“It’s important to get every veteran’s story, so future generations can learn about military life from firsthand accounts. Our individual experiences may have been different, but when compiled they form a powerful snapshot of history.”
—Teresa Fazio, Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran
The Veterans History Project is a nation-wide, and in many ways world-wide, community storytelling project that aims to keep the voices of veterans like Fazio alive and make real to the American public the experience of war.
The project was created to collect oral histories, artifacts, and memories from American War veterans of every major armed conflict, beginning with WWI. It remains the largest oral history project in the U.S.
The project is run by the U.S Library of Congress. Its funding was authorized by the U.S National Congress with public law, which Bill Clinton signed on October 27, 2000 with unanimous support.
At the time, the Department of Veterans Affairs reported that there were almost 19,000,000 war veterans living in America, and only approximately 3,400 of these were living veterans of World War I. A striking realization that an average of 1,500 WWII veterans were dying each day inspired a national movement to preserve first-hand accounts before they were lost forever.
The Veteran's History Project operates as as a program of the American Folklife Center, which collects the American Historical Record through oral and storytelling projects like the VHP, the Civil Rights History Project and StoryCorps.The VHP, like these other projects, is intended for use by the whole American public.
The project initially intended only to archive the voices of veterans, but has evolved in order to create a more holistic understanding of America in wartime.
Today, it is veterans, their families, and civilians who directly served the war effort who are asked to donate original narratives, memoirs, journals, documents, and more. In the case that you have nothing to add to the collection yourself, the interviews catalogued in the process are conducted by volunteer interviewers.
Because the project asks for participation by every part of the American public, access and donation to the collection of stories is simple.Donators are asked to follow the directions supplied in the Field Kit Companion Video, which can be found on the website or within the VHP iTunes U podcast. Here, you can listen to the the stories of Veterans from many wars, including that of Chuck Hagel, current U.S Secretary of Defense.
The rest of the stories and profiles can be found using the VHP Database. The database is where students, teachers, family members, and interested Americans can come to make history personal.
The VHP has a broad base of donators, and and even larger audience. Therefore, the project provides ways to funnel information and stories into smaller sub-communities. For example, on the database, visitors have the option to listen to stories based on the military branch, ethnicity, or even state of residence of the veteran.
No state is left unrepresented. Even you , Minnesota, can hear the stories of veterans like Roger Dean Ingvalson. A Veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Ingvalson provides much more than a story of his service. Listening to his words and those of others like him provides the chance to understand what America was like both at home and on the battlefield. Ingvlason, for instance, talks about his time at Columbia University, problems at the school, and the effects of MLK's assassination on his service. Additionally, he details his family's history of military service. Stories like these show that although the project began directly interacting with WWI vets, memories allow Americans to dive much further into the depths of U.S history.
It's not without pain, though, that many of these stories are told. The VHP recognizes that frequently, those who have served are reticent of sharing.
Vietnam Veteran Paul Tschudi says it best.
"I hid," said Tschudi. "I didn't really tell people I was a Vietnam veteran unless it was a close friend. "
"I think that I was mourning my loss of innocence."
"This [project] is a way of honoring us and keeping that story forever," he said.
The Veteran's History Project aims to save all memories of war, painful or not, from being lost forever. Additionally, the project recognizes and honors those who selflessly served their country. Each and every American can benefit and learn from the project, from listeners to contributors. The poignant questions then remains....
Who is the Veteran in your life?
