Veterans' stories preserved

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

With a love for history and a sense of urgency, Fort Collins resident Brad Hoopes has an avocation of recording the stories of World War II veterans.

Hoopes, who grew up in Loveland, was living in Massachusetts when the calling struck him. "I had read articles about how the American Folklore Center at the Library of Congress and the D-Day Museum in New Orleans were collecting oral histories and had asked veterans to send in their stories, and I decided to try and do it on a local level," Hoopes recalled.

He was also inspired by Tom Brokaw's book, "The Greatest Generation," which recounts the stories of America's citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America.

Hoopes presented his oral history idea to veterans' groups and was soon recording the stories of this Greatest Generation. Though he's not limiting interviews to those who served in WWII, he knows their time is limited.

"World War II veterans are dying at a rate of 1,500 a day, and they're taking their stories with them," he said. "Present and future generations need to hear them."

Hoopes prepares the interviewees with a list of questions to jog their memories. In addition to war experiences, he delves into the veteran's prewar and postwar life. He videotapes the interviews and then transfers them to DVD, which he gives to the veteran. If a local library wants a copy, he will also provide that.

Hoopes said he's found some veterans don't want to talk about their war experiences, which he respects, and some think they don't have much to tell, which he doesn't believe.

"I've heard a lot of stories, and I have yet to find one that isn't interesting," he said.

Interviews generally last 60 to 90 minutes. Hoopes does not edit the tapes because he believes each detail is important for the family history. He tries to capture the human experience of serving in wartime.

"How did you deal with the physical and climate conditions you were in?" he will ask. "Describe your feelings when you finally realized the war was over and you had made it."

After hearing their answers, Hoopes observed, "They're very proud of what they did and a patriotic bunch as well, and very humble." Another common theme, he said, is that they still find war necessary, though they wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Many WWII vets were 17, 18 and 19 years old when they enlisted, Hoopes noted. In contrast, the 45-year-old Hoopes is part of a generation not faced with a draft or war as it left high school. "At that age, my biggest worry was a college exam and what we were going to do on Friday night," he said. "Those 10 years older had horrors of going to Vietnam. I can't fathom it."

Hoopes hopes to turn his oral history hobby into a paying proposition by interviewing people of all ages from all walks of life, but the veteran project will always remain a gift. "I'll never take a penny from the veterans," he said.

Hoopes will have information about his project at the Veteran's Day event at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Nov. 11. He will be there from 7 to 10 a.m.. He can also be reached by calling 631-2027 or by e-mail at bhoopesco@hotmail.com.