Congress recently authorized the Library of Congress to launch the Veterans History Project. The mission of the Project is "to collect the memories, accounts, and documents of war veterans and of those who served in support of them during World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf wars, and to preserve their stories of experience and service for future generations."

Over the course of the last century, the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center has sought to preserve our nation's past by collecting documents detailing life in the United States. Many of the documents are audio recordings -- oral histories and the like -- of Americans from all walks of life that provide a firsthand glimpse into the events, routines, and habits that shaped their lives and our nation. As part of these efforts, the Library of Congress has recorded blues musicians in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, cowboys out West, and the chants of Native Americans.

The Veterans History Project is in the same vein. The Library of Congress will create and maintain a comprehensive, searchable national catalog of all oral histories and other documentation collected as a result of the project. Some of the material will reside at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; most of it will reside across the United States. It will all be accessible in some fashion. The material collected will help current and future generations of Americans learn wartime history from the people who lived through it.

We have 19 million living veterans in the United States; each day, though, we lose 1,500 of them. History is an evanescent thing. Each time a person dies, we lose an irreplaceable part of our history that he or she alone is capable of recounting. The Veterans History Project has made it a priority to gather and record the recollections and insights or our most senior veterans. Such an effort is an ideal way for our nation to pay tribute to those who have helped keep our country free and whole.

The success of this program depends on the participation of volunteers who can record and document the memories of our veterans and all those who supported them. Children can interview parents; grandchildren can interview grandparents. Neighbors, friends, and fellow veterans can interview each other. Veterans' organizations, historical societies, schools, libraries, church groups, and museum staff can help to coordinate efforts to record the memories, stories, and artifacts before they disappear.

What an invaluable learning experience for everyone involved! And what a fitting time to get involved. A few weeks ago, on Memorial Day, we paused to pay tribute to those Americans who have given "the last full measure of devotion" defending America. More recently, we celebrated the 225th birthday of the American flag, the history it represents, and the future it promises. Now, we pause once again, on the Fourth of July, this time to celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our country.

The Veterans History Project web site, http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/, contains a "project kit" that includes everything individuals and groups need to begin recording the memories of "the greatest generation" and all other Americans who have defended our nation and its most cherished ideals.

We need to preserve the experiences of those who have lived through war, whether they served on the front lines or the home front. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, from the highest to the humblest of wartime tasks, all have their part to play.

Michigan has a long history of contributing to our nation's common defense. Millions of men and women from our State have served in foreign military campaigns or have remained home and contributed to making Michigan the "Arsenal of Democracy." I hope that many will help the Veterans History Project chronicle the stories of these American heroes.

Senator Carl Levin is the senior U.S. Senator from Michigan.