History in the Making
By Jill Cousins
Winter Park resident Benjamin Mack-Jackson is just 22 years old, but as far back as he can remember, he has been a passionate history buff. When he was in middle school, while most kids were playing video games, Benjamin was at the local library reading books about subjects like the Titanic and ancient Rome and Greece.
Then one day, when he was 13, Benjamin recalls watching a documentary about World War II, and he was mesmerized.
In Normandy, France, Nathan B. Baskind, Jewish World War II First Lieutenant, was laid to rest by U.S. soldiers last June. He was buried in a German mass grave 80 years earlier, until DNA tests revealed his identity. Winter Park resident Benjamin Mack-Jackson wrote about the event for The Times of Israel.
“I remember seeing interviews with World War II veterans in the film,” says Benjamin, “and I thought to myself, ‘These men and women are still alive. I can go and talk to them and ask the questions that I have.’ It was just a genuine interest.”
That was back in 2015, when Benjamin was a home-schooled middle schooler in Clermont, where his family had moved a few years earlier from Long Island, New York. But instead of his interest in World War II simply remaining a hobby, Benjamin turned it into an extraordinary mission. He founded the WWII Veterans History Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in which he has made it his goal to interview as many WWII vets as possible and document their stories. He then turns those interviews into mini documentaries on his website (www.WW2VeteransHistoryProject.com) and on YouTube.
bridging the generation gap
One of Benjamin’s most recent World War II interviewees was Melvin Jenner, 102, who flew 46 combat missions in Europe as an aerial gunner in the 8th Air Force.
Bridging the Generation Gap To date, Benjamin – a 2024 Rollins College graduate with a major in international relations and double minor in German and history – has documented the stories of more than 250 World War II veterans and continues to feverishly pursue new narratives on a regular basis. With the help of his parents and a group of talented team members, Benjamin’s project has expanded to include a feature-length documentary called Normandy Revisited, worldwide educational programs for students, and a virtual museum on his website. He has also written a World War II history book for teens.
Benjamin interviews John Clark, who served in the 100th Bomb Group in the 8th Air Force during World War II. Since 2017, Benjamin has interviewed more than 250 veterans as part of his WWII Veterans History Project.
“In the beginning it was just a desire to learn more about World War II for myself,” says Benjamin, “and then I started to understand the importance of capturing these stories and also sharing them with others. I wanted to educate my generation and future generations about the importance of the stories and keeping them alive.”
To pursue his passion project, Benjamin did virtual school for both middle school and high school. That allowed him to travel around the country and to Europe in pursuit of his next documentary. His research also revealed that he had two great grandfathers who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, which only served to stoke his interest in learning about WWII veterans.
their stories must be told
“I just wanted to talk to these guys and hear their incredible stories,” says Benjamin. “It kind of became a mission to me – not just to talk to them myself, but also to share these stories with other people.”
In addition to his work as founder of the WWII Veterans History Project, Benjamin Mack-Jackson is also a freelance journalist who has made five trips to Ukraine to document the war.
Benjamin’s first interview, which was in 2015, was with Clermont resident Charles Konsler, a P-51 fighter pilot during World War II. Benjamin’s most recent project documented the incredible story of Lieutenant Nathan B. Baskind, a Jewish WWII vet who received an official burial at the Normandy American Cemetery in France – 80 years after he died during the Battle of Cherbourg.
This past spring, Benjamin, who also works as a freelance journalist, was in Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2024. The day before he was scheduled to leave, on June 19, he decided to make one last trip to the cemetery. That’s when he noticed an unusual sight: a freshly dug grave with a brand new headstone engraved with the Star of David.
“I’m working as fast as I possibly can to capture these stories before it’s too late.”
Benjamin was stunned. He knew the cemetery was closed to new burials; only American soldiers who were killed during World War II and died in Normandy could be buried there. And very few were Jewish. He inquired at the visitor’s center and was told that the soldier’s body had been deemed unrecoverable and had been buried in a German mass grave since 1944. However, after exhaustive research, Lt. Baskind’s body was identified and brought to Normandy for a proper burial. Benjamin was able to obtain lastminute press credentials, allowing him to attend the funeral, and the story he wrote was published by The Times of Israel.
Benjamin relished the opportunity to tell Lt. Baskind’s story, and he is looking forward to sharing many more of these narratives.
“I get a call or two almost every week from people who have new stories that they’re looking to have captured,” says Benjamin. “I’m working as fast as I possibly can to capture these stories before it’s too late.”
To learn more, or to share a veteran’s story with Benjamin, go to www.ww2veteranshistoryproject.com.
This story was originally published in print in Winter 2024.