Canadian filmmaker, 26, travelling across North America to interview war veterans

At just 26 years old, one Canadian filmmaker has spent the last five years on a mission to preserve the stories of war veterans before they are lost forever.

Every time Zach Dunn hits record, he knows he may be capturing history for the last time.

For the last five years, the 26-year-old filmmaker from Toronto has travelled across Canada and the United States interviewing Second World War, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. He has interviewed more than 155 of them, from 18 allied countries.

What started as a project inspired by his grandfather, a Second World War paratrooper, has become something much bigger. It is a race against time.

And this weekend, that mission brought him to Stoney Creek. There, he sat down with 93-year-old Korean War veteran George Charles, who still carries memories of what he saw overseas.

“The war is cruel. Like I’ve seen some terrible things over there,” Charles said.

Dunn says every interview feels more urgent than the last.

“I wanna do it right now because this is a project, a race against the clock, really,” said Dunn, director and producer of Global Veterans Stories. “These veterans are getting up there in age and we don’t have much time with them left.”

Some of the veterans he interviewed have since passed away, including Hamilton’s Tony Mastromatteo, who died last year after sharing his story on camera.

He would have been 105. On Saturday, his family held a celebration of life at Mt. Hope Catholic Cemetery.

Now, those interviews have become more than conversations; they have become history.

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For many young people, war can feel like something distant, something found only in textbooks. But teachers say hearing these stories directly from veterans creates a connection that history class alone can’t teach.

“First hand stories matter because it puts the students in the shoes of the veteran or the shoes of the person that we happen to be talking to, and they get a real layer of emotion,” history teacher Scott Masters said.

Students say those stories leave a lasting impression.

“I think young people like me should care because it’s really like inspirational to hear like their stories,” fifth-grader Jackson Day said.

Ninth-grader Bradley Gray added, “Hearing their stories empowers us to help people.”

And as the number of living veterans continues to shrink, Dunn says the responsibility to remember them only grows.

“I’d hope to save as many stories as I can because it’s quickly leaving us,” Dunn said.

One generation fought these wars. Another is now working to make sure their stories do not disappear with them.

“I think everyone can learn a lot from our elders if we listen,” Dunn said.

More information about Dunn’s project can be found on the Global Veterans Stories website.

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