Veterans History Project Explained

The Veterans History Project American Folklife Center
Country:	United States
Scope:	To collect and preserve firsthand remembrances of U.S. wartime veterans
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Items Collected:	recorded interviews, original letters, diaries, photos, memoirs and historic documents related to a veteran's wartime service
Collection Size:	over 65,000 collections
Parent Organization:	Library of Congress

The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center (commonly known as the Veterans History Project) was created by the United States Congress in 2000 to collect and preserve the firsthand remembrances of U.S. wartime veterans. Its mandate ensures future generations may hear directly from those who served to better understand the realities of war. It is a special project of the American Folklife Center, a research center of the Library of Congress.^[1]

The program is conducted through Congressional offices and relies on a national network of veteran service organizations, universities, secondary schools, community groups and the general public to record interviews according to program guidelines. These and original letters, diaries, photos, memoirs and historic documents related to a veteran's wartime service are then preserved at the Library of Congress. Through 2010 the project held more than 65,000 collections and was considered the largest oral history program of its kind in the nation.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]} It serves as an important resource for scholars, historians, students and the general public.

The Veterans History Project authorizing legislation (Public Law 106-380) was sponsored by Representatives Ron Kind, Amo Houghton, and Steny Hoyer in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senators Max Cleland and Chuck Hagel in the U.S. Senate. It received unanimous support and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 27, 2000.

Directors

• 2000-2006: Ellen McCulloch Lovell^[13]
• 2006-2016: Robert Patrick^[14]
• 2016- : Karen Lloyd^[15]

Associated media projects

Notable media projects associated with the Veterans History Project include:

• A March 2007 screening of a series of films, shorts, and television episodes during Women's History Month titled "Women at War" highlighting American servicewomen participation in the major wars of the 20th century.^[16]
  • March 2: Mad Parade (1931) and 100% American (1918)
  • March 9: Ladies Courageous (1944)^[17] and Women in Defense (1942)
  • March 16: Flight Nurse (1953) and M*A*S*H episode season 7, episode 16: "Inga" (1979)
  • March 23: An episode from the acclaimed TV series China Beach and a television report titled "Woman Doctor in Vietnam" (1966), which aired on the CBS news program The 20th Century
  • March 30: Courage Under Fire (1996)
• A joint community engagement during 2007 between the Veterans History Project and PBS resulted in the September 7 airing of the seven-part Ken Burns PBS documentary The War. The television miniseries underscores the VHP's objective of building the historic record by collecting first-hand recollections of wartime veterans. It also profiles civilians who work in support of war efforts, such as Rosie the Riveters and USO volunteers.^[16]
• The VHP launched a companion website on October 1, 2007, to "guide viewers through each episode, detail related historic events through the perspectives of hundreds of World War II veterans who contributed their recollections to the project archives, and showcase the wide variety of media contributed to the archives.^[18]
• The VHP commemorated Veterans Day on November 11, 2008, with a special online presentation featuring firsthand recollections of African American soldiers from the 92nd Infantry Division of World War II.^[19]
• The Veterans History Project commemorated its 10th anniversary through a host of various events and initiatives, including a commemorative anniversary event.^[20] The featured speaker for this event was James H. Billington, the 13th Librarian of Congress, who called upon Americans to collect the stories of veterans on September 29th, 2010.^[21]
• The VHP commemorated its 15th anniversary with a new web presentation titled "VHP at 15: Collections Over the Years," to memorialize fifteen collections through their existing online series, "Experiencing War."^[22]
• The Veterans History Project celebrated its 20th anniversary with online concerts and panels, November 6–14, 2020^{[23] [24]}
  • November 6: Barbara Martin
  • November 7: "In Love and War" - Roxanne Seeman, songwriter with Elise Solberg, pianist and Hannah Goldblatt, singer
  • November 8: "Still Over There" - Franklin Tootle, Operation Song
  • November 9: Conversation on conversing: Veterans discuss VHP participation
  • November 10: "Old Glory" - Kimberley Mitchell, Operation Song
  • November 12: Organizational benefits to collaborating with VHP, panel discussion
  • November 13: "Precious Pearl" - Kimberley Mitchell, Operation Song
  • November 14: Volunteering to make history, panel discussion

External links

• • American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress
• Veterans' Oral History Project Act

Notes and References

1. Web site: The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. www.LOC.gov. en-US. loc.afc/folklife.home. January 21, 2020.
2. Web site: About the Veterans History Project (American Folklife Center) . Loc.gov . 2010-03-25.
3. Web site: Veterans History Project >> Representative Joe Sestak . Sestak.house.gov . 2000-10-27 . 2010-03-25.
4. Web site: The D'Azzo Research Library Newsletter . Afit.edu . 2000-10-27 . 2010-03-25.
5. Web site: Chris Coutu . Make A Difference, Support American Veterans & Troops, Now! . American Warrior.Us . 2000-10-27 . 2010-03-25.
6. Web site: How did the Veterans History Project start? . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100122011733/http://www.ask.com/q/How-did-the-Veterans-History-Project-start . 2010-01-22 . Ask.com . 2010-03-25.
7. Web site: Springer . Jason . Training for the Veterans History Project . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120220114723/http://www.bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=10703 . 2012-02-20 . Blue Jersey . 2010-03-25.
8. Web site: Central Connecticut State University Veterans History Project: FAQ . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927081622/http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=710 . 2011-09-27 . 2000-10-27 . 2010-03-25.
9. Web site: Representative Kenny Marchant: Learn About The Veterans History Project . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100204073611/https://www.house.gov/list/speech/tx24_marchant/VeteransHistoryProject.shtml . 2010-02-04 . 2010-03-25.
10. Web site: INTEGRIS Third Age Life Senior Services: Veteran's History Project . Integris-health.com . 2000-10-27 . 2010-03-25.
11. Web site: History: Commemorating The Men And Women Who Have Served In Our Armed Forces . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725023354/http://www.lakemoreohio.org/History.html . 2011-07-25 . 2024-04-11.
12. Web site: Veterans History Project . Norcaltrav.com . 2000-10-27 . 2010-03-25.
13. News: Veterans History Project. NPR.org.
14. Web site: Robert Patrick Named Director of Veterans History Project . Library of Congress . 28 September 2019.
15. Web site: New Director Appointed to Lead Veterans History Project . Library of Congress . 28 September 2019 . 4 November 2016.
16. Web site: VHP Celebrates Women's History Month with Film Series "Women at War". Library of Congress. 22 December 2010.
17. News: The New York Times. Movie Review: Ladies Courageous. 1944.
18. News: Veterans History Project Web Site Enhances Experience of "The War". The Library of Congress. News From the Library of Congress. October 1, 2007.
19. News: Veterans History Project Spotlights Stories of WWII 92nd Infantry Division: Soldiers from WWII African American Unit Recount History in Their Own Words. November 6, 2008. News From the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress.
20. Web site: Veterans History Project Marks Tenth Year with Events and Initiatives. 2021-01-03. Library of Congress.
21. Web site: Veterans History Project 10th Anniversary. 2021-01-03. Library of Congress.
22. Web site: VHP Celebrates 15th Anniversary With New Web Presentation. 2021-01-03. Library of Congress.
23. Web site: Veterans History Project Celebrates 20th Anniversary Year with Online Concerts, Panels, Nov. 6-14. 2020-11-24. Library of Congress.
24. Web site: 2020-11-03. Library of Congress Veterans History Project virtual concert. 2020-11-24. www.radio.com. en.