The Library of Congress Veterans History Project is calling on all Americans to make Veterans Day more meaningful for the veterans in their lives by recording their memories of military service.
Preserving history
Established by the U.S. Congress in 2000, VHP’s mandate is to collect, preserve and make accessible the firsthand recollections of America’s war veterans. Through a network of volunteers from across the country, VHP has collected more than 75,000 stories, of which more than 10,000 have been digitized and made accessible via VHP’s website, www.loc.gov/vets.
“Our goal is to help make Veterans Day more meaningful and personal for veterans and their loved ones,” said VHP Director Bob Patrick. “What better way to do that than by recording their war stories and submitting them to the Library of Congress, where they will be preserved for generations to come,” he added.
A free guide is available
Straightforward guidelines in VHP’s Field Kit (a how-to-record-a-story booklet) show volunteers how to interview a veteran for 30 minutes or longer while recording the conversation using their own audio- or video-recording equipment. Next, volunteers may send the original recording, along with VHP’s required forms, to the Library of Congress, where they are added to the Library’s permanent collections.
A profile page for each veteran who shares a story with VHP appears on www.loc.gov/vets four to six months from the date VHP receives the collection, and the profile is accessible to researchers, teachers, authors and the general public through VHP’s searchable online database.
The project also accepts original photographs, letters, military documents, diaries, journals, two-dimensional artwork and unpublished memoirs.
A meaningful project
National organizations, local groups and individuals, including students in grades 10 and higher, are encouraged to mark the day with this meaningful volunteer project by interviewing veterans within their own families or communities or by collaborating with local veterans service organizations to collect stories.
For more information or to request a VHP Field Kit, contact VHP at 888-371-5848, email vohp@loc.gov or visit www.loc.gov/vets.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.