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Category: Holidays

Items left in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial: a red rose sits on top of a worn pair of brown boots, with flags and letters positioned on either side.

VHP’s Newest Online Exhibit: In Memoriam

Posted by: Megan Harris

Today, the Veterans History Project (VHP) launches a new online exhibit titled “In Memoriam: Honoring the Fallen,” featuring the stories of 15 servicemembers who died during their time in the military. For many, Memorial Day may feel like nothing more than a day off from work, a holiday that serves to mark the start of …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

“Someday at Christmas, There’ll Be No Wars”: Winter Holidays in the Military

Posted by: Megan Harris

This is a guest post by Sam Meier, a former LC Junior Fellow who is currently working on a variety of reference-related projects for the Veterans History Project (VHP).  December 25, 1917 found William James Bean in quarantine at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York. Bean had been inducted into the Army a little more …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Buttered Fresh Frozen Lima Beans: Commemorative Holiday Menus in the Veterans History Project

Posted by: Megan Harris

Chow, c-rations, MREs—no matter the form it takes or the name given to it, food is important in military life. Materials within the Veterans History Project (VHP) collections are peppered with culinary references: the monotony of military rations, the ache of hunger when food was scarce, and often the longing and anticipation for home-cooked meals …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

The Veterans History Project

Posted by: Megan Harris

Within the vast array of recordings housed at the American Folklife Center (everything from sea shanties to slave narratives to street cries), you can also find voices that are a little different from the rest: the narratives of over 90,000 American veterans—all part of the Veterans History Project. Created by Congress in 2000, the Veterans …