Mike Smith:
Today, we’re welcoming Nicholas Rider to the program. This homeschooled high schooler is the author of a book called America’s True Heroes: Stories of American Veterans. Thank you for joining us today, Nicholas.

Nicholas Rider:
Thank you very much, Mr. Smith, and I am very happy to be here.

Mike:
Nicholas, tell us a little about your experiences writing this book.

Nicholas:
Well, Mr. Smith, my grandpa told me about his experiences in the Marine Corps during World War II, and he was the one who inspired me to continue to learn about the contributions so many have made for our country. I then began collecting autographs of the veterans I met. When I had about 20 autographs, I came up with the idea of writing a book to record the stories of these veterans for future generations. So when I was writing this book, I met many people who unselfishly went to fight for our country’s freedom. A lot of times when I asked someone if he would be interested in being included in my book, many would be shy at first, but after a while, they would be recalling story after story. I would spend literally hours listening to their experiences, and I was amazed at how much they were excited to get the stories out. And I think it is very important to record these stories for our future generations.

Mike:
Well, it definitely is, Nicholas. And we’ll look forward to talking more about this next time. Until then, I’m Mike Smith.