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Phone (678) 839-6464, FAX (678) 839-6645
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Veteran's History Project
October 22, 2004
CARROLLTON, GA - The Center for Public History at the University of West Georgia is looking for a few good men — and women. Veterans of foreign wars and their families are being asked by the center to participate in the Veteran’s History Project, a national initiative to record and preserve the thoughts of the millions that served in the U.S. armed forces and subsidiary industries.
The
Center for Public History is now a research and collecting partner with
the Veterans History Project, organized by the Library of Congress, said
Dr. Rebecca Bailey, assistant professor of history and assistant director
of the Center for Public History.
She said the project began as part of UWG’s Center for Traumatology, which engaged veterans to intervene with at risk youth offenders. On the heels of that successful project, the Traumatology Center later received recognition from the Library of Congress as an archiving partner for the Veteran’s History Project. Now, the Center for Public History is administering the project.
Bailey, an expert on gathering oral history, said that most veterans who had been in combat developed a heightened sense and appreciation of their lives.
“It’s fascinating to look at because some of the men who had the fiercest combat experience came home and became teachers or ministers or doctors,” Bailey said. “Their whole war experience turned them into 100 percent community-minded people.”
Roopville native Katie Reed, graduate research assistant and project director, has identified individuals who would be interested in participating in the project, especially through oral history interviews.
The center plans to conduct oral history workshops to train interested residents in how to conduct oral histories for this project, Reed said.
“Oral histories are the product of a large amount of work a nd if done correctly, they are an excellent source for historians to help understand the past,” Reed said. “With oral histories, it is often important to share your findings with the community. We try to break it down and give interviewers simple instructions so they are not bombarded with a whole book of instructions,” Reed said.
Bailey agrees and said that assembling prior information is a key to the workshops.
“Our goal is to be the facilitators instead of the gatherers. We’ll come out and hold workshops and teach you others to do this,” Bailey said. “Our role as an official designation of a regional archiving partner is to be the repositories. Anyone that who conducts an interview and wants it sent to Washington can bring it to us. We report it to the Library of Congress and it’s recorded there. But we also hold it here and that way, the people of this area and region benefit from the work that was done in this area.”
Reed, who returned to graduate school after teaching middle school social studies, said her interest in the project was sparked by her family members participation in military combat.
“Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II and one also fought in Korea. I wanted to work with the Center for Public History and get some first-hand experience on this veterans project,” Reed said.
For more information about the Veterans History Project, contact the UWG Center for Public History at 678-839-6141.
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