[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 104 (Thursday, July 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MR. JEFFREY MEEK

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                            HON. TIM GRIFFIN

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 12, 2012

  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and 
congratulate Mr. Jeffrey Meek of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, for his 
dedication to preserving the stories of Arkansas's World War II 
veterans.
  Jeff's interest in the stories and lives of World War II veterans 
began when his own son enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. At that time, 
Jeff started researching the experiences of his father and his wife's 
father during World War II. Then, after joining the Akansa Chapter of 
the Daughters of the American Revolution, Jeff's wife, Jeanne, 
recommended that Jeff get involved in the Library of Congress' Veterans 
History Project (VHP), which is preserving oral histories of our 
veterans. Each oral history is recorded on a DVD and, along with VHP 
documentation, is sent to the Library of Congress to be preserved and 
made accessible to researchers, educators, and the general public.
  Jeff conducted his first oral history for the VHP in 2007 and started 
reporting some of the stories in his local newspaper, the Hot Springs 
Village Voice. He later published 75 accounts in his book They Answered 
the Call: World War II Veterans Share Their Stories. Jeff has spent 
over one thousand hours collecting the moving stories of hundreds of 
our World War II veterans, and he has brought them to life during three 
sold out programs honoring them.
  Jeff's dedication to World War II veterans extends beyond recording 
their oral histories. He accompanied a group of veterans as they 
participated in the ``Honor Flight'' program. This program flies World 
War II veterans to Washington, D.C., free of charge, so they may visit 
the World War II memorial and some of the other memorials in 
Washington, D.C.
  For his devotion to our veterans, Jeff has been recognized by a 
number of organizations, including the Akansa Chapter of the Daughters 
of the American Revolution and each of Hot Springs Village's five 
military organizations. In addition, he received a letter of 
commendation from the Veterans History Project itself for his attention 
to detail in preserving the treasured chronicles of our nation's 
heroes.
  Because of volunteers like Jeff, our veterans will be forever honored 
through the preservation of their memories. I commend Jeff for his 
outstanding service to Arkansas's veterans, and I would encourage other 
Americans to become involved with the Library of Congress' Veterans 
History Project by recording the stories of veterans in their own 
communities. I thank Jeff for giving these veterans the opportunity to 
tell their stories and for allowing these stories to become priceless 
pieces of American history.

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