Make sure you're prepared.

• Set a date, time, and place for the interview.
• Make sure that it's convenient for you and the interviewee. If the person would prefer, conduct the interview over the phone.
• Find out how much time the person will have to talk. Make sure you have enough time to get an interesting story. Ten minutes won't do it. Thirty minutes or longer is better.
• Be respectful of your interviewee's time.
• Don't keep the person too long.
• Write a list of questions. Start with Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? Ask questions that will draw out details and memories to help you get a picture of that time.
• Bring a tape recorder if you have one. Test it ahead of time to be sure it works.
• Bring along paper and pen. It's a good idea to take notes even if you are taping the interview.

Get background on your interviewee. Find out answers to these questions about the war:

• How old was the interviewee?
• Where was the interviewee?
• Was the interviewee a soldier or a civilian?

This information will help you choose questions to ask. It will also give the interview focus. Ask the person to bring along pictures they may have.

Gather background information on World War II.

Use textbooks, encyclopedias, and the Web to gather information. Find out which countries were fighting, the names of leaders, and big events of the war.

Pay particular attention to what was happening where your interviewee spent the war years. This background information will help you understand the person's recollections.

Write a list of questions.

Start with Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? Ask questions that will draw out details and memories to help you get a picture of that time.

Here are some questions you might ask. Be sure to add your own. Refer back to this section during your interview.

• What is your name? (Check to get the correct spelling.)
• When and where were you born?
• How old were you when World War II started in 1939?
• Where were you during the war?
• What was day-to-day life like for you?
• What do you remember most about World War II?
• What is your happiest memory from that time?
• What is your saddest memory?
• How do you feel the war changed your life?
• Is there anything about the war that you feel differently about now than you did then?