Though the term “veteran” is often uttered in the same breath as “war,” many U.S. veterans served during times of peace. This includes more than 10,000 men and women in the Veterans History Project archive who served during the period known as the Cold War era.

Entirely comprised of military volunteers, the online exhibit speaks to the motivations of veterans who served during an era of escalating international tensions. Trained to fight a Soviet threat, their narratives invariably give voice to conflicts derived from their ancestry, gender, and opposition to traditional warfighting techniques.

Share this link  and if you know any Cold War veterans, collect their stories for the Library of Congress: 

http://www.loc.gov/vets/stories/ex-war-coldwar.html

The mission of the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of U.S. veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Learn more at http://www.loc.gov/vets. Share your exciting VHP initiatives, programs, events and news stories with VHP to be considered for a future RSS. Email vohp@loc.gov and place “My VHP RSS Story” in the subject line.

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How will you commemorate the Veterans Day centennial?

On Saturday, November 10^th, the Library's Poetry and Literature Center, Veterans History Project, and Exhibits Office invite you to participate in the “The Road Back,” a daylong symposium on veterans’ literature & writing.

Beginning at 10AM, the Library invites you and the veterans in your life to a tour of Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I and WWI cart display before attending the 11:00AM panel discussion, “Veterans and Literary Writing,” which explores the meaningful coping mechanisms afforded through journaling.

A 1:30PM afternoon panel will feature poetry and literature readings from poet veterans Bruce Weigl, Bill Jones, and David Richmond, as well as cowboy poet Vess Quinlan, who will discuss their favorite World War I writers, share selections of their work, and participate in a discussion moderated by Anya Creightney, Programs Manager of the Poetry and Literature Center.

Concluding the symposium will be a 3:00-4:30PM screening of the 1937 American drama war film, The Road Back, directed by James Whale and based on the novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.  The film is a sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front and follows German soldiers from the Armistice through their return home as they adjust to civilian life, learning that Germany and their personal lives have changed tremendously while they were gone.

The event is free and open to the public, but due to expected demand, tickets are recommended, and available on a first-come, first-served basis.   You can RSVP for your seat at Eventbrite.com  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-road-back-veterans-and-literary-writing-symposium-tickets-48886963223 or request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.

The mission of the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of U.S. veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Learn more at http://www.loc.gov/vets. Share your exciting VHP initiatives, programs, events and news stories with VHP to be considered for a future RSS. Email vohp@loc.gov and place “My VHP RSS Story” in the subject line.

Visit VHP on Facebook.

Click here for more information.

Want to know more about conducting research using VHP collections? Curious about our World War I diary holdings? Interested in firsthand accounts of combat from Vietnam veterans? Want to know how to research your relative’s military unit? Join us for a 90-minute presentation by VHP Reference Specialist Megan Harris on Saturday, Nov. 17^th in room LJ-139B of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. Sign up for the 1000-1130 orientation on Eventbrite.

The mission of the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of U.S. veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Learn more at http://www.loc.gov/vets. Share your exciting VHP initiatives, programs, events and news stories with VHP to be considered for a future RSS. Email vohp@loc.gov and place “My VHP RSS Story” in the subject line.

Visit VHP on Facebook.

Click here for more information.

This Veterans Day, learn from veterans of the past – by helping the researchers of tomorrow.

The Library of Congress holds many collections that touch on the lives and service of military personnel; and the human cost of war. Although American Civil War materials fall outside the scope of the Veterans History Project, we encourage you to hone your transcription skills using wartime correspondence. The recently launched crowdsourcing project, crowd.loc.gov/, contains three collections relating to the Civil War: letters written to Abraham Lincoln, the diaries of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, and the papers of disabled veterans' advocate William Oland Bourne (1819-1901), a reformer, poet, clergyman, and editor of the Soldiers Friend journal. 

The mission of the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of U.S. veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Learn more at http://www.loc.gov/vets. Share your exciting VHP initiatives, programs, events and news stories with VHP to be considered for a future RSS. Email vohp@loc.gov and place “My VHP RSS Story” in the subject line.

Visit VHP on Facebook.

Click here for more information.

VHP shares in the remembrances of Dr. James Billington, who amongst his vast legacy also welcomed Congress’ enactment of the “Veterans Oral History Project.” Responding to legislators’ directive to the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, Billington proffered that “these histories will be an invaluable resource for future generations and will become part of the nation's vast historical record that the Library of Congress has preserved for 200 years."

A champion of the Project, and a veteran himself of the United States Army, Billington leveraged his military service as a VHP interviewer, expanding the Library’s collections to include oral histories with Lieutenant General Julius Becton, Jr., General Andrew J. Goodpaster, Captain John W. Kluge, and Colonel Mary Louise Rasmuson nee Milligan.

The mission of the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of U.S. veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Learn more at http://www.loc.gov/vets. Share your exciting VHP initiatives, programs, events and news stories with VHP to be considered for a future RSS. Email vohp@loc.gov and place “My VHP RSS Story” in the subject line.

Visit VHP on Facebook.

Click here for more information.