When we were little, and our parents tucked us into bed at night, we sometimes pleaded with them, "Please, please, tell me a story." That plaintiff cry could have been a transparent attempt to put off bedtime. But perhaps more than that, such a plea spoke to our love of a good story. And that is what history is at its core, stories. Too often we forget that. History represents more than a collection of names and dates, taught to us in rote memorization.

The World War II Experience is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and making available to a wide community the history of the World War II Generation. Stories posted here can be used by academics as primary sources when scholars write about and analyze the history of the Depression and war years. For a general audience, however, these memoirs and biographies can serve other purposes. They can introduce individuals to the drama in history with stories so riveting that readers will want to learn more about the experiences of the World War II Generation. Hopefully, a dialogue will also take place within families as younger generations try to discover the roles played by their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents in World War II. And lastly, those who read the stories told in these pages will learn life lessons in strength and courage.