Veterans' Day
Veterans History Project
About the Veterans History Project
The Veterans History Project was created by the United States Congress in 2000. Public Law 106-380, 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, was signed by President Bill Clinton on October 27, 200.
The Veterans History Project focuses on the first-hand accounts of U.S. veterans and citizens (who were actively involved in the war effort) collected by volunteers. Primary sources from the following wars of the 20th century are being collected:
- World War I (1914-1920)
- World War II (1939-1946)
- Korean War (1950-1955)
- Vietnam War (1961-1975)
- Persian Gulf War (1990-1995)
- Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts (2001-present)
Participating in the Veterans History Project
The Project's web site provides information on how to collect stories. First and foremost, the Veterans History Project is looking to collect audio (on either cassette or CD, but not microcassettes) and video (digital video, Hi-8/8mm, VHS video, DVD) of the veterans/civilians telling their stories. The Project will also accept supplementary materials (narratives/memoirs, letters, diaries/journals, maps, photos (black & white or color)). Unfortunately, the Veterans History Project cannot accept medals, canteens, uniforms/helmets, dog tags, and weapons or military equipment.
There are various kits and forms available for download. The interview kit offers information on performing and planning interviews and collecting the information. The memoir kit allows individuals to record their own stories. You can download the complete set of project forms, which includes a checklist, biographical data form, veteran's release form, interviewer's release form, audio/video recording log, and a photograph log. The biographical data, veteran's release, and interviewer's release forms are required when submitting a story.
See and Hear Veterans' Stories
The See and Hear Veterans' Stories section of the Project's site hosts an evolving focus story. Currently, the Project is highlighting 'Forever A Soldier', the second in a series of books highlighting 37 servicemen and women's stories collected by the Project. Visitors to this section of the site have access to excerpts from six chapters in the book.
The past highlights on the See and Hear Veterans' Stories page are available for browsing. Some previous collections include Courage, Patriotism, Community; Sweethearts, Buddies, Family Ties; Life-Altering Moments, On a Mission, Hurry Up & Wait; D-Day Anniversary; Prisoners of War; Voices of War (Companion Web site); Military Medicine; and War's End: VE- and VJ-Days. For an all-in-one listing of these areas, please visit the All Story Themes web page.
Search the Veterans Database
When searching the Veterans History Project database, there are two ways of going about your search. The first way is similar to searching for anything on the Internet. The Basic Search allows a user to enter a search term and choose a variety of search-narrowing variables, such as limiting the search to a certain conflict, era, or branch of service. If the person you are searching for was a known prisoner of war, you can also select that as a limiter for the search. There is also a 'Contained in' list where you can limit your search even more by choosing from the following items:
- Name of veteran/civilian
- Service location
- Service unit/ship
- Highest rank
- medals/awards
- notes
- name of interviewer/donor
- partner/interviewer affiliation
The second way of searching the database is to Browse through the database. This search method would be recommended to anyone who knows exactly who they are searching for. When you browse the database, you can choose to do so by last name, by war and branch of service or by all collections with digital items. Collections with digital items are those that the veteran/civilian submitted something in a digital format, whether it be an audio/video interview or a digitized memoir.
Viewing a Veteran's Story
When you have settled on a veteran/civilian you are interested in, you will presented with the biographical information of the individual, a photograph (if one was submitted), and any digital items in their collection. The completeness of their collection depends on what materials were submitted by the individual and the thoroughness of the interview. Each veteran/civilian will have a different looking biographical page depending on these variables. The veteran at right, Robert Adams, has a very thorough collection. Click on the image to view an easier to read version of the image.
The right half of Robert Adams' collection page lists the digital resources available. In this case, we can view the complete interview. Clicking on the 'View Digital Collection' link in the upper right brings you to the page to view the interview.
