Veterans Day season is understandably a traditionally busy time for the Veterans History Project (VHP) staff and supporters. With media interviews, performances, workshops, exhibits, veteran/Gold Star family member interview opportunities and ceremonies, this year was certainly no different. As we bask in the afterglow of successfully sharing stories through multiple mediums, I would be remiss …
How are you planning to commemorate this Veterans Day? There are many ways to show gratitude for the veterans in your life. Can you guess the one I would suggest? Show appreciation to the veteran in your life by helping them collect and preserve their military memories so that they may be accessible through the …
From atop one of the most sacred places in our country, a soldier walks his 21 steps, halts, turns to face our nation’s capital and pauses for 21 seconds. As we close out this chapter of the year, I can’t help but reflect with gratitude on a recent event that the Veterans History Project (VHP) …
The following is a guest blog post by Justina Moloney, an archivist at the Veterans History Project (VHP). People often ask me to explain what an archivist does, and though there are a multitude of different ways I could explain my profession, I generally say, “Oh, I’m a librarian of old things.” While librarians and …
The following is a post about the upcoming Veterans History Project (VHP) virtual discussion panel, “Motherhood and the Military.” Watch the Folklife Today blog for an upcoming post from Motherhood and the Military panelist Rue Mayweather on May 4th. This second Sunday in May has been set aside for our nation to remember and celebrate …
Hello to potential explorers of the Veterans History Project (VHP) archive! We’re so excited that you’re considering taking part in the American Folklife Center’s newest version of the Archive Challenge. VHP’s collections are nothing if not inspirational, and you are sure to find a wealth of material–everything from epic poems to wartime love letters and …
The last Sunday in September marks Gold Star Mothers and Family’s day- a day for our nation to show our profound gratitude and respect for the families of our fallen. Last year, the Library of Congress invited Gold Star families to join us so that we could celebrate the lives, service and love of their …
The following is a guest blog post by Hope O’Keeffe, an attorney in the Library’s Office of General Counsel, and an ardent supporter of the Veterans History Project. To read a previous guest post about her family’s history of proud military service, go here. This is my grandfather, John McLaughlin, quarantined during the 1918 flu …
The Library of Congress collections contain stories of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic as told by ordinary people, documented by folklorists, linguists, and others as they collected personal histories and folklore. Several of these are available online and a selection will be presented here, with links at the end under “Resources” where more can be found. …
