This article from the New York Times makes me wonder what the Veterans History Project will look like to future generations.
Karenna Gore Sciiff chronicles an early 20th-century project to document the lives of former enslaved people and their contributions to American culture. However, most of the interviewers are white and community members with specific agendas. Their sentiments often dissent from the interviewee and color the interview. While oral historians are now educated to keep as neutral a stance as possible while documenting the issue at hand, these historians instead contributed to the interview and guided conversations with leading questions in ways that fail to capture the interviwee's true sentiment.
We have not perfected the art of oral history in modern times. I have been an oral historian for two official projects: the African American Texans Oral History Project and the Veterans History Project. I am a white woman with no military service, and my inherent biases coming into these projects is something I must be aware that impacts the perceptions of my subjects and their willingness to be candid with me. I can perform due diligence and research, be familiar with subjects and themes and understand the struggles of my subjects, but it would be a completely different interview if I were a member of their communities.
I highly recommend reading the article. Let me know what you think.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Spotlight: WWII Silhouettes from Kansas City, MO
Link: http://www.pinterest.com/barbaradenton/lovinas-silhouettes/
Barbara Denton's great-aunt Lovina spent years in the Kansas City Canteen in Kansas City, MO meeting soldiers and their loved ones and creating their silhouettes. She kept the negatives, and now over 70 years later they have found a new project on the internet. Barb has spent hours scanning and tagging these silhouettes in an attempt to connect them with their owners.
Do you know any of these soldiers? Check Barb's pinterest page above to see hundreds of them.
Barbara Denton's great-aunt Lovina spent years in the Kansas City Canteen in Kansas City, MO meeting soldiers and their loved ones and creating their silhouettes. She kept the negatives, and now over 70 years later they have found a new project on the internet. Barb has spent hours scanning and tagging these silhouettes in an attempt to connect them with their owners.
Do you know any of these soldiers? Check Barb's pinterest page above to see hundreds of them.
Monday, July 7, 2014
What I Learned from Listening to Nonagenarians
I posted my first article ever on LinkedIn. If you're interested in learning more about listening and business skills, it might be a good read for you.
What I Learned from Listening to Nonagenarians
What I Learned from Listening to Nonagenarians
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Gaming and WWII Vets: War Thunder helps reunite pilots with their planes
Source: Reddit /r/Warthunder forums
This project is a fantastic idea. All the pilots I have interviewed loved talking about their planes, and this project helps pilots who can no longer fly simulate their plane experiences.
It reminds me strongly of an interview I performed with Asa "Ace" Whitehead . Ace is a pilot and he had some really great memories of flying his plane (and was very animated when we discussed his missions and the actual sensation of flying).
Enjoy the picture and thanks for sharing, jwsimmons!
This project is a fantastic idea. All the pilots I have interviewed loved talking about their planes, and this project helps pilots who can no longer fly simulate their plane experiences.
It reminds me strongly of an interview I performed with Asa "Ace" Whitehead . Ace is a pilot and he had some really great memories of flying his plane (and was very animated when we discussed his missions and the actual sensation of flying).
Enjoy the picture and thanks for sharing, jwsimmons!
Monday, June 9, 2014
Adm. William H. McRaven gives great life lessons at the University of Texas commencement
I may be a bit biased because UT s my alma mater twice-over, but it's nice to see some outstanding "life lessons" from the commencement speaker this year (who just happens to be commander of U.S. Special Operations Command).
At the end of each interview, interviewers ask for life lessons. Sometimes they are lengthy; sometimes they are not needed. These are well-deserved.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Jim "Pee Wee" Martin parachutes into Normandy again at 93
Source
On this 70th anniversary of D-Day (and also my 5-year anniversary - save the heckling for later), Jim Martin is doing something I would never, ever dream of doing: he is parachuting into Normandy once again.
On this 70th anniversary of D-Day (and also my 5-year anniversary - save the heckling for later), Jim Martin is doing something I would never, ever dream of doing: he is parachuting into Normandy once again.
"It didn't (compare)," Martin said, "because there wasn't anybody shooting at me today."Congratulations on your successful jump, Jim!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Branching Out
A few posts ago, I wrote about how difficult it has been lately to find World War II veterans who able and willing to speak about their experiences as the population is quickly aging. I went to one of my favorite greasy spoons for breakfast today and happened across not one, but four, WWII veterans who are potential candidates! I had a couple of business cards for the Red Cross left over in my purse, and did my best to explain the project.
I'm hopeful that I will get at least one call back from them; they seemed like really funny and nice people.
In the meantime, I am starting to branch out to my network and interview where I can. I recently finished an interview with one of my connections who served in Vietnam and at the same time sent off an interview with a lovely young woman that interpreted submarine signals through the Cold War into the Gulf War. This week, I am setting up an interview with a friend that should be really interesting.
If you know any veterans in the Austin, Texas area that might like to speak about their experiences, or if you are a veteran who would like to tell your story, please get in contact with me by leaving a message or emailing me at my name at gmail dot com. I would be delighted to speak with you further about the project.
I'm hopeful that I will get at least one call back from them; they seemed like really funny and nice people.
In the meantime, I am starting to branch out to my network and interview where I can. I recently finished an interview with one of my connections who served in Vietnam and at the same time sent off an interview with a lovely young woman that interpreted submarine signals through the Cold War into the Gulf War. This week, I am setting up an interview with a friend that should be really interesting.
If you know any veterans in the Austin, Texas area that might like to speak about their experiences, or if you are a veteran who would like to tell your story, please get in contact with me by leaving a message or emailing me at my name at gmail dot com. I would be delighted to speak with you further about the project.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Stolen Valor
I wanted to pass on a book recommendation that was given to me by a veteran I am interviewing this weekend. He is a professional career advisor at my graduate school and we reconnected at an event at the iSchool a few weeks ago. As a Vietnam veteran, he experiences frustration at the dissonance between his service and his professional career as they are intertwined in his particular experience. He recommended I read Stolen Valor as a precursor to our interview.
As an information professional, I found this book illuminating. It showcases the power of the Freedom of Information Act and a highly determined veteran. In the book, B.G. Burkett goes to great lengths to reclaim the rightful honor of his fellow Vietnam veterans by researching common claims and exposing exaggerated or completely falsified stories.
What strikes me as interesting is that the VHP is not a group that sets out to tell the "truthful" story - as stories can be dissonant depending on who experienced what. However, falsifying war records is dishonorable and falsifying medals can now be a criminal offense if done for profit.
Now, a note on oral history vs. factual claims. As an oral historian, my job is to capture the essence of the story on tape and it is the job of my interviewee to abide by the truth when relaying their experiences. However, I heavily emphasize that my interviewees give me stories, not dates, for this exact reason. When older veterans get caught up on what date a particular event happened, or who did what where, their stories skip a beat and they lose concentration. Sometimes, especially with interviewees that have memory issues, I nudge them on so that instead of feeling frustration they feel as though their experience was a positive one in the end.
At any rate, I would highly recommend Stolen Valor for anyone working with the VHP who up until now may have been hesitant to interview veterans of war in the Vietnam era. This book has reframed the discussion for me and I now have two Vietnam-era interviews in the works.
As an information professional, I found this book illuminating. It showcases the power of the Freedom of Information Act and a highly determined veteran. In the book, B.G. Burkett goes to great lengths to reclaim the rightful honor of his fellow Vietnam veterans by researching common claims and exposing exaggerated or completely falsified stories.
What strikes me as interesting is that the VHP is not a group that sets out to tell the "truthful" story - as stories can be dissonant depending on who experienced what. However, falsifying war records is dishonorable and falsifying medals can now be a criminal offense if done for profit.
Now, a note on oral history vs. factual claims. As an oral historian, my job is to capture the essence of the story on tape and it is the job of my interviewee to abide by the truth when relaying their experiences. However, I heavily emphasize that my interviewees give me stories, not dates, for this exact reason. When older veterans get caught up on what date a particular event happened, or who did what where, their stories skip a beat and they lose concentration. Sometimes, especially with interviewees that have memory issues, I nudge them on so that instead of feeling frustration they feel as though their experience was a positive one in the end.
At any rate, I would highly recommend Stolen Valor for anyone working with the VHP who up until now may have been hesitant to interview veterans of war in the Vietnam era. This book has reframed the discussion for me and I now have two Vietnam-era interviews in the works.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
How Monopoly helped WWII POWs escape
And now for something completely different: Monopoly games that helped American POWs escape German camps:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-12-inside-monopolys-secret-war-against-the-third-reich
"What he found out along the way is that the tools that most likely would have been used in this set would have been a very small compass, maybe an inch in diameter, and they also would have had files - two different types to get you through fencing material, and probably a folding pair of shears, a very small set of shears that would collapse on a pivot, and then of course a silk escape map that would have been appropriate for whatever camp the delivery was for." Skilled technicians at Waddingtons would have cut precise openings for the tools in the cardboard liner of the game boards, while foreign currency money pads would have been assembled with a few Monopoly bills on top for disguise. Orbanes also says that one of six possible area maps would have been added to each game, and printing marks - a seemingly errant period after a specific location on the board itself that would pass as a production gaff - would have disclosed the kind of map that was inside. A period placed after Mayfair would signal a map of Scandinavia and upper Germany, say, while one after Free Parking referred to Northern France.
What ingenuity that took!
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-12-inside-monopolys-secret-war-against-the-third-reich
"What he found out along the way is that the tools that most likely would have been used in this set would have been a very small compass, maybe an inch in diameter, and they also would have had files - two different types to get you through fencing material, and probably a folding pair of shears, a very small set of shears that would collapse on a pivot, and then of course a silk escape map that would have been appropriate for whatever camp the delivery was for." Skilled technicians at Waddingtons would have cut precise openings for the tools in the cardboard liner of the game boards, while foreign currency money pads would have been assembled with a few Monopoly bills on top for disguise. Orbanes also says that one of six possible area maps would have been added to each game, and printing marks - a seemingly errant period after a specific location on the board itself that would pass as a production gaff - would have disclosed the kind of map that was inside. A period placed after Mayfair would signal a map of Scandinavia and upper Germany, say, while one after Free Parking referred to Northern France.
What ingenuity that took!
Monday, November 11, 2013
Richard Overton meets President Obama
On Veterans Day 2013, some good news for Richard Overton. He was able to meet President Obama!
My interview with Richard Overton has recently been digitized at the Library of Congress, and you can see that interview here.
My interview with Richard Overton has recently been digitized at the Library of Congress, and you can see that interview here.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Pictures of Austin in the 1950s-1960s
One of the most fun parts of talking to World War II veterans in Austin is their memory of what Austin was like before it got so big. Well, I've got some great pictures to share with you today.
Click this link to see a huge compilation of pictures from the 1950s and 1960s. Want to see Burnet and Koenig when new development was happening? Curious as to what it looks like when Congress floods? It's a treasure trove.
7-11 at Koenig and Lamar
My mother's favorite!
Sears at the Hancock Center
Friday, September 20, 2013
Listening with Purpose
I have an interview tomorrow that I totally haven't prepared for on any meaningful level.
I got a call a few days ago from one of my new favorite people, who happens to live not too far away from me. His daughter had contacted the City of Austin to get someone to interview her father after he attended the Honor Flight, a really neat program that sends World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials and be treated with the respect they have earned.
While originally hesitant, his daughter eventually convinced him to talk to me and he ended up being a delightful interview, peppered with humorous stories and poignant moments of grief when remembering the loss of his friends and the horrors of war from a 20-year-old in an octagenarian's body. He phoned me a few days ago to give me the name of another Honor Flight veteran who might be interested in sharing his story with me, and now we have an interview set up in twelve hours.
So I haven't prepared a lick, besides talking to him on the phone and charging the camera battery. I know going in that I'll learn something new, and that this guy has more energy than I have in my twenties - he still works five days a week in his nineties!. But what I really need to do to prepare for this interview is to get my listening ears on.
What does that mean? Isn't the purpose of an interview to ask the questions you want to know the answers to? Not exactly, at least for this project. While there is an intent to follow the chronological events that led the veteran into and out of the service, the real purpose (for me, at least) is to show respect for the veteran's memories and to listen with all of my ears instead of trying to lead the interview with my own intentions.
What they don't tell you about this project is that it's really hard to turn off your internal monologue: to set your own desires aside and to truly move at the pace of another human that is often very different in age from yourself. During this time, the most important thing you, the interviewer, can do, is to perceive what the veteran needs or wants to express and to help them feel comfortable making that expression with dignity. This means not interrupting, but rather enabling the best conversation possible.
Listen with purpose, and you'll always get a good interview out of the deal.
I got a call a few days ago from one of my new favorite people, who happens to live not too far away from me. His daughter had contacted the City of Austin to get someone to interview her father after he attended the Honor Flight, a really neat program that sends World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials and be treated with the respect they have earned.
While originally hesitant, his daughter eventually convinced him to talk to me and he ended up being a delightful interview, peppered with humorous stories and poignant moments of grief when remembering the loss of his friends and the horrors of war from a 20-year-old in an octagenarian's body. He phoned me a few days ago to give me the name of another Honor Flight veteran who might be interested in sharing his story with me, and now we have an interview set up in twelve hours.
So I haven't prepared a lick, besides talking to him on the phone and charging the camera battery. I know going in that I'll learn something new, and that this guy has more energy than I have in my twenties - he still works five days a week in his nineties!. But what I really need to do to prepare for this interview is to get my listening ears on.
What does that mean? Isn't the purpose of an interview to ask the questions you want to know the answers to? Not exactly, at least for this project. While there is an intent to follow the chronological events that led the veteran into and out of the service, the real purpose (for me, at least) is to show respect for the veteran's memories and to listen with all of my ears instead of trying to lead the interview with my own intentions.
What they don't tell you about this project is that it's really hard to turn off your internal monologue: to set your own desires aside and to truly move at the pace of another human that is often very different in age from yourself. During this time, the most important thing you, the interviewer, can do, is to perceive what the veteran needs or wants to express and to help them feel comfortable making that expression with dignity. This means not interrupting, but rather enabling the best conversation possible.
Listen with purpose, and you'll always get a good interview out of the deal.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
This American Life: How I Got Into College
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/504/how-i-got-into-college?act=2
The section of last week's This American Life above talks about stories, how we feel about telling stories and what happens when we find out that the stories we tell about ourselves aren't exactly true.
"These stories we tell about ourselves, they're almost like our infrastructure.... so maybe the point is that... you should be conscious of how you tell your story."
The Veterans History Project is so fascinating because oral history isn't about documenting the facts - it's about documenting emotions and how people perceive their lives and narrate their stories. Would highly recommend listening to the above to understand more about the narrative construction process and what happens when that narrative that guides how we perceive our past is broken.
The section of last week's This American Life above talks about stories, how we feel about telling stories and what happens when we find out that the stories we tell about ourselves aren't exactly true.
"These stories we tell about ourselves, they're almost like our infrastructure.... so maybe the point is that... you should be conscious of how you tell your story."
The Veterans History Project is so fascinating because oral history isn't about documenting the facts - it's about documenting emotions and how people perceive their lives and narrate their stories. Would highly recommend listening to the above to understand more about the narrative construction process and what happens when that narrative that guides how we perceive our past is broken.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
The ICRC and other musings about the Red Cross' brand history
Yesterday, the Red Cross had an event hosted with my company to present a POW-MIA table and recognize the ongoing service of veterans and their families as well as those permenantly missing in action. He passed me a pin which I found quite interesting:
I was curious as to their background and came across this post in a Google Image search. Who knew?
Here are some other interesting facts about the Red Cross as a brand:
- The Red Cross is an international organization that is not affiliated with any religion nor country in partucular (though the cross is an homage to Switzerland, which is infamously neutral). However, if you check out the blog post linked above you'll find out different symbols are used in different areas of the world due to their perceived religious nature.
- The Red Cross once charged for donuts and no one will ever forget. (This explains so much... I need to start taking baked goods on my outings.)
- I also started reading Salt, Sugar Fat last week and learned during the same time as the Donur Scandal, Coca-Cola promised that all military personnel would be able to get Coke for a nickel, regardless of where it was. This accounts for a good brand recognition in many regions as well as a lifelong brand dedication that is worth well more than shipping costs must have been.
- And finally, and probably most obviously, in addition to disaster relief services the Red Cross also provides veterans services (such as the Service to Armed Forces project, which is the branch I volunteer with). So while many people may associate the Red Cross with giving blood or CPR courses, there are other ways to be involved as well.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Remembering Dr. William Livingston
A screenshot from our interview late last month
Edit: The most memorable part of his interview was at the end. Mike asks me to request something special from the veterans, considering most of them are older: he requests life lessons and words of wisdom be shared as part of this documentation. I asked this of Dr. Livingston and, to paraphrase, he said that he prefers his experiences speak for themselves as life lessons. That's the first time anyone has declined, and I have to admit I agree with him - he was a great storyteller and wrapped up all his experiences into neat packets.
Dr. Livingston was a wonderful orator, a delight to interview and one of the kindest souls I have had the pleasure of talking to for this project. I am sorry to see him go, but am glad that his memory is preserved with the Veterans History Project. I'd like to thank the Red Cross for their quick turnaround of his interview, and to thank him for letting me have the pleasure of interviewing him. Rest in peace.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
A real TEXas treat
Interviewing the oldest veteran alive, Richard Overton, was a real hoot. He's quite the character and a very kind soul, and I'm surprised that he's doing as well as he is at 107 (I hope I'm doing that well at 80!). His interview has been sent to the Library, and now we're off to the next one. I hope this one gets digitized, but we will see. Mike says there's a good chance and it would be neat to have one of my interviews digitized eventually.
I'm learning that I have a lot more interest in pursuing interviews when I cherry-pick who I'm interviewing next based on my own personal interests. It's been just over ten years since I met my husband at college orientation at the University of Texas at Austin. In my alma mater's magazine, the Alcalde, I was reminded of the early phone registration system, TEX, we had to use that first semester before online registration was available. (My father had to stand in line with cards at Gregory Gym, so I think we've improved a bit since then.) The calm, reassuring voice of TEX was none other than William Livingston, who happens to be a World War II vet that lives a few miles away. Needless to say, that's pretty darn exciting.
We're set up for next weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. Plus, it's always great when I can find out most of the biographical information online when people have their own Wikipedia articles. How famous do you have to get to have your own article, anyway? At any rate, Dr. Livingston will be a very interesting interview.
One more blog post for those of you Texas Exes out there: The process of registering with TEX.
One more blog post for those of you Texas Exes out there: The process of registering with TEX.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Making the best of it - a special interview
I've snagged an interview with the oldest veteran in the US for next week. (Who knew he was in my city?) In addition for scheduling time away from work and hauling tail on my prepwork, this is making me nervous if only because I want it to be really, really good. Now, here are some interesting contingencies going in that don't normally apply:
- We already know a lot of his story from many interviews he's done recently.
- As he is older, his time is more precious.
- As he is a celebrity of sorts, he has even more limited time.
So for the next few days, I'm going to figure out what to ask him and what needs to get into the archive above all else. I have 30 minutes tops (which is the minimum to get the interview into the archive) to ask him questions, so I need to be focused and to keep him interested. I also have to get my camera setup and sound issues fixed as quickly as possible once I get there. Finally, I have to prepare all my paperwork in advance and work with an assistant to make sure it's correct before and after - it's simply not worth his time.
Here's what I'm taking away from this project, and I'm hopeful it's useful for you as well.
- Keep in mind that anyone's time is precious who is allowing you to share their story.
- Always be prepared - know as much going in as you can, and keep the paperwork short and sweet if possible.
- Treat every interview as your most special interview.
Wish me luck!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Spitfire 944
I'll be back soon with more posts, but in the meantime Mike was kind enough to share this video with our volunteer group. In "Spitfire 944", a young man digitizes his great-uncle's films and then locates a veteran from the footage who he then interviews. Wow!
http://www.sundance.org/festival/article/shorts-break-honor-memorial-day-with-two-stories-of-compassion-amid-war/
http://www.sundance.org/festival/article/shorts-break-honor-memorial-day-with-two-stories-of-compassion-amid-war/
Monday, March 11, 2013
Equipment for Oral History Interviews
Procuring the right equipment for oral history interviews can be a tricky thing. Each project can require different equipment depending on how the institution wants to archive their files. Even with the best equipment, your interview can go awry if you don't take steps to make sure the equipment can do its job! This post will cover equipment pros and cons as well as general rules for ensuring a quality recording.
Generally speaking, you'll have one of two formats: audio recordings, or video recordings.
Audio recordings usually require a fairly high-end recording device - not a hand-held personal recorder like you might use for dictation. You'll usually need to find something with a quality microphone and one that gives you feedback that the device is recording. Older models that I've worked with also have external storage cards, though newer models may have advanced in the last few years. WARNING: Always make sure your storage cards are functioning correctly before the interview. I've lost a great interview before due to faulty equipment!
Video recordings are more forgiving in quality due to the fact that the equipment is rarely low-end. I use a Sony Handycam that the Red Cross checks out to interviewers, and it works wonderfully for all sorts of interviews. I can record in HD, film in multiple aspect ratios, and I can take pictures as well. I have a tripod that I connect the video camera to so that it remains stable during the interview and I can gently adjust the picture smoothly if the interviewee changes position or gestures off-camera.
Here are ground rules for recording to ensure the best quality interviews:
- Keep it quiet - listen for clicks, TV sounds, loud A/C units or anything else that might impede your recording. If you can't get rid of it, at least move as far away from it as possible. Silence your phone. Pause when their telephone rings.
- Watch their body language. Is your interviewee tired? Do they need to take a break for water or to use the restroom? If they are increasingly fatigued it's a good idea to feign tiredness yourself and pause the camera for a quick break. Spend the time looking at their photographs or talking about your own family to keep the conversation about them on-camera.
- Make their interview the star. Bring a water bottle with a soft bottom. Put a tissue in your pocket that you can cough into. Wear shoes with rubber soles. Learn to nod instead of verbally affirming (sometimes a verbal affirmation is necessary, though.)
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