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The Veterans History Project (VHP) of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American military veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of military service.
The Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the firsthand narratives of United States military veterans from World War I through the present. In addition to unedited audio- and video-recorded oral history interviews, VHP accepts memoirs and collections of original photographs, letters, diaries, maps and other historical documents from any American veteran who served in the military from World War I through the present.
Researchers and the general public use VHP collections for a wide variety of projects and purposes. Some are interested in learning more about the history of a family member's military unit. Others seek eyewitness perspectives of battles, campaigns, and military operations. Still others draw on VHP collections for information about the social or cultural experience of war and military life.
Materials from the Veterans History Project have been cited in academic papers and dissertations, included in books, newspaper articles, and other publications, and featured in documentary films such as Ken Burns' The War.
This guide is a starting point for your research at the Veterans History Project. It provides information on how to:
