“The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know.” – Harry S. Truman
My beloved father-in-law Bill, who proudly served as a Marine in the South Pacific during World War II, shared a story about his "first jog." He’d bounced out of a moving truck on a recovery mission in a sniper zone and ran for his life to catch up with his mates. Bill waited 65 years to tell that story to his surprised family.
Every one of the 16 million military who returned home from that war had stories such as that to tell, personal histories that are now being lost to us.
Since 2000, the Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress has been collecting and preserving the firsthand accounts of U.S. military veterans. Any veteran from all six branches and ranks who served at any point since World War I is eligible to participate in the project, even if they didn’t see combat.
The collection includes unedited first-hand audio and video oral history interviews as well as original, unpublished memoirs and original photographs, letters, and diaries. While the Library of Congress accepts submissions from veterans, their families, friends and next-of-kin, they rely on volunteers around the country to interview the veterans in their lives and communities. Anyone age 15 or older can volunteer to record an oral history interview or gather and donate a veteran’s original photographs, written correspondence, or other materials. Participation in the program is simple and easy, and the VHP has created step-by-step instructions and Field Guide with a cover letter, a biographical form, sample interview questions, release forms, audio and video settings, a photo log and more to make sure your submission meets all requirements.
This Veterans Day, discover soldiers' first-hand experiences through recorded interviews as veterans share their stories, from WWII to peacekeeping missions all around the world.
These narratives and materials are available to help us understand and appreciate our veterans, from World War I to those who served in the Gulf Wars, as well as humanitarian and peacekeeping missions.
The collection is cataloged, and you can search for names and events, but to make it more accessible, the staff has created research guides and lists of curated collections based on theme and era of service.
Sadly, for every veteran’s experience, they can collect and preserve; many more go unrecorded. Of those 16 million returning WWII veterans, less than 120,000 are still here to tell their stories. Each year, there are fewer veterans who served during the Korean conflict, and some Vietnam-era veterans are now more than fifty years past their discharge. If you are a veteran or you know a veteran who will share his or her history, visit The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress to learn more about preserving these unique and important stories.
