It’s taken a while, but I’ve finally regained my interest in history.

I’ve never really lost it, but I’m branching out from my usual interest in D-Day to take a closer look at certain aspects of the Civil War and World War II that I know very little (or nothing) about.

I have my family, Vicksburg and the novels of Jeff Shaara to thank.

I’ve had an interest in WWII ever since I was in elementary school. It began with the question practically every baby boomer asked their father, “What did you do in the war, daddy?” It intensified when my father, a combat medic in the European Theater, wouldn’t answer.

It was after years of reading books and watching documentaries on the war and talking with one of my uncles that I understood why dad, like lot of other vets who saw the results of combat up close and personal (and medics saw it very personal), refused to talk to me. His silence didn’t discourage me. It only made me want to learn more so I could try to understand.

My interest in the Civil War has peaked late in life, especially after discovering I had a great-great-grandfather who died at the Battle of Shiloh. Then came the sesquicentennial and a special publication by The Post, a visit several months ago to the Vicksburg National Military Park, and Shaara’s novel on the Siege of Vicksburg, “A Chain of Thunder.” I’ve read all of Shaara’s Civil War and World War I and II books. His research is very thorough and his style makes you feel part of the story.

My ancestor’s death at Shiloh made the Civil War, like World War II, personal. I had a family connection. My wife, daughter and I visited Shiloh in the early 1990s and enjoyed the experience.

I first visited the Vicksburg National Military Park in 1977 on a vacation trip with my wife. At the time, the Cairo was just beginning restoration. My more recent trip through the park opened my eyes to a lot things at the park, and my stop at the Cairo and the tour of its museum peaked my interest in Civil War navies. I’m very interested in learning more about America’s first brown water navy and how the Confederacy was able to build and operate a navy. I’ve picked out bunch of books on those subjects, and I believe, before I’m through, Amazon will be much richer for my efforts.

The articles I wrote on the caves of Vicksburg and about the city before and after the war for the special sesquicentennial publication got me interested in learning more about life in the area before and under the siege and after. Battles and troop movements, folks, are boring. Learning what life was like here before, during and after the war is much more interesting and more fascinating.

But what I’ve found more fascinating is the number of people I run into on a daily basis who don’t know that much about the history of the area or how the Civil War shaped its future. This is part of our lives. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a native or not. This is part of our culture, the South’s culture, and it’s worth learning about and keeping the past alive for future generations.

There are a lot of museums here and the county library is full of books that can educate us all on where we’ve been and what has affected us. We need to learn more.

Forgetting our local and regional history is a crime, and we need to know it — it’s who we are. And I intend to get better educated.

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John Surratt is a reporter and can be reached by email at john.surratt@vicksburgpost.com or by phone at 601-636-4545.