Approximately 17 million American war veterans are living in the United States today.
Every one of them has a story.
For the past 13 years, the Veterans History Project (VHP) has been collecting the oral histories and personal documents of America’s war veterans, to ensure their stories are preserved in the Library of Congress so that future generations may better understand the realities of war.
To date, nearly 90,000 stories have been collected by volunteers nationwide.
Using the VHP Field Kit, which is a how-to-collect-a-story booklet, thousands of volunteers have interviewed veterans in their communities about their experiences. Students in grade 10 or higher have interviewed their parents and grandparents. Volunteers have interviewed people in their houses of worship, in colleges and universities and in local businesses.
In addition to oral history interviews, VHP also accepts original, personal letters, diaries, photographs and two-dimensional art. Stories of veterans from World War I through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been sent in from every state across the country.
