Veterans History Project
By Christine Williamson
AFOSI Historian
There are more than 19 million war veterans living in the United States today; each day we lose almost 1,500 of them.
Motivated by the need to collect the stories and experiences of these veterans, members of Congress created the Veterans History Project, authorized by the enactment of Public Law 106-380, and signed into law by President Clinton on October 27, 2000.
The Library of Congress, through its American Folklife Center, is asking for support nationwide in developing a program to preserve oral histories from America’s war veterans.
AFOSI as a Partner Organization
AFOSI, in conjunction with the Association of Former OSI Special Agents (AFOSISA), is participating in this important historical project as a partner organization with the Library of Congress. The AFOSI history office will maintain all OSI war veterans’ oral history records, but they will be included in the Libary of Congress Veterans History Project catalog so that the names of the participants can be listed on the educational Web site.
What can you do?
How can you participate in the Veterans History Project? Ask a friend, relative, neighbor, etc. to interview you and record your responses either on audio or videotape. A questionnaire is enclosed in this package to use as a template. [See next page]
Or, you can simply fill out the questionnaire. Send all tapes, completed questionnaires, photographs, or documents to:
AFOSI History Office
Attn: Christine Williamson
1535 Command Drive, Suite CD 301
Andrews AFB, MD 20762-7002
For more information on the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, you can visit their Web site at www.loc.gov/folklife/vets or you can contact Christine Williamson, AFOSI Historian, at (240) 857-0142 or christine.williamson@ogn.af.mil.
By recording and sharing your wartime experiences, you are not only capturing accounts of the immeasurable service you rendered to our country, but you are also providing an invaluable educational tool for future generations of Americans - Americans who otherwise would not fully understand the magnitude of your sacrifice and service.
Please support us in this challenging and rewarding effort to preserve our nation’s memory.
