[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 170 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H12472-H12474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR DESIGNATION OF A NATIONAL VETERANS HISTORY
PROJECT WEEK
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 770) expressing support for designation of a
National Veterans History Project Week to encourage public
participation in a nationwide project that collects and preserves the
stories of the men and women who served our nation in times of war and
conflict.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 770
Whereas the Veterans History Project was established by a
unanimous vote of the
[[Page H12473]]
United States Congress to collect and preserve the wartime
stories of American veterans;
Whereas Congress charged the American Folklife Center at
the Library of Congress to undertake the Veterans History
Project and to engage the public in the creation of a
collection of oral histories that would be a lasting tribute
to individual veterans and an abundant resource for scholars;
Whereas there are 17,000,000 wartime veterans in America
whose stories can educate people of all ages about important
moments and events in the history of the United States and
the world and provide instructive narratives that illuminate
the meanings of ``service'', ``sacrifice'', ``citizenship'',
and ``democracy'';
Whereas the Veterans History Project relies on a corps of
volunteer interviewers, partner organizations, and an array
of civic minded institutions nationwide who interview
veterans according to the guidelines it provides;
Whereas increasing public participation in the Veterans
History Project will increase the number of oral histories
that can be collected and preserved and increase the number
of veterans it so honors; and
Whereas ``National Veterans Awareness Week'' commendably
preceded this resolution in the years 2005 and 2006: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes ``National Veterans Awareness Week'';
(2) supports the designation of a ``National Veterans
History Project Week'';
(3) calls on the people of the United States to interview
at least one veteran in their families or communities
according to guidelines provided by the Veterans History
Project; and
(4) encourages local, State, and national organizations
along with Federal, State, city and county governmental
institutions to participate in support of the effort to
document, preserve, and honor the service of American wartime
veterans.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the author of this legislation, the gentleman
from Nevada (Mr. Porter), who will speak on his resolution in a few
minutes.
I want to point out that Abraham Lincoln, during his address at
Gettysburg, said that ``the world will little note, nor long remember,
what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.'' In that
spirit, and to make sure that people will long remember what was done,
Congress created the Veterans History Project in the year 2000 with
unanimous support from this body.
The Project directed the Library of Congress to establish a national
archives for the collection and preservation of videotaped oral
histories of our veterans, as well as the copying of letters written
during their time of service and diaries they kept. So there is a
national repository of this very important part of our Nation's
history. This worthwhile investment of time and resources is a gift
that can be given for generations and centuries to come. The goal of
the project is to capture the personal stories of our Nation's heroes
so our children and their children can more fully understand the
history of this century.
For a lot of reasons, we find that our Nation's heroes, when they
come back from combat, do not even let their families know exactly what
happened. They feel like they were just doing their job or don't want
to bring up some memories, and so those stories will go with them to
their grave. But with this project, we can tap into the stories of more
than 24 million veterans who are still alive today, including 3 million
from World War II, who are leaving us at the rate of more than 1,000
per day.
It is important that these stories are told, and more important that
these stories are told from the mouths of those that were on the front
lines and participated firsthand as history was made.
This oral history project requires the cooperation of volunteers
across the country to get not only the veterans to come forward to
offer their stories, but also the family members and friends to capture
their accounts.
So, H. Res. 770 calls on the people of the United States to interview
at least one veteran in their families or communities according to
guidelines provided by the Veterans History Project. It also encourages
local, State and national organizations to participate in support of
the effort to document, preserve and honor the service of American
wartime heroes.
As chairman of the Veterans' Committee in the House of
Representatives, I have had the opportunity and the honor to hear the
many accounts from these veterans. I hear the sense of pride that comes
along with the duty of defending this country. I know that my father
served in World War II, but I never fully got the stories, I don't
think, that he had in his memory, and I wish we had captured before he
died.
So, I encourage all Americans to reach out to their veterans, thank
them and their families for their amazing sacrifice, learn more about
their great contributions to our Nation, and gain the wisdom of their
personal stories of our Nation's history. Each and every one of us
should learn more about the American Folk Life Center at the Library of
Congress because their staff is always glad to work with researchers
and volunteers to expand their library of these stories.
Volunteers and participants become historians themselves. They can
collect audio and video recordings, create a collection of recordings
to be available for public use, or collect written materials relevant
to personal histories of war veterans.
So, on this Veterans Day, let us, again, do more than just give
speeches and ride in parades. Let's join and take the time to show the
gratitude that we have to these veterans by asking them to relate their
stories for the preservation of history.
Mr. Speaker, I would reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I thought again I would just say that H. Res. 770, summarized, it
says ``it encourages public participation in a nationwide project that
collects and preserves the stories of the men and women who served our
Nation in times of war and conflict.''
This is very appropriate, and we're coming to Veterans Day. And I
commend Jon Porter from Nevada for sponsoring this bill, and I urge my
colleagues to support it.
In 2000, Congress unanimously voted to create the Veterans History
Project as part of the American Folk Life Center at the Library of
Congress. Since its creation, the Veterans History Project has
collected thousands of veterans' accounts of their military
experiences. My staff has actually gone down to my district with a tape
recorder and was participating, recording these histories with our
veterans. Each of these accounts is easily accessible on the history
project's Web site and will be an invaluable source for future
generations.
While there are several ways to record a veteran's history, the most
common form of record in this project is through oral interviews. That
is what my staff did. They would stand at the town square, and we
notified through the newspapers that these individuals could come in.
They would come in, and through a tape recorded oral interview, we were
able to do that. These oral interviews are conducted all across the
country by volunteer interviewers. These narrations provide a firsthand
account of the courageous and patriotic sacrifices of our Nation's
veterans. That is why, Mr. Speaker, I am happy that this resolution
calls on all Americans to take time to interview at least one veteran
in their family or their community; just a simple request. With over 17
million wartime veterans living in the United States, we have our work
cut out for us. And my colleagues, I think it's imperative that we
increase participation in the program while members of these great
generations are still among us. And we don't have long to do so.
So, I want to thank Chairman Filner and the ranking member, Mr.
Buyer, for bringing this important resolution to the floor. I urge all
of my colleagues to support it.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I recognize the author of the bill, the
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter), for 3 minutes.
{time} 1530
Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 770,
which recognizes the goals and ideals of National Veterans History
Project Week.
[[Page H12474]]
This resolution will help highlight the ongoing efforts of the American
Folklife Center in the Library of Congress to collect and to document
the personal histories of our Nation's greatest heroes, our Nation's
veterans. I can't imagine a better way to recognize these heroes. They
are amongst us. They are in our families. They are in our
neighborhoods. They need some encouragement, but I can't think of a
better way.
National Veterans History Project Week will focus the Nation's
attention on the importance of veterans' history. The goal is to honor
veterans and to ensure that their stories are available for future
generations. We owe every freedom we have to the service and, of
course, the sacrifice of America's veterans and their families. Their
experience teaches us about the power of the human spirit and the
realities of war. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that their history
is honored and preserved.
This resolution calls upon the people of the U.S. to interview at
least one veteran from their families or their communities, following
the guidelines set forth by the Veterans History Project, encourages
local, State and national organizations, along with the Federal, State
and local government institutions to document, to preserve and honor
the service of American wartime veterans.
I only wish my father, who passed away in 1995 and was a World War II
veteran, had the opportunity to share his history and the past
experiences that he had. As a matter of fact, my father was very
cautious in even talking about his experiences in the war until the
final weeks of his life. I truly only wish that he had had this
opportunity to share with his grandchildren.
The Veterans History Project relies on the efforts of volunteer
interviewers from the veterans service organizations, libraries,
historical societies, museums, retirement communities, professional
associations, governmental agencies, universities, high school
students, boy scouts, girl scouts, and families to contribute to its
collection which currently has more than 50,000 individuals.
Yes, veterans need some encouragement. They want to be asked. I and a
number of individuals that we have interviewed and we have placed their
history into the Congressional Record, many of them served our Nation's
wars from World War II, Jack Mates, Martin Schlesinger, and Jack
Watson. From the Korean War, Johnnie Phillips, from Vietnam, Johnny
Kinder, Chuck Baker, and Stephen Long. From the Cold War, Al O'Donnell
from Las Vegas. And from Iraq and Afghanistan, Henry Lujan.
I am proud to be an original sponsor of this bipartisan resolution.
While this issue is not and shall not be forgotten, we need to continue
reminding our veterans that we need and we appreciate who they are and
what they have done. I believe that preserving the histories of our
Nation's veterans is of the utmost importance for us as Americans. This
is an appropriate way to honor our veterans and the volunteers to seek
and collect those wonderful stories of heroism.
I would also like to thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Kind from
Wisconsin, for his strong support.
Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, just a few words, and then I think we will
yield back the balance of our time.
The ranking member, Mr. Buyer, of the Veterans Committee also has
recorded his experience when he was the United States captain in the
Gulf War in this project. So I think it is appropriate to bring that to
our colleagues' attention.
I conclude about the bill, in addition to encouraging veterans, it
encourages the local government, the State and national organizations,
along with the Federal, State, city and county government institutions,
to encourage, to participate in support of this effort to document,
preserve, and honor the service of American wartime veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Nevada (Mr.
Porter) for bringing us this resolution. As an historian myself who has
worked with oral histories, I know how important it is professionally
and, as he said, also personally. So I urge everyone to support this
bill.
General Leave
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I also ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 770.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution
770 which encourages the designation of a National Veterans History
Project Week. This resolution encourages increased public participation
in the Veterans History Project.
As you may know, the Veterans History Project collects and saves the
stories of America's veterans who have bravely served this country from
World War I to today's conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This project
provides Americans an important way to honor our soldiers: by
preserving the story of their service, in their own words, for the use
and benefit of future generations.
In 2000, I authored and Congress unanimously passed legislation
creating the Veterans History Project. Since its beginning, the project
has collected more than 50,000 stories and documents. In addition, the
Veterans History Project was honored by Harvard University as one of
the finalists for the Innovations in American Government Award
competition in 2005.
We must get the word out to all veterans about this important
initiative. We have millions of wartime veterans and civilians in this
country and their stories are a reminder to us all of the costs of the
freedoms we so deeply cherish. Let this resolution also serve as a
reminder to the distinguished members of this body that the decisions
we make here in Washington have a far-reaching impact in the homes and
communities all over this great country. We must support these brave
men and women whom we send out to the front lines to fight for the
freedoms we are privileged to enjoy.
Since the beginning of our Nation, the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and
marines of the armed forces have been called on to risk their lives and
fight for the ideals that make America great. Regardless of what one
thinks about the wars that they fought in, or the wisdom of our
involvement, all Americans must agree that the men and women of our
armed forces have responded to the call of their country and performed
with honor and dignity. War veterans and the civilians who have
supported them all across this Nation have stepped forward once again,
this time answering the call of civic duty by recording their stories
and contributing personal documents for the Veterans History Project.
Their participation ensures that their accounts are recorded and
preserved, becoming a part of this Nation's memory and history.
The volume of materials already collected by the Veterans History
Project is a testament to its success. I believe, however, we can do
even better. By passing this resolution today, we can encourage more
participation in this important program and ensure that this vital
collection of American history continues to grow even further.
Capturing the stories of our war veterans is more important now than
ever before. Every day, America loses over 1,000 of our aging World War
II veterans and with them, their firsthand accounts of that war. As our
country faces new challenges and threats in foreign policy, we must not
forget the events and lessons of World War II. That is why it is
imperative that we capture the stories and personal histories of those
veterans today before it is too late. The Veterans History Project is
instrumental in accomplishing this important goal.
I call upon all members of this body to publicize and promote the
Veterans History Project in their own districts and communities. I
cannot think of a better way to honor our veterans than by trying to
preserve as many of their memories and stories as possible.
I commend the gentleman from Nevada for introducing this resolution
and I strongly urge my colleagues for their support.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 770.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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