pays for his own gas."

Jackson says that the price of gas is one reason Swanson focuses on only Kansas City-area veterans. That, and "we're barely able to keep above water with referrals."

Though not a veteran himself, "(I was too young for Korea and too old for Vietnam," he said) Swanson said that he has always had respect for veterans, but his work on this project has deepened his respect.

"We owe a lot to all veterans," he said. "I'm doing something that I consider meaningful. It's adding value to that vet's history and telling his family things they never knew about him. It think it will live on for a long time."

If you are a veteran or home front worker and wish to tell your story, you can contact Swanson at gswanson@kc.rr.com or David Jackson at djackson@jchs.org. Financial support is also welcome.

View a sampling of Gary Swanson's video interviews with local veterans.

Further Reading

For more about Kansas City's contribution to the war, read The Pursuit of A Ruptured Duck by Edward T. Matheny, Jr. It's an enjoyable book that Matheny says is "full of lots of familiar Kansas City names." The "ruptured duck" in question is the pin soldiers and sailors received to permit them to continue wearing their uniforms 30 days after they returned home from the war (there was a clothing shortage at the time). Matheny is of counsel with Blackwell Sanders and the first Board Chair of KCPT. The book is available at local bookstores or by contacting Leathers Publishing in Leawood at 913-498-2625.