Veterans History Project
The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center gathers, conserves, and makes accessible the individual accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better comprehend the realities of war.
The United States Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2000. The authorizing legislation (Public Law 106-380) sponsored by Representatives Ron Kind, Amo Houghton, and Steny Hoyer in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senators Max Cleland and Chuck Hagel in the U.S. Senate, received unanimous support and was signed into law by President William Jefferson Clinton on October 27, 2000.
The Project gathers firsthand accounts of U.S. Veterans from the following wars:
- World War, 1914-1918
- World War, 1939-1945
- Cold War
- Korean War, 1950-1953
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Grenada--History--American Invasion, 1983
- Panama--History--American Invasion, 1989
- Operation Restore Hope, 1992-1993
- Persian Gulf War, 1991
- United Nations Operation in Somalia
- Haiti--History--American intervention, 1994-1995
- Operation Allied Force, 1999
- Peacekeeping forces--Bosnia and Hercegovina
- Operation Joint Guardian, 1999-
- War on Terrorism, 2001-2009
- Afghan War, 2001-
- Iraq War, 2003-2011
How to Participate in the Project:
A contributor may be a veteran, an interviewer, or a person donating a veteran's collection. Students in the 10th grade and above may also participate and there are special resources for educators and students.
All Veterans History Project contributors (both interviewees and interviewers) retain the copyright to their materials. As a publicly maintained institution, the Library of Congress normally does not own rights to material in its collections. Consents need to be obtained before using the interview or other materials in display or publication.
For more information regarding the Veterans History Project, please contact Humberto Zermeno at (202) 981-3104 or via email: humberto.zermeno@mail.house.gov.