Join Library of Congress education specialists this week's Office Hours! Get information on the Veterans History Project for Educators and Effectively Using the Digitized Manuscript Collections.
As the Senior Reference Specialist for the Veterans History Project (VHP), I work to make our collections accessible to on-site users as well as those who visit us in the American Folklife Center reading room.
Two collections of eyewitness accounts from the Library of Congress offer insights into the daily lives and struggles of soldiers during World War II: the drawings by Yank magazine artist Sergeant Howard Brodie and interviews through the Library's Veterans History Project (VHP).
A number of years ago I published a blog post on wartime clothing drives. I touched briefly on clothing drives and the work to make handmade items for those serving in the military. As I considered what to write about for a post on Veterans Day, I was drawn back to this post.
I am the Director of the Veterans History Project, part of the American Folklife Center, at the Library of Congress. VHP's mission is to gather the oral histories of veterans and ensure they are accessible so current researchers and future generations understand what they saw, did and felt during their selfless service to our nation.
It is also a reminder that, though we have collected the stories of many Native Americans with a focus on those who served as code talkers, there are many, many more who served bravely in all of the branches of the military throughout the history of the United States of America.