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AROUND THE WORLD 2: World War II Vets Online With Teens!
MilQuest.com Connects WWII Vets and Teens on the Web
MilQuest.com, a Newly Launched World War II Research and Networking Forum
Website, Uncovers an Unexpected Phenomenon: a Growing Bond Between American
WWII Veterans and European Youth
PORSGRUNN, Norway, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- MilQuest.com, one of the
leading WWII research forums on the Web, was designed to create an online
community for WWII history buffs, genealogists, and ancestors of WWII vets.
But it now has a new function: attracting actual WWII veterans as members,
and connecting them with their young fans--some of them still in their
teens--through telling their heroic stories.
"MilQuest.com has evolved to become a place to share and conserve
stories of those who fought for democracy, for them to connect with each
other, and with younger generations," said co-founder Arve R. Pisani.
MilQuest.com (http://www.milquest.com) is based in Norway, one of many
European countries occupied by Germany during WWII. The website has
attracted interest from all ages from both sides of the Atlantic. Pisani
believes about 10 percent of the website's registered members are veterans.
"Our initial aim was to establish a research forum for those of us who had
family members who served in WWII and give them an opportunity to discover
the role their loved ones played during the World War. We were surprised to
see a number of veterans registering as members. Nothing pleases us more.
We're honoured to have these 'old-timers' as members, and we're thrilled
when they tell of their experiences in the forum," said Pisani.
For example, John F. Ree (82) of Roanoke, Virginia and Ralph C.
Warehime (83) of Dolgeville, New York are two web-surfing WWII veterans who
are members of MilQuest.com. Sixty-two years ago, Warehime and his two
crewmembers were shot down and had to bail out of his Grumman TBM Avenger
into Tokyo Bay, Japan. They survived seven long hours in life rafts under
the nose of enemy patrol boats and aircraft. Ree, a pilot on the "Playmate
97", an OA-10A rescue plane, and his crew dodged intensive Japanese fire to
land in the bay and rescue Warehime and his two comrades. Later John F. Ree
was awarded the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism. To this
day, the two men still keep in touch through e-mail and on MilQuest.com.
They also benefit from new interest in WWII from young people today.
"We are especially surprised to see the number of young Europeans being so
active in our forum", said Pisani. Many of the younger forum members are
based in Belgium and the Netherlands, countries that were occupied by
German troops during the war years and later were liberated by U.S. forces.
Several of these young members, some even in their teens, have adopted U.S.
war graves and use MilQuest.com in their research to reconstruct the
soldier's life and military career.
"To see the gratitude among young Europeans towards the WWII veterans,
both living and deceased, really warms our hearts. It's been 62 years since
WWII and the liberation of their countries, but they still haven't
forgotten", said Pisani.
About MilQuest.com
MilQuest.com is an online WWII research forum for historians,
genealogists, WWII history buffs, WWII veterans, and their families who are
interested in all aspects of World War II. The forum was established in
2007 and is based in Porsgrunn, Norway.
For more information, visit http://www.milquest.com.
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