[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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