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Category: Veterans History Project

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

Two Veterans, Two Wars, Two Remarkable Women

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

The month of March is designated as Women’s History Month–a time set aside to pay tribute to the contributions women have made to society from years past to contemporary times. Each year, the Library of Congress and many other national agencies offer special programming and exhibits, as well as feature collections and resources that are …

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

“Please Write Often”: Wartime Correspondence

Posted by: Megan Harris

In the diary that he kept while serving in France during World War I, Private First Class James Rudolph Sorenson made short entries describing each day’s most notable events. On August 11, 1918, he wrote, “Fired [gun barrages]. Valley was shelled heavily twice by the enemy. Our battery lost some horses and had one man …

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

Beyond “I Regret to Inform You”

Posted by: Megan Harris

This is the third in a series of blog posts related to correspondence in Veterans History Project collections. Not long after I started working at the Veterans History Project (VHP), I came across a collection that immediately mesmerized me. Pertaining to Army Corporal Jose Mares, who became a prisoner of war during the Korean War, …

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

“Today Was Tough–But I Took It”

Posted by: Megan Harris

During February and March 2015, the Veterans History Project will be running a series of blog posts discussing correspondence collections. The following is a guest post by Digital Conversion Specialist Matt McCrady. Many of the young men drafted into service in World War II arrived at boot camp at the height of physical fitness, fresh …

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

Recognizing African-American Veterans This Month and All Other Months Too

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

As a native Washingtonian, I grew up in a predominantly African American community and proudly attended D.C. Public Schools, where Black History was taught as a regular part of the curriculum, and not just during February. As far as my elementary school music teacher was concerned, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” also known as “The …

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

Washington, DC: At Home in the Nation’s Capital

Posted by: Megan Harris

In case you missed it, this past holiday season, we explored the meaning of home–how members of the military have missed home, returned home, and recreated a sense of home far away from loved ones. All of this reflection got me thinking about my own definition of home and the specific places that I’ve called …