It Can Start With The Courage Of Just One American
April 11, 2018
"Rishi Sharma is on a mission to interview every living combat veteran of World War II while encouraging others to help the vets feel appreciated in their final days."- HistoryChannel
“Sitting on an orange velvet chair in the middle of his living room in North York, 94-year-old Herb Pike is being scolded by a stranger 74 years his junior. ‘Didn't your mom tell you if you smoke cigarettes you won't live until your 90s?’
Pike chuckles and says, ‘Yeah.’
The stranger is Rishi Sharma, a 20-year-old from California. He's setting up his tripod and Sony camcorder in front of Pike's chair to begin an interview. Pike — who is from Toronto — was a sergeant major with the 48th Highlanders of Canada in the Second World War. He fought in Italy, Sicily and Holland.
Sharma quickly trades the small talk and banter for a heavier, more difficult conversation.
‘What would you say was the closest you got to the German infantry in a firefight?’
‘It depends on who shot first,’ says Pike. ‘There was the odd guy who had actual hand to hand fisticuffs or what not. It was surprising what you would run in to.’
Sharma has spent more than three yearstraveling across the U.S. meeting combat veterans like Pike.
To date, he said he's conducted more than 870 interviews in 45 U.S. States. He's come to Canada to continue his mission and says he won't stop until the very last Second World War veteran dies.
Talking To Real Life Super heroes:
Sharma says he's been interested in the Second World War since he was a child. He'd pore over books, watch the History Channel and once aspired to be a marine. When he realized how easily accessible war veterans are, he began reaching out to them.
‘To talk to a real life superhero, who went through the definition of hell, I could just call them. That's what hooked me. So I started riding my bike to the local nursing home and I started interviewing all those veterans,’ said Sharma.
Sharma says he soon found himself cutting class to travel to different retirement communities and homes to meet with more veterans.
Some of his interviews last an hour; some are upwards of four hours, according to Sharma. He says because he's not related to the veterans they are often more candid and feel like they can speak more freely.
‘It's really a cathartic opportunity for the veteran to get these emotions out before they pass. Because it's very lonely when you're the only person with these thoughts in their head.’
Once he's finished, Sharma makes a copy of the interviews for the veteran and the family. If they agree to make their interviews public, Sharma says he'll submit the material to be part of a museum. He posts some of the interviews online on a YouTube channel.
‘Two hundred years from now, the great, great, great grand kids of these heroes will not only get to know what their great great, great grandfather's name was, but they'll also get to know what kind of person he was,’ said Sharma.
’How he lived his life, the sacrifices he made. the way he laughed, the way he cried, his jokes … We're giving them an opportunity to an eternal life.’
Keeping Memories Alive:
Sharma funded the project out of his own pocket, but has started a non-profit to cover his travel. He said he sleeps in his car when he's on the road to save money and eats lots of cheap fast food.
Pike said he appreciates Sharma's mission and what he's doing for combat veterans. ‘To us fellows, it's one helluva nice thing he's doing. Not letting the complete memory fade,’ said Pike. ‘I just want to be remembered as a half decent guy who was willing to do his job and is extremely proud of his regiment.’
Sharma is meeting with veterans in Calgary, Vancouver and the Maritimes. Before he left Pike's home, he asked the 94-year old for some life advice:
‘Pay attention. Don't try to be a smartass. And when you're in the line, do what you're told,’ said Pike.” - CBC / Yahoo News
"We lose around 500 WWII Veterans everyday, and 18 year-old Rishi Sharma is on a mission to hear their stories. We went with Rishi to talk with some pretty astounding WWII Vets. Then we threw them a surprise party to celebrate all that they've done for their country. These vets and soldiers have so much experience and wisdom to share." Follow this link to help Rishi accomplish his goal of interviewing one WWII Veteran every day. - HeroesOfSecondWorldWar
Remember When Obama And His Progressive Democrats Put Up Chains Around The Vets' Washington D.C. Memorial? What, You Forgot?!
Obama's infamous "barrycades."
"The Obama administration has decided to block access to public memorials on the National Mall as a result of the government shutdown. The decision is similar to the cancellation of White House tours when the sequester cuts took effect. On Monday, the first day of the government shutdown, a number of veterans showed up at the World War II memorial to find access blocked by barricades, despite the fact the memorial is a public space open at all times with very little oversight from the Park Police. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., issued a statement blaming the barricaded memorials on the Republican Party."- WND
[What you would expect from Obama's socialists] The Far Left Atlantic, dissed the unhappy vets and reporting it "was a big fuss about almost nothing." - TheAtlantic, October 2013
. . . While Pelosi And Her Democrats Met With Illegal Aliens On The Same Closed Mall . . . With Obama's Blessing!
"A rally for Illegal Immigrants is cleared for the National Mall but the WWII Memorial is still closed. Ex Speaker Nancy Pelosi thanked the President for letting the rally go forward but then lied suggesting that the President had cleared the opening of the WWII memorial which is still closed. Two lone GOP House members also attended. Republican Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R), who both support the Dream Act and a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants."- Megyn Kelly / FOXNews
[ABC News Hasn't Changed] Since It Sanitized The Left Wing 2010 Rally Supported By Obama, ABC Excluding Images Of Communist & Socialist Banners - RobertsReport
Addendum
When will enough be enough, some citizens today all too comfortable with an Amazon Alexa in their home, that when asked it would have reported Christ 'as fact' was a fictional character in history. While providing that faux information, Alexa could have been listening in to the family's private conversations without their knowledge . . . or maybe without their even giving a damn.
This should not be a surprise in a world where the FBI's former head, Robert Mueller, has been accused of allowing corruption within that now stained organization. Yet he continues to be protected by the Obama and McCain deep state.
But then out of the blue, a 20-year old from California, Rishi Sharma, pops up, the son of legal Indian immigrants raised in Agoura Hills, California. His personal goal? To give tribute to the greatest generation, the ones who fought and won WWII while they're still living.
It is this same group that many young Americans have been trained to mock, seeing their service to the country as offensive.
We need to never forget that these safe-space, snowflake fascist went to American universities for their education, better known as social justice indoctrination, institutions with names such as Harvard, Fordham, Berkeley and others so identified by FIRE in 2018 as openly against free-speech.
You should also not be surprised that some of those former students from these socialist-loving universities are now employed by Google, making it known to their employer they're offended by the military that protects our country. And while at Facebook, similar fascist snowflakes gladly block conservative posts, saying they're "dangerous" to the international Facebook community.
The Shepp Report will attempt to continue to report on those who are attacking our free society in an environment where too many Americans today seem willing to accept the attacks on their freedom as "not that bad." Tell that to those who fought and won WWII, and see what they say. Be careful, one might get punched while sitting in their safe space, chocolate spilled on their coloring books.
It all reminds me of a warning I had posted almost a decade ago. I had watched the hate from the new communist Democrat Party grow after being led for eight years by a Marxist leader, Barack Obama; a man mentored by Communist Frank Marshall Davis and trained by an organization led by the late socialist, Saul Alinsky, a personal friend to Hillary Clinton and on a first name basis with her while he was alive.
A retired high-ranking military officer had written to me on that November day in 2008 when Obama was elected. I'll ever forget what he wrote:
Everything I personal believed in and fought for was destroyed in one day without a single shot being fired.
And that is how we got to this day in history, April 11, 2018.