How to Prepare
The better prepared you are, the better the interview will be. Get ready by following these steps:

• Set a date, time, and place for the interview that's convenient for you and the interviewee. If the person would prefer, you can 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.

• Get some background on your interviewee. Find out how old the person was during the war, where the person was, if the person was a soldier or civilian. That information will help you choose questions to ask, and give your interview focus. Ask them to bring along pictures they may have.

• Gather background information on World War II. Use textbooks, encyclopedias, and the Internet. Get the basics on 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 will help you better 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.

• 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.

You've done your research. You've written your questions. Now it's time to conduct your interview!