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Posted by: Megan Harris
The following is a guest blog post by Bob Patrick, director of the Veterans History Project. May 29, 2004 was one of the great days of my life. On that day, the World War II Memorial on The Mall in Washington, DC was dedicated. For two years before, I worked as the Director of the …
Posted in: Veterans History Project, World War II
Posted by: Megan Harris
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Trite as these sayings may be, they offer possible explanations for why we find portraits—whether they are painted, drawn, or photographed—so compelling. Anyone who has visited the National Portrait Gallery (my personal favorite of the Smithsonian museums), or browsed through …
Posted in: Exhibits, Photographs, Veterans History Project, World War I, World War II
Posted by: Megan Harris
Happy 15th birthday to the Veterans History Project! On October 27, 2000, the 106th Congress signed Public Law 106-380, an act “to direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish a program to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war veterans, and for other purposes.” …
Posted in: AFC History, African Americans, Iraq War, Oral History, Veterans History Project, World War I, World War II
Posted by: Megan Harris
Due in part to the well-known HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, which profiled the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the accomplishments and bravery of World War II paratroopers are well known. And deservedly so—I can’t imagine hurling myself out of a plane under the best of conditions, let alone while dodging enemy bullets …
Posted in: Hispanic American History, Oral History, Veterans History Project, World War II
Posted by: Megan Harris
“Home Alive in ’45!” As World War II veteran Merle Korte explains, so went the popular mantra–though he and his shipmates aboard the USS Ritilicus, serving in the Pacific Ocean and awaiting the imminent invasion of Japan, could scarcely believe it was possible. Along with the rest of the world, they had lived with war …
Posted in: Oral History, Veterans History Project, World War II
Posted by: Megan Harris
As I mentioned in my last post, on September 8th, the Veterans History Project (VHP) will release a new Experiencing War web feature to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. In the meantime, I’d like to shine a light on another one of the collections that will be included in …
Posted in: Asian American History, Oral History, Veterans History Project
Posted by: Megan Harris
This month sees a round of 70th anniversaries relating to the end of World War II–the release of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, and Japan’s announcement of surrender on August 15th. The Veterans History Project‘s (VHP) official commemoration will come next month, with the September 8th release of an …
Posted in: Oral History, Photographs, Veterans History Project, World War II
Posted by: Megan Harris
Sixty-two years after the armistice was signed ending the Korean War, on July 27, 1953, the conflict remains slightly hazy for many Americans. Sandwiched between World War II and Vietnam, and involving fewer service members and battle deaths than either, the Korean War may seem a bit of an enigma. There are not as many …
Posted in: Oral History, Veterans History Project
Posted by: Megan Harris
The following is the second of a two-part guest post by Joseph Patton, a Library of Congress Junior Fellow working with the Veterans History Project this summer. Last week, I shared with you three stories from the Veterans History Project (VHP) collections of World War II Navy veterans who served in the Pacific theater of …
Posted in: Oral History, Veterans History Project, World War II