It’s been more than 60 years since World War II ended, but three Lawrence veterans who survived that war say it is more important than ever to talk about what they remember of that tumultuous and historic era.

“I really feel like I have an obligation and a sense that if I have a story and someone wants to hear it, I should tell it,” said Roy Creek, who parachuted into Normandy with the 82nd Airborne Division during the D-Day invasion.

That’s why Creek will participate in the International Conference on World War II at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Also participating in the Nov. 16-19 conference will be Virginia Visser, who was an Army nurse, and Jaroslaw “Jarek” Piekalkiewicz, who fought as a teenager with the Polish resistance after the Germans took over his native country.

All three were invited to New Orleans by Marine Maj. Bill Howell, a museum volunteer who is helping to organize the conference, which will include more than 30 seminars and panel discussions. Dozens of other veterans also will be there. Also scheduled to speak are Walter Cronkite, Madeleine Albright, George McGovern, Andy Rooney, Ken Burns and James Bradley.

Howell invited the Lawrence veterans because he remembered how well they were received when they spoke during the events surrounding the 2003 dedication of Kansas University’s Dole Institute of Politics. Howell also helped organize those events.

“I know them; I know their stories,” Howell said. “I know they will go well with the audience because when you hear them talk, it just captivates you. They lived it. They saw things firsthand. They just have great stories to tell.”

Visser, 84, worked in Army hospitals directly behind Allied lines in Europe and witnessed the horrors of the Buchenwald concentration camp when it was liberated. She said she didn’t think twice before accepting Howell’s invitation to the conference.

“So many of the World War II veterans have died, and as a result, I think people are anxious to get these stories before we are all gone,” Visser said. “I’m very proud and happy to talk about it.”

Few Americans know much about the Polish resistance efforts and what it is like to live in a country occupied by brutal foreign forces, which is why Piekalkiewicz said he welcomes opportunities to talk about his experiences.

“It’s important to teach the new generations about the sacrifices and the brutality of that war,” he said.

Piekalkiewicz, 80, who fought during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, said he also speaks in memory of his friends who died during the resistance.

“Not many of us survived,” he said.

All three veterans said they have seen an increased interest in World War II in recent years, possibly spurred by publicity of the recent 60th anniversaries. They have received more requests to speak to school classes and community groups.

“It’s interesting how very little the younger generation knows about World War II,” Visser said. “I always get a lot of questions. The interest is there, and there’s a lot to be said.”

The World War II conference initially was set for October 2005 but had to be canceled because of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. The museum suffered some damage from the storm and subsequent looting, Howell said.

The biggest issue at the museum now is drawing more tourists, Howell said.

The museum opened in 2000 as the National D-Day Museum. Congress then designated it as the nation’s official World War II museum.