SPOKANE, Wash. — For Scott Davis the passion for World War II history began in grade school.
“I can remember my mom asking my first grade teacher for age-appropriate books on World War II,” he said.
By the time he reached high school that passion turned into a calling. When he was junior at Mead High School Davis tracked down a WWII veteran, and asked to interview him.
"Then I started thinking, 'Well maybe I should do another, and then maybe another' and it kind of snowballed from there," he said.
Over the course of the next four years Davis has tracked down and interviewed more than 100 WWII and Korean War Veterans in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. That’s how Faces of Valor was born. It’s a non-for-profit dedicated to tracking down veterans and recording their stories on camera.
Davis doesn’t get paid for his work, nor does he get any help with it. He does have a GoFundMe page to help pay for the costs of traveling to his interviews.
But, the 21-year-old history major at Gonzaga University is determined to reach as many aging veterans as possible.
“I’ve learned so much from these guys,” he said. “I get to meet my heroes every week.”
According to figures from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 496,777 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II were alive in 2018.
On a recent Thursday, Davis’ work took him to the home of retired Marine Corps veteran, Lt. Col. Dean Ladd.
Using a small DSLR camera placed on a tripod Davis started in with the questions.
“Can you take me through your first experiences under fire from the Japanese?” He asked the 98 year old.
Over the course of the next hour Lt. Col. (ret) Ladd recalled harrowing stories of close calls, engaging the enemy and losing men in combat during his time fight in the Pacific Theater.
“He shot at me and threw dirt into my face,” Ladd recounted about an encounter with a sniper. “I had my Springfield (1903) 03’ rifle just in case I wanted to shoot snipers. And, so I killed him. I killed the sniper right after he almost hit me in the face,” he said.
Ladd explained to the 21 year old how he had eight “close calls” during his time at war, including the time he nearly died after being shot in the abdomen during the Battle of Tarawa.
“I got him myself,” he said. “Felt like an inner tube slapped me across my abdomen.”
Davis also shared clips with KREM 2 of recent interviews he’s conducted with other veterans, including with Les Schneider, who served in the United States Army and stormed Utah Beach on D-Day.
Gen Lashaw was among the first women to join the United State Marine Corp when they began accepting female candidates.
And, Marine veteran Bud Crabbe took part in the invasion Guam and Iwo Jima.
Davis said he gives the veterans’ families a copy of the interviews that he conducts. And, he plans to use them in the future.
“I want to be a history professor so when I’m teaching I want to be able to show these clips, when I'm talking about Iwo Jima, I want to show an Iwo Jima veteran,” Davis said.
“And, (to) show students and let them know that there's a price to freedom and it’s a heavy toll and these guys paid it for us, and we owe them a debt that can't be repaid."
As for the veterans Davis interviews, he said they’re happy to know their memories of loss, struggle and victory will live on.
“Well, it's great,” Ladd said of Davis’ efforts. “It’s unusual for a young person to take that initiative. Just to have a broader view of history. Of what history is, and in defense of freedom. It’s not just a word, it’s what’s behind it."
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