THE GEAR

THE GUY

the gist

THE goods

O.C. Kemp

Born in 1924 in San Diego, CA, Omer Carroll Kemp was a typical boy of his time: obsessed with sports and indifferent about school, priorities that nearly derailed his future. But he was also a boy of imagination, tenacity, and a can-do attitude. The only question was what he would choose to do.

O.C. grew up during the Depression where he learned early that life is hard. So when the War rolled around, he took it in stride: after all, America, with all it's troubles, was a blessed land and was expected to do its part. And he did: fighting in places whose names he could not pronounce, for people he had never met, and for principles of liberty he could barely articulate.

The videos below are compiled from audio recordings O.C. made in the late 1970s. Visuals, including many that did not make it into the book, have been added to the audio track.

As you watch the videos, you'll discover what made the Greatest Generation: a clear-eyed understanding of the world as it is and a selflessness that stands in stark contrast to today's "me first" world. It's breathtaking and humbling... and we are lucky to have known them.