Benjamin Mack-Jackson is only 23, but he’s been telling veterans’ stories for nearly half his life.
At just 13, armed with nothing more than an iPhone propped on a stack of books, he recorded his first interview with a World War II veteran at a museum in his Florida hometown.
“I’ve always been a history buff. I’d watch World War II documentaries and read books, and then I realized—why just hear these stories on TV when I could meet the people who lived them?”
That first conversation led to more interviews, and soon, Mack-Jackson was welcomed into circles like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He began recording more and more conversations. Somewhere along the way, he realized that both of his great-grandfathers had served in World War II.
“I didn’t even know about their service until I started this project,” he said. “Somehow it made the history I’d been reading about feel even more real.”
But what began as a personal passion became a calling. In 2017, at just 15, he founded the World War II Veterans History Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the voices of World War II veterans. Over the years, he’s interviewed more than 300 men and women from that era, many of them past their 100th birthday.
“You could spend lifetimes studying the war and still not know it all,” he said. “And if I didn’t do this now, I might never have the chance.”
He feels the urgency deeply and is working to interview as many people and document as many stories as possible. Each year, the number of living World War II veterans decreases.
“Unfortunately, the end is in sight,” he admitted. “When that day comes, though, it won’t be the end of the mission–the mission will just move into a new stage.”
Through these conversations, Mack-Jackson has collected not only history, but wisdom.
“Life, love, death, values–the Greatest Generation has a perspective my generation doesn’t,” he said. “They’ve taught me to be a better person, and a better citizen.”
For him, the project isn’t just about preserving the past-it’s about carrying those values forward. And as long as there are stories left to tell, he’ll keep listening.
To learn more about the World War II Veterans History Project or about Mack-Jackson, visit the VHP website.
