For Toronto-based documentarian Zach Dunn, recording history isn’t just an interest — it’s an urgent, personal mission against the ticking clock.
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Through his oral history project, Global Veteran Stories, the 26-year-old creator has set out to capture and preserve the firsthand experiences of Second World War, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans before their stories are lost forever.
Among the more than 160 veterans Dunn has interviewed across 20 Allied countries is Bonnyville’s own Willie McGregor, a 103-year-old Second World War medic who served on the front lines in Western Europe.
While Dunn spent a week in Alberta interviewing veterans in Calgary and Edmonton, a tight schedule meant he couldn’t make the trip up to Bonnyville in person. Thanks to the assistance of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 183 in Bonnyville — and Sergeant at Arms Bob McRae — a virtual meeting was set up over Zoom.
“I ended up reaching out to the Bonnyville Legion and that’s how I got in contact with Willie,” Dunn shared. “The incredible people at the Bonnyville Legion set something up over Zoom. Willie was sitting in a church in Bonnyville and we were able to sit down and chat.”
Despite the physical distance, the conversation made a lasting impression on Dunn.
“He was incredible — such a very quiet and humble man,” Dunn said of McGregor. “His role was pretty impactful. He was a medic with the Canadian Army attached to a Scottish regiment and he saw a lot of action.”
Arriving in France shortly after D-Day, McGregor treated wounded Allied soldiers across Normandy, rode on tanks through Belgium and continued through the Netherlands and into Germany.
“Picture going through four countries as a 22-year-old from Northern Alberta,” Dunn reflected. “It’s pretty incredible.”
Dunn’s journey into military history began at home in early 2021 while cleaning out his parents’ basement. He stumbled across old photos and medals belonging to his late grandfather, John Williams, a Second World War British Airborne paratrooper who passed away in 2003.
“He never talked about his story — it was one of the lost stories in our family,” Dunn explained. “I thought, there’s got to be other veterans his age who might be open to sharing.”
What began as a personal effort to meet just one veteran quickly snowballed. Dunn started cold-calling local Legions, launched a YouTube channel and website, and eventually expanded his reach to interview veterans from West Africa, Trinidad, the UK, France, India, Australia and the United States.
When interviewing centenarians about war memories, Dunn prefers an open, conversational approach rather than rigid questionnaires.
“The best way I find to get natural stories is asking open-ended questions,” Dunn said. “Questions like, ‘What were you feeling in that moment?’ or ‘What did you see, smell and experience?’ Those types of questions really pull out the answers where you can almost experience what they were feeling.”
To ensure these history lessons reach future generations, Dunn donates all recorded footage to high schools and museums across Canada and the U.S., while also providing copies to the veterans and their families.
“For me, it’s purely educational,” Dunn emphasized. “This history is not that far removed from us. If you’re in high school today, these veterans could be your great-grandparents. I want young people to be curious, ask questions about their family history and be grateful for the freedoms we have today.”
With over 150 Second World War veterans passing away each day globally, Dunn views his work as a literal race against time.
“When a veteran is in their late 90s, that’s considered ‘young’ in my project,” Dunn noted, adding that his oldest interviewee was 110-year-old Burgett Sisler of Fort Erie, Ont.
“There’s certainly an urgency there, and I’m doing the best I can.”
Dunn encourages anyone who knows a veteran interested in sharing their story to reach out through his website at globalveteranstories.com.
“Veterans are often so humble — they don’t want all the credit,” Dunn said. “We don’t have much time left with them and I would love to schedule an in-person or Zoom interview with as many as possible.”
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