Veterans History Project............will you help?

Since 09-10-06

From: Lowell J Mix [mailto:ljmix@juno.com]
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 2:19 PM
Subject: Veterans History Project............will you help

Friends, Brothers, Nobles, VAVS staff & volunteers, and Veterans all,

Headquarters of the Masonic Service Association of North America has asked that this be repeated to everyone. This is a very important project and it deserves all the attention it can receive.  Please take time to read this in its entirety and participate in this worth while project for our Veterans, Past/Present and Future will benefit from it.

The United States Congress created the "VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT" (VHP) in 2000 as part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

THE MISSION of the VHP is to collect and archive the personal recollections of US wartime veterans to honor their service and share their stories with current and future generations. The Project also collects stories from home front civilians who worked in support of our Armed Forces.

HOW CAN YOU BE A PART OF THIS PROJECT?

You can volunteer to conduct interviews and collect historical documents. You may also organize interview groups and teach others how to conduct interviews. School and scout groups, retirement communities, churches, and other groups are a good source to start. Check with you local American Legion Post and start an interview program there of 'especially' the older vets , WWII  and get their stories. Local VFW Post, DAV chapters, PVA Chapters are another good source of information. Talk with the Auxillary's to these groups also to get their civilian stories. This could be a good project for your Local Boy Scout, Girl Scout, and Navy Sea Cadet programs to handle also.

WHAT KINDS OF ITEMS ARE INCLUDED IN THE VETERANS HISTORY PROGECT COLLECTION?

Donated collections take the form of war veterans' first hand oral histories, memoirs, photographs, letters, diaries, official separation documents (DD-214), and other historical documents from World War I through the current conflicts.

Visit this website; http://www.loc.gov/vets/  and print out an information kit, which gives you guidelines for conducting interviews and writing personal wartime recollections. If you don't have internet connection, call the toll free message line at 888-371-5848 to request an information kit.

The Masonic Service Association also has some kits available for all  you MSA Reps out there that want one.  The MSA has downloaded these forms and will be willing to send you some if you are interested in helping in this program. Do it as a team with other volunteers. It can be a fun learning experience and the Veterans stories will be archived forever.

This could also be a good project for the VAVS staff and volunteers at our VAMC's. They are already there everyday and while doing their jobs could interview a patient or two and gather their stories so that their service may be recorded and not forgotten for future generations. All the Service Organizations that work as volunteers at our VAMC's (and there are many) could form teams to gather information from our veterans to honor them forever with their stories.

This is a very worthwhile project and I do hope that more people will undertake this project and preserve the memories of our veterans forever in the Library of Congress.

President Executive Committee, VAVS, VAMC , Atlanta, GA