Services 

Veterans Oral History Project:

            Motivated by the fact that there are over 20 million veterans in the U.S. today and that our WWII veterans are passing away at a rate of 1600 per day, the U.S. Congress unanimously passed Public Law 106-380, signed into law by President Clinton on October 27, 2000.   This act calls upon the American Folklore Center at the Library of Congress to collect and preserve audio and video first-hand accounts of veterans, as well as civilians working in the military, who served from World War I through today in Afghanistan and Iraq.

            From its inception to today in 2008, the Library of Congress, through its associated collecting partners has only collected about 55,000 of those stories, or less than 0.3%.   And these only include those stories of wartime veterans, not the veterans who served in the intervening peacetime years.

            Recognizing that this start, although noble, has produced only small amounts, the National Veterans History Archival Institute embarked on expanding the project, to include peacetime veterans and with a goal to become the nation’s premier source of the first-hand accounts of all veterans, regardless of service and regardless of era.   As a collecting partner, copies of interviews collected and produced by the NVHAI are freely distributed to the veterans, and veteran’s families, the Library of Congress (if qualified) and the various service branch museums requesting these accounts.   In addition, the master library of these first-hand account interviews is maintained by the NVHAI, and on request, freely provided to universities and school systems across the nation, to enhance, supplement and further enlighten students of all ages about the contributions of our nation’s veterans to this nation.   As technological developments are made, the entire digital library will be made available through web services as well.

Specific services offered by the NVHAI are as follows:

·    Veteran Interviews, recorded in digital video format, with copies freely provided to the various requesting agencies, as well as the veteran and veteran’s family.

 

·    Personalized Interview Training for those volunteers who wish to participate with the NVHAI in the oral history collection process.

 

·    Event planning and organization management for community groups desiring to conduct “Veterans Interview Days.”

 

·    Curriculum planning assistance and personal interface seminars for Primary, Secondary School and University programs.

 

·    Additionally, the NVHAI freely provides personal assistance in military service records restoration for those veterans who lost their records in the tragic 1973 NPRC fire, or potentially in the Hurricane Katrina flood.

 

Upcoming Event Days

• Raleigh Elks Lodge-Veterans Interviews and Open House-Saturday, January 10, 2009-10 am - 4 pm.
• Stanton Homes-Veterans Interviews and Open House-Saturday, January 17, 2009-12 noon - 4 pm.
• Roanoke Rapids, Wednesday, January 21, 2009
• Members of the NC Funeral Directors Association are partners with the NVHAI and have willingly and graciously opened their doors for the conduct of veterans interviews and records collections.   Call your local funeral director for details.

• Members of the NC Funeral Directors Association are partners with the NVHAI and have willingly and graciously opened their doors for the conduct of veterans interviews and records collections.   Call your local funeral director for details.
• Our volunteers will also come directly to your homes to conduct interviews.   Email info@veteranshistoryinstitute.org for further details.