Kanjorski Urges Local Veterans to Participate in Veterans History Project
at Scranton High School

WASHINGTON - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) is encouraging all local veterans in the Greater Scranton area to participate in the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress tomorrow (Saturday, May 19) at Scranton High School.

Under the direction of Scranton High School social studies teacher Sean Curry, junior and senior students will interview local veterans from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow at the school located at 63 Munchak Way. Students will collect stories and personal memorabilia and submit all materials to the Veterans History Project.

The largest oral history project of its kind, the Veterans History Project focuses on the first-hand accounts of veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  In addition to veterans, the Project also includes the stories of civilians who actively supported the war effort.

"I urge all of our local veterans to participate in the Veterans History Project on Saturday. Veterans hold the key to an important part of our nation's history. By sharing their stories, they provide invaluable resources for current and future generations and allow us to honor the sacrifices they endured," Congressman Kanjorski said. "I commend Mr. Currry for choosing to have his students participate in the Project."

"My students in the ‘Cold War to the War on Terror' course and those in Mrs. Lynn Harding's Journalism class would consider it an honor to be able to hear and record the stories of our veterans. It would give us the opportunity to make history real for these students - not simply two unremarkable pages in a text book but the actual stories from the mouths of the actual soldiers who served their country and were in the middle of these events," Mr. Curry said.

If you have specific questions about Scranton High School's project, please call Mr. Curry at (570) 407-2955.

Veterans who cannot participate on Saturday but who would still like to share their stories as part of the Veterans History Project can contact the Library of Congress at (888) 371-5848 or write to: Veterans History Project, Library of Congress, American Folklife Center, 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20540-4615.

The Web site for the Veterans History Project is www.loc.gov/folklife/vets.

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