April 29, 2004
Press Contacts:
    Anneliesa Clump Behrend (202) 707-9822
    Helen Dalrymple (202) 707-1940

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT TO COLLECT VETERANS’ STORIES ON THE MALL, MAY 27-30

National World War II Reunion Gives All Who Served a Chance to Tell Their Story

The Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress will participate in the National World War II Reunion on the National Mall in Washington during Memorial Day weekend, May 27-30. The four-day event will include ceremonies and activities produced by the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the American Battle Monuments Commission.

One of seven pavilions and two performance stages on the Mall during the Memorial Day weekend, the Veterans History Project Pavilion (located near the National Air and Space Museum) will collect memoirs and stories on-site from those who experienced the war overseas and on the home front.

The National Reunion coincides with the American Battle Monuments Commission’s dedication of the National World War II Memorial on Saturday, May 29. The dedication ceremony and reunion honor the 16 million soldiers and sailors who served in the U.S. armed forces during the war, the more than 400,000 who died and the millions who supported the war effort from home.

The Veterans History Project invites all veterans and civilians who served to visit the Veterans History Project Pavilion on the Mall during the weekend and contribute their stories to the archives of veterans’ histories, which is part of the Library’s American Folklife Center.

“Every veteran has a story to tell,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “And the Library of Congress wants your wartime memories to be part of this ever-growing national collection of oral histories, written memoirs, letters and photographs.”

To participate, veterans, civilians who served in support of them and families of veterans are asked to:

• Bring written memoirs, photos and letters from World War II to the Veterans History Project Pavilion on the National Mall during the Reunion.
• Contribute wartime stories online, at www.loc.gov/vets, or in person during the reunion to a Library of Congress/Veterans History Project volunteer or at the VHP Pavilion.
• Visit the Veterans History Project Pavilion during the reunion and learn how to interview a veteran or to share wartime memories.

In an unprecedented effort, the Library of Congress will collect on-the-spot interviews from World War II veterans and civilians who served in support of them during the four-day weekend. In teams of two, Library of Congress staff will roam the National Mall and record the wartime experiences of World War II veterans and home front workers.

“The National World War II Reunion will be the largest-ever gathering of World War II veterans,” said Diane Kresh, coordinator of the VHP volunteers at the Library of Congress. “Our aim is to collect as many stories as possible over the four-day period. These stories will find a permanent home in the archives of the Veterans History Project along with the oral histories of veterans from other wars already in our collection.”

In addition, more than 30 hours of panel discussions will take place at the VHP Pavilion during the four days. Topics, times and participants are below. Check the Web site at http://www.loc.gov/vets/wwii-home.html for complete details.

In October 2000, the U.S. Congress signed legislation sponsored by Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Rep. Amo Houghton (R-N.Y.), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to create the Veterans History Project to collect and preserve the wartime memories of veterans and those who served in support of them during World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.

In three years the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has collected more than 70,000 items from some 15,000 individual submissions. The Veterans History Project— through the volunteer efforts of hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals around the country—has become one of the largest national repositories of firsthand accounts of war. The project is one of the few nationwide oral history efforts that relies on volunteers rather than professional oral historians to collect stories and artifacts. AARP is the national corporate founding partner.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over. It provides information and resources; engages in legislative, regulatory and legal advocacy; assists members in serving their communities; and offers a wide range of benefits, special products and services for its members.

To learn more about the Veterans History Project, to submit your story online, or to view a schedule of panel presentations and other reunion activities scheduled over the four-day weekend, visit http://www.loc.gov/vets/wwii-home.html.

Additional information about the National Reunion weekend can be found on the Web at http://www.folklife.si.edu/, http://www.wwiimemorial.com, http://www.abmc.gov/ and http://www.washington.org/americacelebrates.

Note: For biographical information on the veterans speaking in the Veterans History Project Pavilion and to speak with veterans from the Veterans History Project, contact (202) 707-9822.

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PR 04-87
04-29-04
ISSN 0731-3527