A community is full of stories. Some real, some imagined, some are legend,
some are happy and some are sad. Most
stories deserve to be recorded and preserved for future generations, some for
entertainment, and many for educational purposes. We all can learn form our ancestor’s stories.
The
Veterans History Project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal
accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly
from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
Joe Pray of Pray Funeral Home will be conducting individual video
recorded interviews with Veterans throughout the months of March and
April, and May. These video recordings will be
submitted to the Library of Congress to be included in the Veterans’ History
Project.
Interviews will also be conducted at VFW
Post 2406 on the evenings of March 29th and April 5th.
Wayne Ball of Post 2406 and Evelyn Sanborn of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary will be assisting
the interviewers during these evenings to help collect the related biographical
information and to scan any pictures and documents the veterans may bring to
the evening event.
The Video recordings will be available at the Library of Congress
American Folklife Center for use by researchers, educators, family members and
others.
Copies of the Recordings will also be given to local
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #2406 and American Legion Post #42 for use within
the Post’s activities.
Veterans interested in sharing their story are welcome to contact Joe E.
Pray at Pray Funeral Home, 517-543-2950, or by email. Volunteers will be asked to complete a
Biographical Data Form for the Veterans History Project prior to conducting the
interview.
To help illustrate the
Veteran’s story, personal photographs, letters, or records of service are
encouraged to be used during the interview.
As part of the VHP, Veterans may donate official military
documents, photographs, original maps, and letters to the American Folklife
Center to be included in
the archives.
