[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 121 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H8721-H8724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VETERANS' ORAL HISTORY PROJECT ACT
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5212) to direct the American Folklife Center at the Library
of Congress to establish a program to collect video and audio
recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war
veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 5212
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Oral History
Project Act''.
[[Page H8722]]
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
(1) Military service during a time of war is the highest
sacrifice a citizen may make for his or her country.
(2) 4,700,000 Americans served in World War I, 16,500,000
Americans served in World War II, 6,800,000 Americans served
in the Korean Conflict, 9,200,000 Americans served in the
Vietnam Conflict, 3,800,000 Americans served in the Persian
Gulf War, and countless other Americans served in military
engagements overseas throughout the 20th century.
(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that there
are almost 19,000,000 war veterans living in this Nation
today.
(4) Today there are only approximately 3,400 living
veterans of World War I, and of the some 6,000,000 veterans
of World War II alive today, almost 1,500 die each day.
(5) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to historians,
researchers, authors, journalists, film makers, scholars,
students, and citizens of all walks of life.
(6) War veterans possess an invaluable resource in their
memories of the conflicts in which they served, and can
provide a rich history of our Nation and its people through
the retelling of those memories, yet frequently those who
served during times of conflict are reticent to family and
friends about their experiences.
(7) It is in the Nation's best interest to collect and
catalog oral histories of American war veterans so that
future generations will have original sources of information
regarding the lives and times of those who served in war and
the conditions under which they endured, so that Americans
will always remember those who served in war and may learn
first-hand of the heroics, tediousness, horrors, and triumphs
of war.
(8) The Library of Congress, as the Nation's oldest Federal
cultural institution and largest and most inclusive library
in human history (with nearly 119,000,000 items in its
multimedia collection) is an appropriate repository to
collect, preserve, and make available to the public an
archive of these oral histories. The Library's American
Folklife Center has expertise in the management of
documentation projects and experience in the development of
cultural and educational programs for the public.
(b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to create a new
federally sponsored, authorized, and funded program that will
coordinate at a national level the collection of video and
audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of
American war veterans, and to assist and encourage local
efforts to preserve the memories of this Nation's war
veterans so that Americans of all current and future
generations may hear directly from veterans and better
appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices made by
those who served in uniform during wartime.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM AT AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER
TO COLLECT VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDINGS OF
HISTORIES OF VETERANS.
(a) In General.--The Director of the American Folklife
Center at the Library of Congress shall establish an oral
history program--
(1) to collect video and audio recordings of personal
histories and testimonials of veterans of the armed forces
who served during a period of war;
(2) to create a collection of the recordings obtained
(including a catalog and index) which will be available for
public use through the National Digital Library of the
Library of Congress and such other methods as the Director
considers appropriate to the extent feasible subject to
available resources; and
(3) to solicit, reproduce, and collect written materials
(such as letters and diaries) relevant to the personal
histories of veterans of the armed forces who served during a
period of war and to catalog such materials in a manner the
Director considers appropriate, consistent with and
complimentary to the efforts described in paragraphs (1) and
(2).
(b) Use of and Consultation With Other Entities.--The
Director may carry out the activities described in paragraphs
(1) and (3) of subsection (a) through agreements and
partnerships entered into with other government and private
entities, and may otherwise consult with interested persons
(within the limits of available resources) and develop
appropriate guidelines and arrangements for soliciting,
acquiring, and making available recordings under the program
under this Act.
(c) Timing.--As soon as practicable after the enactment of
this Act, the Director shall begin collecting video and audio
recordings under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to
collect the first such recordings from the oldest veterans.
SEC. 4. PRIVATE SUPPORT.
(a) Acceptance of Donations.--The Librarian of Congress may
solicit and accept donations of funds and in-kind
contributions to carry out the oral history program under
section 3.
(b) Establishment of Separate Gift Account.--There is
established in the Treasury (among the accounts of the
Library of Congress) a gift account for the oral history
program under section 3.
(c) Dedication of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law--
(1) any funds donated to the Librarian of Congress to carry
out the oral history program under section 3 shall be
deposited entirely into the gift account established under
subsection (b);
(2) the funds contained in such account shall be used
solely to carry out the oral history program under section 3;
and
(3) the Librarian of Congress may not deposit into such
account any funds donated to the Librarian which are not
donated for the exclusive purpose of carrying out the oral
history program under section 3.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
Act--
(1) $250,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding
fiscal year.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5212 was introduced by the gentleman from Wisconsin
(Mr. Kind) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton) and has 230
cosponsors. The bill creates a recording program within the American
Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to collect videotaped
histories of American war veterans.
There are 19 million veterans in the United States, but only about
3,400 remaining who served in World War I. As the bill points out, of
the 6 million World War II vets alive today, almost 1,500 die each day.
We are currently observing the 50th anniversary of the Korean conflict.
This program will ensure that future generations have access to the
memories and experiences of veterans acquired during their service to
the Nation. These individual stories will provide historians with
invaluable information to give context to some of the greatest moments
in our history and some of the most tragic. It will also provide the
public with a way to remember and celebrate the sacrifices made by the
men and women who have fought to protect our freedom.
The Library of Congress, through the National Digital Library, Local
Legacies program and other activities has developed the capability to
digitize materials collected and to make them available to all
Americans through the Library's Web pages so that the greatest number
of Americans can benefit from the memories of our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the lead cosponsor of this legislation the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton) could not be here for floor
debate at this time. I will ask as part of general leave that his
written statement on this bill be made part of the Record.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I
thank the distinguished gentleman from Utah for his comments and his
undertaking the responsibility to make sure this bill passes in a
timely fashion. He is one of the good Members of this body and is
always there when you need him.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to speak in support of H.R. 5212, as
amended, the Veterans' Oral History Project Act. The manager's
amendment in my opinion has strengthened an already good bill and I
want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), certainly the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind), and the gentleman from New York
(Mr. Houghton) for all their work in getting this legislation to the
floor.
This bill directs the American Folklife Center, as the gentleman from
Utah said, at the Library of Congress to establish a program to collect
video and audio of personal histories and testimonials of America's war
veterans.
{time} 2030
Our war veterans include 19 million men and women who risked their
lives so that this bold experiment in democracy could flourish. Their
record of valor, courage, and bravery is unmatched in world history.
The numbers of men and women, Mr. Speaker, who have served our Nation
is staggering: 4.7 million in World War I; 16.5 million in World War
II; 6.8 million in the Korean War; 9.2 million in the Vietnam War; and
3.8 million in the Persian Gulf War. Of these veterans, almost 19
million are still with us today. In my district, there are more than
11,000 military retirees.
Though these numbers are astounding, the veterans' stories and
achievements are even more remarkable.
[[Page H8723]]
Among these 19 million nationwide and 11,000 in Maryland's fifth
district are the Doughboys, who broke the German resistance at Meuse-
Argonne and forged victory in World War I; the brave paratroopers who
jumped behind enemy lines and the courageous soldiers who charged the
beaches of Normandy; the men who endured the vicious fighting in the
Pacific theater, including five brutal months at Guadalcanal.
These veterans climbed Pork Chop Hill and endured the losses at
Heartbreak Ridge in the Korean War, a war, Mr. Speaker, whose 50th
anniversary we are honoring this year.
They quietly patrolled the rivers in search for a hidden enemy in the
jungles of Vietnam.
These 19 million veterans saw their countrymen fall around them; yet
they continued to march forward. They continued to fight, not for their
personal glory, but for our freedom. By passing this bill, Mr. Speaker,
we allow their firsthand accounts to become part of our Nation's
history.
It is imperative that we act soon, tonight. The Department of
Veterans Affairs estimates that 572,000 veterans will die this year,
including an estimated 1,500 World War II veterans each day, as the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) pointed out. As we lose these men and
women of courage, we also lose their stories of valor and honor. We
must make every effort to learn their stories. These remembrances will
help not only those interested in America's past; they will guide those
who will lead America's future.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate two of our body, the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind), a Democrat, and the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Houghton), a Republican, two distinguished
Representatives in this body, who have joined together to make sure
that we remember and that generations yet to come will remember.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to ask unanimous consent to yield the
balance of my time to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind), a
distinguished leader on this legislation, whose efforts, along with
those of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton), have resulted in
this being on the floor and on the front lobes of our brains tonight,
and ask that he be allowed to control this time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Maryland?
There was no objection.
Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, first of all I want to thank my friend and colleague
from Utah for agreeing to call up this legislation tonight and sticking
around, even though we are approaching the debate hour in this town.
But I also want to thank the gentleman from California (Chairman
Thomas) and his majority staff of the Committee on House
Administration, and the ranking member, the gentleman from Maryland
(Mr. Hoyer) and his staff, for all the help and cooperation and support
they have shown in regards to this legislation that my friend and
colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton), and I introduced
just a couple of weeks ago.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is very simple, but I believe it is
very important; important if this country has an interest in preserving
our history. What this legislation basically does is directs the
Library of Congress to establish a national archives for the collection
and preservation of the oral history through videotape testimony of our
veterans who are still with us today.
Now that we have the technology to do it, I believe this Nation
should make every conceivable effort to try to preserve this very
important piece of American oral history before it is too late, as the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) already indicated.
Time is of the essence. We have roughly 19 million veterans who are
still with us today. Of that number, slightly more than 6 million are
from the Second World War generation. They are passing away at roughly
1,500 a day, and with them go their memories.
Recently, I have encountered a lot of veterans of the Second World
War and the Korean generation who have been more willing to speak about
their experiences in the twilight of their years. I have also
encountered many family members who regret today the fact that they did
not take time to videotape their loved ones, their father or mother or
grandparents, in regards to their experience during these great
conflicts that shaped the 20th century.
Earlier this year, in April, this Congress declared the American GI
as the Person of the Century because of the profound influence and
impact they had on the course of human events in the 20th century. I do
not think we can honor them any better than by trying to preserve their
memories.
What I envision ultimately once this project gets established and
implemented is that children in the 22nd, 23rd, or even the 24th
century, will be able to access through the Internet the videotaped
statements of their great-great-great-grandfather or grandmother who
served during the Second World War or Korean War or the Viet Nam War or
the Gulf War. What an incredibly powerful history lesson that would be,
and for future historians being able to research this part of history
by using firsthand accounts from the videotape testimony we are going
to be able to collect and preserve for future generations.
The Library of Congress is uniquely situated to handle this project.
They have an American Folk Life Center which is already taking
videotape testimony of community leaders across the country asking them
how they would like their communities to be remembered 100 or 200 years
from now. So they have the expertise, and they have the technology.
They are moving to digitize virtually everything contained at the
Library of Congress now, and once we are able to start collecting these
videotapes, they are going to be able to index it, digitize it, and
make it available over the Internet for anyone interested in learning
this part of our Nation's history.
I also envision the help of a lot of family members and encourage
their support in videotaping their loved ones, veterans who served in
foreign conflicts, members of the VFW, American Legion Halls, who can
set up videotaping places within their halls, encouraging veterans to
come in and share their story. Class projects, students going out and
actually videotaping and interviewing these veterans on tape for
educational benefit, and these videotape collections being saved for
the family archives purposes for community libraries, or historical
societies, but ultimately a copy being sent out to the Library of
Congress so we can index it, digitize it and make it available for
future generations.
I think this is a worthwhile project, one that will require the
cooperation of countless people across the country, but especially from
our veterans, who can leave an incredible gift, a gift that will keep
on giving to generation after generation, by stepping forward and
talking about their experiences in these conflicts that made this
Nation the great Nation that it is today.
So I want to again thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton)
for all of his work and efforts put into this project. Unfortunately,
he had a death in the family tonight, so he is not here to speak in
person in favor of the bill. But I want to thank him for being the lead
cosponsor on the Veterans Oral History Project. We have worked together
on several pieces of good bipartisan legislation, and I am pleased to
have joined forces with him yet again today. The gentleman from New
York (Mr. Houghton) himself is a veteran of the Second World War. He
served as a private first class in the United States Marine Corps; and,
with any luck, we are going to be able to encourage him and the other
veterans in this place to also participate in this important project.
But it is going to require a collective effort to do so, and to do it
well.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank the author Stephen Ambrose for the
support he has shown on the recommendations that he has made in support
of the veterans oral history project.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the remarks of the gentleman from Maryland
(Mr. Hoyer) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) on this very
worthy piece of legislation.
[[Page H8724]]
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank a few other people who have been
instrumental in the creation of this legislation. Senators Max Cleland
and Chuck Hagel have introduced this bill on the Senate side, and we
are hoping towards the tail-end of their session we will be able to
bring this up under unanimous consent and see it moved through the
United States Senate. They have been instrumental in being able to move
this on the Senate side.
I also want to thank, in particular, Steve Kelly and Winston Tabb at
the Library of Congress for providing invaluable assistance in the
development of the project and for their enthusiasm they have shown for
this project.
I want to thank the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion
for their support so far in what we anticipate to be a great
partnership with those key and important organizations.
I also want to thank Jeff Mazur on my staff, who has sat through
countless numbers of meetings and countless number of drafts of this
legislation in order to shape it and get it to a point where we were
successful in speaking to our colleagues and obtaining close to 250
original cosponsors for this legislation.
But, most of all, I want to thank the veterans of this Nation, those
who I personally spoke to and who inspired me and those who I am sure
the rest of my colleagues have had an opportunity to meet with and talk
to and listen to them tell their stories. Without them, obviously, we
would not be enjoying the freedoms and the liberties that we enjoy
today. Again, with their support we can make this project what it was
intended to be, a living legacy of their service to our country and a
gift to future generations.
Mr. HOUGHTON. Mr. Speaker, this is a solid, basic bill--with a great
purpose.
It is to help honor and remember those Americans who used solid,
basic values to perform exceptionally and serve great purposes on
behalf of our nation.
Now veterans are modest people. They don't boast. They are matter-of-
fact. They feel they ``did their job''. But the fact is that they did
remarkable things--things that we must always remember.
This project will see to that. How?
Simply put, history often records the momentous events. But those
momentous events are made up of countless individual storylines.
Individual storylines that couldn't all fit into current history books
or TV documentaries--stories that need their own archive. This bill
will allow the Library of Congress to create such an archive--an
archive of videotaped testimonials of the veterans themselves, telling
their own stories.
If those stories are not told, recorded, studied, preserved--we risk
losing them, and all that they teach us.
This project will seize the moment before us--before too much time
has gone by--to go to our veterans and learn of duty, heroism,
sacrifice, fear, humor, patriotism, comradeship, compassion . . . and
of darker things and times, almost unspeakable things--and how ordinary
Americans stood up to resist them.
Those are lessons we must impart to the next generation. Today, we
are helping to see that great purpose is served.
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of
Congressman Kind and Congressman Houghton's bill that allows the public
to hear our history directly from the men and women who fought to
preserve it.
America's war veterans will be offered the opportunity to share their
experiences first-hand by providing an oral history to the Library of
Congress.
Most of our history is found in books usually written by those who
witnessed or played an active role in the events that made this country
what it is today.
Well, this legislation goes a step further and puts a face to the
name by video-taping the recollections of our veterans' time in
service.
But this bill actually does much more. It allows students, as well as
the community, to get involved and learn more about their local
veterans.
To actually speak to a veteran who fought for this country, and hear
about the events first-hand is the best history lesson anyone can
receive.
On Long Island, we have thousands of veterans who answered their
country's call to duty and are proud to share their experiences with
today's youth.
As someone who lived through the Vietnam era, I remember what a
difficult time it was for our country.
I remember watching many of our soldiers leaving to fight with the
chance of not returning. Unfortunately, many did not.
For those that made it home, this is an opportunity to talk about the
experiences and the sacrifices they endured during this time and share
them with the country.
I'd like to commend Representative Kind and Representative Houghton
for taking the initiative in drafting this legislation and urge my
colleagues to support the measure.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5212
the Veterans Oral History Project Act of 2000. I urge my colleagues to
lend this timely and important legislation their support.
This bill would authorize a program within the Library of Congress to
supervise and facilitate the collecting of personal histories and
recollections of American combat veterans.
These personal histories will include both oral testimony recorded on
video-tape, as well as written letters and testimonials from veterans.
As a World War II veteran, I am deeply aware of the importance of my
generation recording its stories for those future generations yet
unborn.
American veterans played a unique and defining role in shaping the
events of the 20th century. The American citizen soldier was
responsible for defending the cause of freedom from German aggression
in 1917, Nazi tyranny and Japanese imperialism in 1942, and Communist
invasion in 1950.
Today, many of these veterans are passing on. There are less than
3,500 World War I veterans alive today, out of a fighting force of over
4.5 million. Moreover, almost 1,500 World War II veterans die each day.
It is vitally important that we gather as many of their personal
stories before they are lost to us forever.
This legislation is a good first step toward meeting that goal. It
will both help ensure that future generations remember the
contributions of those who served in combat, as well as to preserve the
triumphs of the citizen soldier over evil in America's 20th century
conflicts.
I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 5212, as amended.
The question was taken.
Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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