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Home > How To: Capture a Veteran's Story

How To: Capture a Veteran's Story

American flag with dog tags

An easy and incredibly thoughtful way to commemorate our veterans is to preserve their story in the library of Congress. Simply conduct an interview with a U.S. veteran and send it to the government so that the story can live on forever.

  1. Select a veteran or civilian involved in a war (i.e. USO worker, flight instructor, medical volunteer) to interview. It can be a relative, neighbor, or someone that you met at a veterans' center [2].
  2. Confirm that the U.S. veteran served in one of the following conflicts:
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Persian Gulf War
    • Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts
  3. Register [3] and conduct [4] your interview.
  4. Send your interview to:

    Veterans History Project

    Library of Congress

    101 Independence Ave, SE

    Washington, DC 20540-4615

    • Remember to use a commercial delivery service like Fed Ex or UPS. The U.S. Postal Service uses a screening process that could damage your submission.
  5. After six months, you and anyone visiting the Library of Congress will be able to read the interview. You'll also be able to access the story [6] online.
Time: 
One Day [7]
Where: 
At Home [8]
In Your City [9]
In Your Neighborhood [10]
Issues: 
Our Troops [11]
Active Troops [12]
Military Discrimination [13]
PTSD [14]
Veteran Homelessness [15]
Veteran Unemployment [16]
Who: 
Alone [17]
Club [18]
Congregation [19]
Family [20]
School [21]
Sports Team [22]
With Your Friends [23]
Source URL: http://www.dosomething.org/actnow/actionguide/how-to-capture-veterans-story

Links:
[1] http://twitter.com/share
[2] http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/vetcenter_flsh.asp
[3] http://www.loc.gov/vets/kit.html
[4] http://www.loc.gov/vets/moreresources.html#tips
[5] http://www.loc.gov/vets/kitmenu.html
[6] http://www.loc.gov/vets/
[7] http://www.dosomething.org/category/time/one-day
[8] http://www.dosomething.org/category/where/at-home
[9] http://www.dosomething.org/category/where/in-your-city
[10] http://www.dosomething.org/category/where/in-your-neighborhood
[11] http://www.dosomething.org/cause/our-troops
[12] http://www.dosomething.org/issues/active-troops
[13] http://www.dosomething.org/issues/discrimination-military
[14] http://www.dosomething.org/issues/ptsd
[15] http://www.dosomething.org/issues/veterans
[16] http://www.dosomething.org/issues/veteranunemployment
[17] http://www.dosomething.org/category/who/alone
[18] http://www.dosomething.org/category/who/club
[19] http://www.dosomething.org/category/who/church
[20] http://www.dosomething.org/category/who/family
[21] http://www.dosomething.org/category/who/school
[22] http://www.dosomething.org/category/who/sports-team
[23] http://www.dosomething.org/category/who/with-your-friends