November 1, 2004
Library of Congress Contacts: Audrey Fischer, (202) 707-0022, afis@loc.gov
Anneliesa Clump Behrend, (202) 707-9822, aclump@loc.gov
National Geographic Contact: Carol Seitz, (202) 828-6678, cseitz@ngs.org
Web site: http://www.loc.gov/voicesofwar
"VOICES OF WAR" TO BE PUBLISHED ON VETERANS DAY “Voices of War: Stories of Service From the Home Front
and the Front Lines” will be published by National Geographic
Books in association with the Library of Congress on Nov. 11,
Veterans Day.
“Voices of War” is the first book to showcase the
extraordinary tales of courage, friendship and sacrifice collected
by the Veterans History Project, the Library’s congressionally
mandated initiative to preserve the stories of America’s
war veterans. It includes an introduction by former Sen. Max
Cleland (D-Ga.) and an afterword by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.),
both Vietnam veterans, who, along with others, co-sponsored legislation
in the Senate to create the Veterans History Project. Rep. Ron
Kind (D-Wis.), who introduced the legislation in the House, wrote
the foreword. To date, the project has amassed nearly 25,000
recorded oral histories and thousands of priceless mementos from
veterans and others whose lives were touched by war.
“We owe our wartime veterans profound appreciation for
their sacrifice and service to our nation and its future,” said
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “We also owe
our citizens an opportunity to honor those men and women who
have protected our nation in the gravest of times.”
Culled from an assemblage of compelling oral histories, letters,
photographs and personal diaries from the Veterans History Project
collections, “Voices of War” provides a unique eyewitness
record of 20th century America at war. Personal accounts of more
than 70 veterans and civilians—from World War I to the
Persian Gulf War—are organized into seven thematic chapters
that address every aspect of military and civilian life. Through
the book, readers meet soldiers and sailors, pilots and
M.A.S.H. nurses, officers and enlisted men—each with a
story to tell about the mix of excitement and fear, the delight
of a letter from home and the
sorrow at the death of a friend. Readers also meet the civilians
who supported them, like Marion
Gurfein, who sent a hand-drawn
series of family newspapers titled “The Goofein [sic] Journal” to
her husband at the front.
A companion Web site to the book provides the complete stories
of the veterans featured in “Voices of War.” Visitors
to the site at http://www.loc.gov/voicesofwar can read letters and memoirs
and listen to full interviews.
Authorized by legislation passed in 2000, the Veterans History
Project calls upon veterans and their families to record their
stories and contribute personal documents to a growing archives
at the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress. Founding
sponsor AARP and hundreds of other organizations have joined
the Library of Congress in this effort.
Those who are interested in becoming involved in the Veterans
History Project are encouraged to e-mail the office at vohp@loc.gov to
request a project information kit. The kit is also available
on the Veterans History Project Web site at http://www.loc.gov/vets or
by calling the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848.
“Voices of War,” a 336-page hardcover book with
more than 175 black-and-white and color photographs and illustrations,
will be available for $30 in bookstores nationwide and through
the Library’s Sales Shop, Washington, DC 20540-4985. Credit
card orders are taken at (888) 682-3557. Online orders can be
placed at http://www.loc.gov/shop. The book is also available nationwide
in an unabridged audio version, either as six cassettes ($30)
or as eight CDs ($35).
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PR 04-191
11/1/04
ISSN 0731-3527
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