Message and inquiry from researcher regarding WW II
Hello 6th Infantry Division
My name is Steven Ryan, I am a photographer and documentarian. I have been working for quite a few years on a photography project dedicated to World War II veterans and Holocaust Survivors. I am writing in the hopes that someone at your organization might be able to assist me in setting up a meeting with a veteran from the 6th Infantry Division during WWII. I have many different stories represented in this project and I very much want to make sure the 6th Infantry Division is represented.
Here is a little bit more about myself and the project:
I am a photographer and teacher based in New York City/Long Island, New York. I have been a teacher in Queens for 14+ years and started a sports photography business on the side about 10 years ago. Back in 2019, I began a major personal project, taking portraits of, and interviewing World War II Veterans, Homefront Workers and Holocaust Survivors. To this point I have been honored to take the portrait of more than 215 of these heroes. This portrait project is part of an even larger endeavor to create a photo book dedicated to the men and women who took part in the second world war and survived the Holocaust. In 2018 I traveled throughout Europe photographing historical WWII locations, cemeteries, memorials and concentration camps. Starting this spring, I will be doing the same in the Pacific Theater. This will be a published book to honor and preserve the memory of the sacrifices made during those years using both the stories of the veterans who served, the survivors who persevered against all odds and the photos of the locations as they are today. I was inspired to pursue this project after finding a newfound interest in WWII history as well as my own family history, as my grandmother narrowly escaped deportation to Auschwitz while living in Italy as a Jew during the war. A lot of my grandmother’s extended family were murdered including her aunt. Photography is my skill and this is the way I can say thank you to the generation who fought and survived the War and Holocaust, as well as provide a different approach to teaching history through photography.
Please visit the website to see some of the work that’s been so far and learn a bit more about the project: www.TheNecessaryWar.com
Here are all of the portraits taken to date: https://thenecessarywar.com/portraits
I have done an extensive amount of photo work in Europe, but this April I will be taking my first trip to the Pacific and will be traveling throughout Luzon. I would love to meet with and include a 6th Division veteran by taking their portrait and learning about their life story. Please feel free to reach out via cell phone at any time (516) 965-8607. Thank you very much for all the work you do and also for your assistance. I look forward to speaking soon.
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Steven Ryan
Photographer & Author
(516) 965-8607
