Veterans asked to tell their stories to Library of Congress

Club members who served in the armed forces were invited to record their memories of service as part of the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project.

Robert Patrick, project director, extended the invitation Sept. 18 during a meeting of the NPC American Legion Post 20.

"Everyone's story becomes part of this project," Patrick said, "those who served in the mess hall and motor pool as well as in combat."

Established by Congress in 2000, the project has collected some 93,000 video and audio recordings of veterans' stories from World War I to the present. Veterans and their families also donate letters, photos and other records for preservation and use by authors, scholars and researchers.

At the meeting, Patrick distributed field kits to help family members and others interview with veterans and anyone else who have played a role in America's war efforts. Kits can be downloaded at the project's website, http://www.loc.gov/vets, or by contacting Post 20 Commander Ken Dalecki at [email protected].