RISHI SHARMA AND JIM MAIER FOR THE TIMES
RISHI SHARMA AND JIM MAIER FOR THE TIMES
I met two fascinating people on this editorial assignment for The Times — Jim Maier and Rishi Sharma
Jim Maier is a World War Two combat veteran from Buffalo, NY. Mr. Maier was deployed with the 79th Infantry Division during the war. Rishi Sharma is a 25-year-old who has made it his mission to interview every surviving WW2 veteran he can. So far, Rishi has interviewed over 1700 of them from the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia as part of his ongoing project — Heroes of the Second World War. He says there are fewer and fewer every day, and he's racing to meet all that remains.
Rishi lives in his car as he crisscrosses the country, recording hours-long video interviews with each subject that he shares on his website while spending his nights sleeping in parks, parking lots, and wherever else he can get a good night's sleep safely or without being asked to move along by police. I was lucky to be a fly on the wall for this interview. Rishi and Jim had only spoken by phone before the day I photographed them. Still, Rishi's rapport with these veterans and his knowledge of WW2 history made it feel like I was listening in on a conversation between two old friends. While most of this assignment was focused on documenting the interview and listening to Mr. Maiers's stories of his youth, training, deployment, and return from the war. I was still able to make some time for some incredible portraits of the two together and of Mr. Maier on his own in the backyard of his home just as a fantastic Western NY autumn sunset was in progress.
