By Larry Dandridge
According to the Library of Congress (LOC) Veterans History Project (VHP) webpage (https://bit.ly/42CiLhP), “The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress collects, preserves, and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did, and felt during their service.”
My VHP interview
In 2001 this writer did a VHP interview at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. That interview took about 40 minutes. The Interviewer used a list of questions that made me comfortable and guided me with ease through talking about my 24 years of Army service. I was allowed to tell a war story and make a few comments at the end of the interview.
My interviewer gave me five copies of my interview to share with my adult children. LOC does not provide copies of oral or videotaped histories or interviews to participants. You can watch my interview at https://bit.ly/3OGbNTm. If I can do an interview, any veteran can do an interview.
Veterans should do a VHP interview
If you are a veteran, you can schedule an interview with a VHP volunteer, who will interview you and record your story. The interview will then be filed in the Library of Congress for anyone to view, read, and learn about your service to your fellow battle buddies and our great nation.
Why you should do a VHP interview
There are many good reasons to do such an interview, including:
- Families cherish the stories of their loved ones’ military service.
- These interviews record important military history.
- Most veterans who do share the stories of their military service find it therapeutic and helpful to them.
- These interviews educate citizens today on what our military does for our country and what our service members and their families sacrifice for our country.
- Hearing and watching these interesting VHP interviews may help encourage Americans to serve in the military. Our armed forces are having a difficult time getting Americans to enlist. This is surprising with all of the opportunities for high-tech training, bonuses, travel, early retirement, excellent medical care, VA education, and other VA/DOD benefits available to military members and their families.
- Many young and old veterans describe their time in the military as the most rewarding and the most significant experience of their lives.
- Many veterans living in Retirement Communities, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Hospice want to tell their stories but do not know how to schedule a VHP interview.
- Many veterans say they owe the successes in their lives to the leadership and other skills they learned, and the friendships they made, in the military.
Veterans may be too humble
Many veterans are humble about their service thus believing that they did not do much when they served their country. I remember a hospice patient I had back in 2003 who told me, “I did not do much in the Army in WWII.” I asked, “What did you do Pete?” Pete said, “I was a Master Sergeant in the Army Intelligence Corps and spied on the Russians. I spoke five Slavic languages and served as an interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials at the end of the war.” I almost fell over.
What else is the Veterans History Project?
In addition to audio- and video-recorded oral history interviews, VHP accepts unpublished memoirs and collections of original photographs, letters, diaries/journals, 2-D artwork, and other historical documents from those who served in the U.S. armed services.
The Project makes accessible the materials that comprise this important national archive. VHP relies on volunteers, both individuals and organizations, to contribute veterans’ collections to VHP.
VHP also collects oral histories by Gold Star Family members, defined by legislation as a parent, spouse, sibling, or child of “members of the Armed Forces who died as a result of their service during a period of war.” The VHP encourages the donation of letters, original photographs, and other two-dimensional materials of the deceased service member.
Some interviewers will come to you
If you cannot come to a VA Medical Center or other location where interviews are frequently done, the interviewer may come to your location at your retirement home, assisted living facility, etc.
Group interviews
If you and some of your friends want to do a joint VHP Interview, that can also be arranged.
The VHP blog and Facebook page
The LOC VHP Blog is found at https://bit.ly/49xaeyX. The LOC VHP Facebook page is found at https://www.facebook.com/vetshistoryproject.
Finding a Veterans History Project interviewer
Unfortunately, The Library of Congress VHP does not coordinate individual or community interviews and they do not have a master directory of those who do interviews.
A good place to start when looking for a VHP volunteer Interviewer is your nearest VA Medical Center’s Volunteer Services Department. Usually, a trained volunteer is working at that VA who does VHP interviews. You can also call the Library of Congress VHP in Washington, D.C., at 202-707-4916 or email them at vohp@loc.gov and ask for help finding someone to do an interview.
The VHP encourages those interested to reach out to family members and friends, local schools or universities, veterans service organizations, places of worship, retirement communities, Scout troops, local businesses, or professional associations to facilitate new interviews. Veterans may also conduct a self-interview if they cannot find a volunteer to interview them.
Two Lowcountry VHP volunteers
Two VHP Volunteers that I know live in the Mt. Pleasant and Isle of Palms areas of S.C. One is Buddy Gillam, who works as a volunteer at the RHJVAMC and is the Past Commander of the Isle of Palms VFW Post 3137. Buddy’s phone number is 843-708-1190. The other volunteer Interviewer is Marianna MacIntyre with the Colonial Dames of America Charleston National (Mt. Pleasant Lowcountry Society in Mt. Pleasant) at email Mmac100B@gmail.com.
These two VHP volunteers and about a dozen VHP local interviewer volunteers who work with them have done interviews at Patriots Point, Bishop Gadsden Senior Living Center, the RHJVAMC, Beaufort, and other areas of the SC Lowcountry.
The bottom line
Learn more at the LOC VHP webpage https://bit.ly/42CiLhP. If you are a veteran, please do an interview. If you want to help veterans, volunteer to become a VHP Interviewer.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
