But the patriotism from these gentlemen never waned, and they used it as a battle cry. I don’t want to speak for them, but just to share the sentiments that I heard from them, especially with the Japanese American soldiers: They were imprisoned by their own country. How did these individuals reconcile discrimination experienced at home with the desire to fight for their country and its ideals? Several of the veterans you interviewed detailed the racism they encountered before, during and after the war. You don't really get to do a deep dive into a lot of that stuff, so just learning about things that I had no idea had even happened was fascinating.

When I was in school, they just touched on the big events, like Pearl Harbor and the atomic bomb. I’ ve learned so much more about the war in general and how multifaceted and involved the entire thing was. What have you learned from your discussions with these men and women? Zach Coco (right) poses with World War II veteran E.T. The photographer also shared a selection of 12 portraits featured in the book (see below). Smithsonian spoke with Coco to learn more about his project-and the individuals he’s dedicated his life to honoring. (The book is available for purchase via the project’s website.) In 2019, he published a selection of these portraits and testimonies through his nonprofit organization, Pictures for Heroes. “Each time I do an interview, it’s kind of like I get to spend another day with my grandfather,” he says.įive years later, Coco has photographed and interviewed more than 100 men and women who served during World War II. Faced with this loss, Coco decided to embark on an ambitious venture: namely, connecting with as many World War II veterans as possible. Though the Los Angeles-based photographer had always wanted to interview his grandfather about his wartime experiences, Anthony passed away before he could do so.

Growing up, Zach Coco’s hero was his grandfather Anthony, a veteran who served in World War II’s Pacific theater as a sailor aboard the U.S.S.

World war 2 navy photographers