Above: U.S. helicopters prepare to air-lift Vietnamese government Rangers of the 43rd battalion into battle during the Vietnam War, 1965, United Press International photograph. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Reproduction number: LC-USZ62-12260

For a list of veterans interviewed locally since 2002---under the auspices of the Veterans History Project---click here. Keep in mind that we have scores of other interviews on other topics, and many with veterans who were interviewed prior to the start of the VHP. The catalogue of all oral history recordings is available at the Historical Society.

Interviewers:

Click here to download Veterans History Project interview forms.

Click here to download a free copy of the Smithsonian Institution's Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide.

If you'd like to read the downloadable .pdf ("portable document file") articles offered at this site, first download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking the icon below:

In 2002 the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society joined forces with the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress in its nationwide initiative to document the personal histories of veterans of foreign wars.

To date the Society has trained scores of local volunteer interviewers, and has interviewed veterans of several wars and conflicts, as well as nurses, people who worked in wartime industry, war widows, and even conscientious objectors who performed alternative service. Their interviews, as well as supporting materials such as photographs, correspondence, journals and diaries, will be archived at the Historical Society in perpetuity.

As materials are catalogued and accessioned, individual histories will be made available to the public, researchers, and family members. (In rare cases, interview subjects might place privacy restrictions on certain materials. In keeping with ethical guidelines set forth by project partners the American Folklore Society and the Oral History Association, the Historical Society has promised to honor such requests.)

Some materials have been and will be used for exhibits, publications, and multi-media projects. (See, for example, our on-line exhibit from 2003, G.I. with a Camera: The Wartime Photographs of Clarence McClymonds.)

"The mission of Veterans History Project is to collect the memories, accounts, and documents of our veterans from World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars, and to preserve these stories of experience and service for future generations," says Historical Society executive director Douglas Day. "The Historical Society is proud to join with our colleagues across the country in this vital mission."

The Veterans History Project is the result of legislation passed unanimously by the U.S. Congress on October 27, 2000 as Public Law 106-380. Recognizing the urgency of collecting wartime memories---as the number of veterans dwindles by 1,500 every day---Congress seeks to engage the American people in their own history.

"We all have family members and neighbors in our own community who have contributed through their military service to our liberty," says Day. "I can think of no better way to honor their service."

The Albemarle County Historical Society's members and volunteers will identify local veterans, conduct oral history interviews, and correspondence, photographs and home movies that together tell the stories of the war veterans and wartime support services.

The Historical Society will be the permanent repository of the oral histories and other materials collected in Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville, and will present its findings in future exhibits, public forums, and publications. By partnering with the Library of Congress, the Society's efforts will be part of a comprehensive, searchable, national catalogue of all oral histories and documents collected as part of the Veterans History Project.

For more information on the Veterans History Project visit the Library of Congress website at http://www.loc.gov/veterans