Veterans History Project
There are 19 million war veterans living in the United States today. Knowing that this and future generations of Americans have much to learn from those who served, the United States Congress, motivated by the need to collect the stories and experiences of war veterans, created the Veterans History Project.
The Veterans History Project covers World War I, World War II, the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars. It includes all participants of those wars—men and women, civilian and military. It documents the contributions of civil volunteers, support staff, and war industry workers as well as the experiences of military personnel from all ranks and all branches of the service—the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.
The Veterans History Project offers a unique opportunity for students to participate in a worthwhile program to gain new insight into the experiences of those who have served to protect the freedoms that we all enjoy, while at the same time helping to preserve those stories for the historical record.
The Reagan Library has joined the Library of Congress in a partnership for the Veterans History Project. As an official partner, the Reagan Library is available to assist you and your students who wish to participate in this program. We can offer:
- Tips for conducting an interview
- Sample questions for veterans; sample questions for civilians.
- Interview checklist and forms to be completed for each interview.
- Information on donating the interview.
- Veterans History Project pamphlet describing the project and its goals.
- Recommendations of groups to contact to locate veterans to be interviewed.
Students Can Help Preserve History
Students can become actively involved in learning and preserving history by recording the memories and experiences of our war veterans. Student participation in this project offers excellent opportunities for education and the preservation of history for future generations.
For more information, please email the education department at the Ronald Reagan Library at reaganeducation@nara.gov.
