POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Rishi Sharma leads an interesting life. For the past seven years, he has traveled the world to interview allied World War II veterans.

What You Need To Know

  • Rishi Sharma travels the world to talk to WWII veterans

  • He has interviewed more than 2,500 people from all allied countries

  • He runs a nonprofit and YouTube channel that features the interviews

“To date, I’ve interviewed over 2,500 veterans across all 50 states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, we do all the allied countries,” Sharma said.

At 26, Sharma is gathering all these interviews for future generations to watch and learn from.

He got the idea to do this when he was only 15 years old. He started by reading about soldiers' personal stories through books and then eventually wanted to meet some of these veterans.

He started interviewing veterans who lived nearby in his hometown in California. From there, it ballooned into what it is today.

“I feel every time I enter one of their homes and I talk to them, I feel like it’s a little boy meeting Superman. These are my heroes,” Sharma said.

Spectrum News followed Sharma to the home of Robert Taylor, a veteran who served on the famous USS Yorktown aircraft carrier.

Taylor manned anti-aircraft cannons on the ship and fought in the Coral Sea and Midway battles — those engagements were ferocious — and were also pivotal battles in turning the tide against the Japanese Empire in the Pacific.

“People like Mr. Taylor, he is what I would call an American War Hero. He’s not just a veteran and an older man with a family, this is someone who lives every day of his life contributing more than he has taken,” Sharma said.

Sharma sometimes sleeps in his car to save cash as he travels from state to state. He does all this with the help of donations on his website.

You can also check out his thousands of interviews at his YouTube channel.

Sharma says he has no plans to slow down. He wants to find every combat veteran that is willing to speak to him. It's vital work, as that generation is nearly gone.

“I feel this is my only way to say thank you to them," Sharma said. "I feel like documenting their story 200 years from now – their great-great-great grandkids will get to know not only their name but the way they look. Their characteristics, their jokes, they get to live forever."