By: Matt Weigarden, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tilbury Times Reporter
In November 2021, 22-year-old Zach Dunn embarked on a mission that would become his life’s calling: documenting the stories of the last remaining World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans through the Global Veteran Stories video documentary series.
For the last several years, Zach has travelled throughout North America and beyond, seeking out the last remaining veterans from these pivotal conflicts in modern history. Through video interviews, he captures their names, stories, and legacies—creating a permanent record of their experiences and sacrifices.
“For almost five years, I have been travelling, interviewing and sharing veterans’ histories on social media to help preserve these stories for the next generation,” said Dunn. “In my opinion, the younger generation is losing that connection with these conflicts. My goal is to give these veterans a voice and share their stories and life advice with the next generation.”
Recently, Dunn, now 26, travelled from his Toronto home to Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent to interview a number of local veterans, including lifetime Tilbury resident Donald ‘Dugan’ Cottingham. At the age of 101, this is the first time Dugan has been asked to share his stories.
Cottingham, a Canadian WW2 Veteran who was born in 1924 and
joined the RCAF at 18 and trained as a wireless air gunner. Dugan, stationed in India during the war, flew missions on the B-24 Liberator, dropping Indian soldiers into Burma and flying a record 24-hour-plus mission. Dugan is possibly the last living WW2 veteran from Tilbury and was impressed by the fact that Dunn has taken on “such a large project, for such a young man.”
Dunn says documenting these first-hand accounts is paramount to preserving world history. To date, Zach has completed over 140 interviews with veterans from 16 different countries, representing World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
“I ask each veteran to tell their stories of childhood, service during the war and life upon returning home,” he said. “It captures the full scope of their experiences.”
Zach’s passion for preserving veteran stories stems from a deeply personal place. His own grandfather, John Williams, joined the British Air Force at just 18 years old, serving as a paratrooper in Africa and Germany from 1939 to 1945. Inspired by his grandfather’s legacy, Zach set out to ensure that the stories of these brave individuals are documented and preserved forever.
“My grandfather was never asked to share his stories, and I think that’s a similar situation with a lot of veterans,” said Dunn. “Some are a bit hesitant to share or still don’t wish to speak of the atrocities they witnessed.”
Understanding that this mission is larger than one person, Zach has partnered with Legions, veteran hospitals, schools, museums and other organizations to help him reach more veterans.
The impact of Zach’s work extends far beyond the interviews themselves. These videos and clips are shared on social media, where tens of thousands of people around the world learn about and remember these veterans’ stories.
After recording each interview, Zach carefully edits the footage into documentaries that are shared with the veterans’ family members—creating treasured keepsakes that will be passed down through generations. He remains actively seeking additional support to expand his outreach and document as many stories as possible before time runs out.
Dunn says one of the things that continually strikes him is the age of the young men who enlisted, many of whom were underage.
“Imagine the courage it took for those young men to do that,” he said. “The greatest generation…many are so humble…they deserve the attention.”
Dunn plans to continue his storytelling, expanding his work to include veterans from modern conflicts, including the Gulf War and Afghanistan. Someday, he hopes to write a book.
“Personally, I’m very grateful to have been born in Canada with our incredible freedoms,” he said. “It’s kind of my way of thanking veterans for their sacrifice and service…not just on Remembrance Day, but every day.”
We will remember them.
Interested in viewing Zach’s work or know a veteran who would be interested in telling their story?
Visit globalveteranstories.com to connect.
