Remembering D-Day
The National D-Day Memorial Foundation is an official partner with the American Folklife Centers Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. The U.S. Congress voted unanimously for legislation to create the Veterans History Project on October 27, 2000 through Public law 106-380. The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
The National D-Day Memorial Foundation is actively interviewing D-Day veterans in an attempt to collect and preserve video-taped oral histories and documentary materials of those who served during the Normandy campaign. In addition, those U.S. citizen civilians who were actively involved in supporting war efforts (such as war industry workers, USO workers, flight instructors, medical volunteers, etc.) are also invited to share their valuable stories.
As a partner institution, all interviews conducted by the National D-Day Memorial Foundation will be housed in the Foundation library. Though the National D-Day Memorial will store recorded interviews at the Foundation, the Library of Congress will provide a comprehensible, searchable catalog of all materials collected as part of this project so that researchers and the public will have access to them in the future.
How You Can Help This Project
If you are a war veteran, consider having your story recorded by a family member or someone in your community. If you know of a veteran or a civilian who experienced wartime conditions, arrange for an interview and have them share their story. Visit the Veterans History Project website at www.loc.gov/folklife/vets for details.
The National D-Day Memorial Foundation is seeking oral histories, written reminiscences, diaries, ships logs, letters, photographs, published histories of units involved in the invasion and personal recollections of D-Day veterans. If you are interested in donating such information, please contact the Foundation at 540-586-DDAY or 800-351-DDAY and ask for the Director of Education. If you are a D-Day veteran or know of a D-Day veteran who would like to share his or her story, please call 540-586-3329.
