Veterans Voices
Veterans Voices
Andy Fancher“Sometimes all the veterans need is somebody to listen.”
Andy Fancher is a 19-year-old native Texan whose YouTube channel features interviews with American war veterans sharing their untold stories.
Google and StoryCorps came together to highlight Andy’s work with veterans as a central part of Google’s 2018 Veterans Day campaign. Google is committed to supporting veterans and their families, and we were honored to help showcase the importance of recording and preserving these oral histories.
Kellie Fancher
“When it comes from that person I think it creates a lot more compassion because you're actually hearing their heart.”
We traveled to Dallas to film Andy in action as he sat down with two WWII veterans. While we were there, we were lucky enough to hear stories from Calvin Jernigan, a 93-year-old Navy veteran. Andy meets with Calvin and his son regularly for lunch to talk and exchange stories. Calvin’s son, Keith, is very appreciative of Andy’s work because now he has his father’s recorded history, some of which Calvin has never shared with anyone before.
As we observed Andy with these war vets, it was evident that he had a trusting friendship with each person. While Andy’s initial interviews take place on camera and live on Youtube, Andy learned the benefits of using the StoryCorps app as well, which archives all audio recordings in the Library of Congress, creating an invaluable archive of history for future generations.
Andy Fancher
“Listening is honoring.”
Since only a little over 3% of the 16 million US WWII veterans are still alive*, it is vital that veterans’ stories continue to be told, and for those who served to have a platform to share their voices with the nation that wants to listen. We hope that this film inspires more people to speak to their own family members and friends about their experiences. Google, YouTube and StoryCorps provide a platform for people to collect and share these stories for future generations.
– * WWII Veteran Statistics,” The National WWII Museum, accessed January 25, 2019