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Category: World War II

Edwin Groce stands on a city street wearing his Army Air Corps uniform. He looks slightly to the right of the camera and is smiling. Buildings and trees are visible in the background.

“I Would Want to Know the Circumstances”: Edwin Groce (New York), Rose Bushnell (Idaho) and an Act of Kindness during WWII

Posted by: Megan Harris

The following is a guest blog post by Nancy Groce, PhD, Senior Folklife Specialist at the American Folklife Center. Edwin (“Eddy”) Groce was my uncle and my father’s only sibling, but we never met. Years before I was born, twenty-year old Eddy and nine of his shipmates died in the fiery crash of his B-24J …

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

The Power of Words, the Power of Belonging: What the Navajo Code Talkers Taught Me

Posted by: Megan Harris

The following is a guest post by Nathan Cross, VHP Archivist and primary author of VHP’s Navajo Code Talkers LibGuide. The Veterans History Project (VHP) is pleased to announce a new resource designed to introduce VHP’s holdings related to the veterans known as Navajo Code Talkers. These veterans, Native Americans who served in the Pacific …

Mitch Friesenborg standing in front of a tree on the campus

Arkansas: Home to Good Sweet Tea, Southern Hospitality and Amazing Veterans

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

The following is a guest blog post by Mitch Friesenborg, a summer intern in the office of U.S. Senator John Boozman (AR). He attends Harding University, and is a member of the Arkansas National Guard. In the year 2021, the United States is in relative peace. No teenager today is anxious at the chance they …

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

New Collection Online: World War II Rumor Project

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

The World War II Rumor Project collection contains manuscript materials compiled by the Office of War Information (OWI). The OWI was established by an Executive order on June 13, 1942, for the purpose of achieving a coordinated governmental war information program. The information program was designed to promote an informed and intelligent understanding of the …

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

VHP’s Newest Online Exhibit: Legacies of Service: Celebrating Native Veterans

Posted by: Megan Harris

Today the Veterans History Project (VHP) launches a new online exhibit, part of our Experiencing War web feature series. Entitled “Legacies of Service: Celebrating Native Veterans,” the exhibit explores the lives and service experiences of 18 Native veterans who served in conflicts from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. Given the treatment of their …

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

The Radio Research Project Manuscript Collection is Now Online

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

The January 1941 launch of the Radio Research Project marked the initial foray of the Library of Congress into broadcast media. Funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and supported by Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish, the project created numerous and diverse radio programs primarily relating to American history and folklore, and utilized groundbreaking recording and production …

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

At Home Archive Challenge: Exploring VHP Collections

Posted by: Megan Harris

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 …