We don't celebrate thanksgiving but I'm sure your roommate will find it interesting if you explain the reasons behind it and cook a traditional thanksgiving dinner for them (if you're good at cooking of course...) I stayed with friends in the States, and was invited to a thanksgiving dinner. It was all good fun and I didn't find anything inappropriate. More.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.