The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress
The United States Congress created the Veterans History Project (VHP) in 2000 as part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. VHP’s mission is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
Participate with the Veterans History Project (VHP), and contribute to the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, one of the world’s most respected research and cultural institutions. Share your story, if you’re a veteran. Simply sit down with a friend or loved one and record a conversation about your military experiences for 30 minutes or longer. Interview a veteran in your family or community. Collect a veteran’s historical documents. Collaborate with your local high schools and universities, retirement communities, veteran service organizations, churches, area businesses, and other community groups. All you need is the VHP Field Kit, an interviewer, and an interviewee. Once the interview is recorded, keep a copy for yourself and submit the originial along with the required forms to VHP.
Participation is simple. Visit www.loc.gov/vets/. Watch the 15-minute Field Kit Companion Video. Click on How to Participate.
• Download the online Field Kit—a “how-to record a story” booklet.
• Complete the required and appropriate forms from the Field Kit.
• Follow the 30-20-10 Rule:
_30 minutes or more for interviews
_20 pages or more for memoirs, diaries, or journals
_10 or more photographs or letters
Search and view collections online. The Veterans History Project (VHP) website contains an individual web page for each veteran who contributes. This page includes service history and other information about each veteran. Click on Search the Veterans Collections to access the database.