A 28-year-old Indian-origin resident of the United States has spent the past decade traveling across the country and beyond to record interviews with World War II combat veterans. Rishi Sharma has so far spoken with more than 3,000 former service members and continues the effort.
Sharma began the project shortly after finishing high school in Southern California. He has since visited all fifty states as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and France. His goal is to document the experiences of every surviving combat veteran from that conflict.
One recent interview featured 100-year-old Marine veteran Nils Mockler, who took part in the battle of Iwo Jima. Sharma asked what it meant to see the American flag raised during the fighting. Mockler replied that the memory still causes the hair on his arms to stand up.
Sharma has no family military background. His parents moved to the United States from India. He funds the project through donations that cover travel expenses only; he draws no salary. Recordings are given to the veterans’ families, and selected interviews appear on his YouTube channel, which has 172,000 subscribers.
When the project started, roughly 700,000 World War II veterans remained worldwide. Today the number is about 30,000. Sharma notes that their passing will remove more than personal accounts. He describes the veterans as a moral compass whose quiet guidance continues to influence the nation.
America marked 250 years of independence on July 4, 2026. Sharma’s work highlights the role of those who served in maintaining the country’s freedoms.
