For years, researchers, journalists, students, genealogists, authors, family members, scholars, academics, and others have wanted to learn more about America’s veterans. And since 2000, they have been able to obtain primary resources on veterans via the world’s largest library. Indeed, within the vast resources of the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill is the “Veterans History Project” (VHP), the nation’s foremost collection of stories of thousands of military veterans.
The Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families Caucus (VMF) is pleased to promote this exciting program with our members living abroad. The VHP has catalogued so many important stories chronicling the lived experiences of our diverse veteran population, from WWI to the present. Please note that any U.S. veteran can participate in the VHP – meaning one does not have to be a war veteran, a Medal of Honor recipient, having served for a minimum number of years, be highly decorated, or any other limitation.
A VHP submission to the Library of Congress works by having one person be the interviewer and another person be the veteran interviewee who shares their military story. For example, an interviewer may wish to ask the veteran:
- Which branch did they serve in?
- Were they Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard – or more than one?
- From when to when did they serve?
- What was the highest rank they earned?
- Why did the veteran first join the military in the first place?
- Where were they recruited from?
- Where was their basic training, and how would they describe their experience?
- Where were they deployed to (if applicable)?
- What specifically was their job in the military?
- What did they like/dislike about serving?
- What kinds of challenges did they face?
- What unit(s) were they assigned to?
- What were their proudest moments?
- Are there any photos of them taken during their time in service that they would like to share?
- Are there any particular fond memories they would like to share?
- Did they experience any major life events while serving? (i.e., getting married, having children, buying a first house, etc.)
- Did they take advantage of any VA benefits? (i.e., GI Bill or VA home loan)
- Do they still keep in touch with any friends/colleagues they served with?
- What advice would they give to young people today who are interested in serving in uniform?
And depending on the veteran’s responses, countless additional questions could be asked about something the veteran mentioned. If you would like VMF to be your interviewer, we are ready to do so. An interview can be conducted in person, over Zoom, or in a written format. If conducted over Zoom with VMF as the interviewer, expect the recorded call to last between 30-45 minutes. Alternatively, a veteran may choose to provide a written manuscript of his or her military experience.
If you’re a veteran, would you like to share your military experience and have it forever archived in the Library of Congress? If you’re not a veteran, do you want to share the military story of your spouse, parent, or other family member?
If you answered “yes” to either of the above, then VMF can help you successfully put together a video recording or written manuscript. Simply e-mail [email protected] to get the process started. As the VHP is a nonpartisan initiative created by Congress, please feel free to share this information with anyone you know within Democrats Abroad or any other U.S. veteran living abroad. VMF thanks you in advance for your participation!
See https://www.loc.gov/vets for more info on the VHP, including the “Field Kit” for anyone wishing to be an interviewer.
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U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.
The VMF Caucus, proudly consisting of veterans, military family members, DoD civilians, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes, has a membership of approximately 1,300 members located in dozens of countries.
For questions pertaining to this statement, please reach out to