Veterans History Project
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Contents |
Overview
The Veterans History Project (VHP) falls under the umbrella of the Library of Congress and the American Folklife Center.
On October 27, 2000, former President Bill Clinton signed into law the bill that established the VHP. The aim of the VHP is to acquire the oral histories of veterans of all wars, and make them accessible to the public. One of the project's aims is to make the realities of war more real to future generations of Americans. 1
The project allows for any individual to interview a veteran as well as those individuals that did not actually fight in the war but who may have helped out on the home front. Also, the Veterans History Project will accept items such as postcards, diaries, photographs, and drawings in addition to recorded oral histories.2
Methodology
The Veterans History Project website contains all the required documents that an individual would need to preform an oral history. Release forms, sample questions, and other forms are available.3
The project does not require that an oral history needs to be transcribed. The minimum requirement is a minute mark sheet. The interviewer is required to record particular areas of the interview on the corresponding sheet with what time the information was said.4
The field kit, listed on the website, includes the typical release forms as well as standards for filming. The interviews do not need to be transcribed; rather a recording log is available to make notes for certain minute marks. This in turn means that thousands of oral histories will be waiting to be transcribed in the Library of Congress. 5
The final product is uploaded into a searchable database on the Veterans History Project website.6
Other Uses
One new direction in the field of World War II oral history is the use of war oral histories as a medical research tool. One article titled “Use of the Veterans History Project to Assess World War II Veterans’ Perceptions of Military Experiences and Health” utilizes the Veterans History Project created by the Library of Congress. This is a new way to utilize the Veterans History Project in a non-historical way. At the time of publication, the researcher claims that only one other medical paper used the VHP. This particular study “was developed to answer the following research questions: what are the perceived health effects of military service among U.S. veterans during World War II and since then?” 7
The study then used questions derived from the VHP, however the research added a few extra questions. The researchers were able to gain information about health care that was offered during the war and the changes since. 8
The authors stated the benefits of conducting oral histories and using transcripts provided them with a great research tool. The research also had its downside, as with any oral history. The question of honesty of the interviews as well as the number of available participants caused a problem, yet the final outcome was that “the results appear to be valid and reliable.” This use of oral history demonstrates the new, multifaceted way that veterans oral history can be utilized to aid in fields other than history. 9
Related Pages
California State Military Museum
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne: From Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
"The Good War": An Oral History of World War II
References
(1)The Library of Congress. “About.” Veterans History Project. http://www.loc.gov/vets/about.html.
(2) Ibid.,
(3)The Library of Congress. “How to Participate.” Veterans History Project. http://www.loc.gov/vets/kit.html.
(4)Ibid.
(5) The Library of Congress, “Field Kit,” Veterans History Project, http://www.loc.gov/vets/pdf/audio-video-fieldkit-2007.pdf,
(6)The Library of Congress. "Database Search." Veterans History Project. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/html/search/search.html.
(7) Nancy LaVerda, Andrea Vessey, and William F. Waters, “Use of the Veterans History Project to Assess World War II Veterans’ Perceptions of Military Experiences and Health,” Military Medicine, http://www.ebscohost.com (accessed May 24, 2009), 1076.
(8) Ibid, 1076.
(9) Ibid, 1081.
