Introduction

As an amateur historian, the study of war and military has never been my best area.  I come from a family without much, if any, military background -though my father does like to tell the story about a relative who crossed over to the Union side once the Confederacy looked to be in a relatively grim state.  (Don't worry, he came back once the War was over.)

A series of events led me to the Veterans History Project:

• I started a job that encourages volunteering, but doesn't fulfill my love of history.
• I started looking for ways to spend my free time more wisely (more on that later).
• The Bastrop wildfires devastated the land near the town in which I live.
• An emergency call went out to employees at my company, asking us to volunteer at a telethon that afternoon to raise money for wildfire evacuees.

Upon entering the training booth for the telethon, sponsored by the American Red Cross of Central Texas, I started up a conversation with Mike Chaison.  Mike happens to run the Texas chapter of the Veterans History Project, though I am certain he wears many hats within the organization.  He was very excited to meet someone that has been trained in oral history interviewing techniques.  Shortly thereafter, I was set up with a Sony Handycam, a set of instructions, and a directive to go forth and prosper, finding as many veterans as I can to interview before it's too late.

What's at stake?  Every day, hundreds if not thousands of veterans die.  Oral history, and chronicling history in general, often becomes more pressing when those affected by the history begin passing away from old age.  Many museum projects and memorials have only small numbers of survivors/veterans.

Where can I find out more about this project?

Check out the official website at http://www.loc.gov/vets .  The American Red Cross of Central Texas provides me and an entire team of volunteers with equipment and document processing/cleanup for acquisition into the Library of Congress project.  Without them I would not have the ability to interview these veterans and I am thankful for their contributions to the project.

So, why write about the experience from your end?

Listening is hard work.  It's harder than holding a conversation, for sure - you have to be the silent contributor behind the camera.  You have to reserve judgment.  It's imperative that you provide a welcome environment for difficult stories to people near the end of their lives.  Maybe this blog will inspire others to talk to their elders about their experiences, not only within war but also those stories that changed their lives - for better or worse.