“Forged By the Sea”: the Veterans History Project’s Newest Online Exhibit

Happy birthday to the U.S. Navy!

Today, the Veterans History Project launches the latest installment of our online exhibit, Serving: Our Voices. The newest exhibit, Forged By the Sea: the U.S. Navy, celebrates the 250^th birthday of the Navy.

The official birthday of the Navy was celebrated on October 13, commemorating the day in 1775 when the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution that created the Continental Navy. While today’s Navy looks very different than it did in 1775, the dedication of American sailors has never wavered since the days of frigates and ironclad warships.

250 years after its creation, the United States is home to nearly four million Navy veterans—over 26,000 of whom have shared their story with the Veterans History Project. In this new exhibit, we sample twenty of these veterans’ narratives, from those who served in World War I through the Iraq and Afghan Wars.

The title of the new exhibit is a nod to the seafaring origins of the Navy and to the ways in which Navy service has shaped and molded sailors’ lives. The allure of the open seas was a frequent enticement for Navy enlistment, and many of the profiled veterans, including Augustus Prince, Lewis Clayton Shaw, Jr. and Heather Sandler, spent lengthy deployments aboard battleships and aircraft carriers. Even if they were not stationed aboard a large ship, water often played a key role in sailors’ experiences. For example, Paul Plumb served as a “frogman,” a combat diver, part of an Underwater Demolition Team that conducted obstacle clearance missions during the Vietnam War.

But for as much time as some spent at sea, many wound up serving far away from the briny deep. Take for example, Marie Brand Voltzke, who worked in Naval Intelligence in Washington, DC during World War II. From Rupa Dainer, an anesthesiologist who served in Afghanistan to Navy pilots such as Thomas Jerome Hudner, Jr., Navy veterans have served in a vast array of conditions and contexts.

They have also weathered some of the most challenging and infamous battles and experiences in US military history. The profiled veterans relate their experiences during Pearl Harbor, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the “island-hopping” campaigns of the Pacific Theater in World War II. Gerald Ketcher took part in the Battle of Inchon during the Korean War. Two featured veterans, Everett N. Alvarez, Jr. and Gordon Ross Nagakawa, were held as prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Another Vietnam veteran, Navy Hospital Corpsman Raymond Emilio Torres, was wounded by shrapnel during the Siege of Khe Sanh, but ultimately survived.

Regardless of where, when and how these Navy veterans served, they did so with honor, courage and commitment, exemplifying the Navy’s unofficial motto–Non sibi sed patriae, Not self, but country.

These stories and more are just a fraction of the total narratives relating to Navy veterans within the Veterans History Project archive. After viewing the online exhibit, you can dive into our full collection, and read other Navy-related blog posts. Finally, you can help preserve the story of the Navy veteran in your life by submitting an oral history interview or original manuscript or photograph materials to the Veterans History Project, to be preserved in the permanent archives of the Library of Congress. See loc.gov/vets for more information.

As the Veterans History Project marks its 25th anniversary, we reflect on the extraordinary collection of narratives and artifacts entrusted to us over the years. These stories, told through interviews, letters, photographs and personal mementos, form a powerful record of military service and sacrifice across generations.

To honor this milestone, we are sharing a 25-part blog series that highlights the voices of veterans, the individuals who shaped and sustained the project and the lasting impact these stories continue to have on families, researchers and communities nationwide. We invite you to follow the full series here and join us in celebrating the legacy and future of this important work.