How an Ashley High School student is using YouTube to bring World War II stories to life
What started as an interest in history, politics, and current events, turned into something far more rewarding for Luke Basso, a senior at Ashley High School.
Basso has been interested in the history of World War II since he was about nine years old. Now, he interviews WWII veterans, other veterans and historical figures.
His interviews can be watched on his YouTube channel Filmperia, which has gained more than 800 subscribers, and some of his videos have received tens of thousands of views.
Basso got started in New York, where he and his mother lived prior to moving to Wilmington last June.
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His interest in documenting the stories of WWII veterans is due to their age and being able to share their recollections with those who did not live through the era.
“People don’t know what these veterans go through,” Basso said. “They do not hear it from a firsthand account. They will read about it in textbooks, watch a documentary or watch a TV show," he said, but he noted firsthand accounts are "always the best."
Through his experiences, Basso recalled it often takes a little for the veterans to open up to him and share their stories.
Sometimes, it is the families that reach out and ask Basso to interview their loved ones, so they can preserve their stories. Basso said he has been able to talk about things with veterans that their own family members have not heard before.
“This one Vietnam veteran, the wife, it took her like a few months to convince her husband to do an interview with me, and he’s like ‘I’ll do it,’” he said, “and this is the first time he’s ever spoken on it.”
Basso said for a lot of veterans, the chance to sit down and share their stories can be therapeutic for them, but many are hesitant for different reasons. One common reason is they don’t see themselves as heroes.
“I see them as an actual hero, but they didn’t feel like they did enough,” Basso explained.
Basso will attend the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy in June, and it will be the last time WWII veterans will be able to gather all in one place.
Basso wants to be able to make an impact in the Wilmington community as well by sharing the stories of veterans in the Cape Fear region. Those who are interested can reach out to Basso via his email, lukeb.filmperia@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Ashley High School student shares the stories of local veterans
