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Military Memories

By Elizabeth Hira

This Veteran's Day, November 11, Americans will honor the men and women who serve in the armed forces. There will be parades and speeches. But Bobby Hearne, 14, has a different way of celebrating veterans' contributions. Last May, Bobby interviewed veterans at the National World War II Reunion in Washington, D.C. He was one of 400 volunteers participating in the Veterans History Project, a national effort sponsored by the Library of Congress.

The project collects and records the wartime stories of U.S. men and women who served in the military. The experiences of those outside the military who helped in war efforts, such as medical volunteers, are also included. The collection holds recorded interviews as well as letters, diaries, and photos.

Many veterans don't like to talk about the hardships of war. Remembering war can be emotionally draining. Still, Bobby found that veterans warmed up to him: "I just acted as if I were talking to my grandpa, just asking him questions." Bobby heard firsthand accounts from men who had fought overseas and from women who had gone to work in factories. "I got to learn a lot about World War II from people who were actually in the war," he says.

Those people were happy to share their experiences. Lieutenant Com-mander John LaMontagne, 85, is a veteran of World War II and Korea. LaMontagne says that the Veterans History Project is about the future, not just the past. "Young folks have to learn about these wars so they don't repeat our mistakes," he told TFK. The project has collected more than 20,000 stories about American heroes. To learn more about the project, go to www.loc.gov/folklife/vets.

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