THOMPSON ENCOURAGES LOCAL VETERANS, SCHOOLS TO PARTICIPATE IN VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT IN HONOR OF VETERANS DAY
Veteran Stories to be Recorded for Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced that he is encouraging local schools and veterans to participate in the Veterans History Project. The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center was created by the U.S. Congress in 2000 to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
"This project provides an excellent opportunity for young people to hear firsthand what serving our nation during times of war means," said Thompson. "By recording the stories of our veterans for posterity, generations of family and community members will be able to hear directly from those who served our country so they could grow up free."
The program comprises individual audio- and video-recorded interviews, original photographs, letters and other historical documents from veterans of every war and conflict since World War I.
In addition, U.S. citizen civilians who were actively involved in supporting war efforts (such as war industry workers, USO workers, flight instructors, medical volunteers, etc.) are also invited to share their valuable stories.
To date, the Veterans History Project has collected more than 95,000 oral histories from veterans in every state and congressional district. Students can interview local veterans and their video recordings will be submitted to the Library of Congress, where they will be archived for posterity. There are no deadlines for participation.
Veterans, veteran organizations, or schools who are interested in participating in this project should contact Thompson's office at (707) 645-1888 or email vetshistory.thompson@mail.house.gov.
Please visit https://www.loc.gov/vets/ to learn how you can get involved in this important project.
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
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