October 17, 2017 Veterans History Project Panel Discussion on Oral History Interviews

Press Contact: Benny Seda-Galarza (202) 707-8732
Public Contact: Monica Mohindra (202) 707-1071 | Kerry Ward (202) 707-1196 |
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected]

The Library of Congress Veterans History Project (VHP) will host a panel discussion, titled “On the Other Side of the Mic: Perspective from the Interviewer,” at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Whittall Pavilion of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. The panel will feature experts who will discuss how oral interviews serve the objectives of the U.S. American Vietnam War Commemoration (the Commemoration) as well as the Library and ultimately, the value they bring to scholars and the general public. The event is free, but an RSVP is required and there may be special restrictions. Contact [email protected] for more information and to secure your reservation.

Panelists will speak on how interviewers impact the interview product and how the act of the interview affects them in the moment and in reflection. The Commemoration will donate nearly 100 digitized oral histories to VHP at the start of the event.

Panelists include Joseph L. Galloway, a photojournalist during the Vietnam War and the co-author of “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young”; retired Col. Mark R. Franklin, History and Legacy Branch chief for the 50th anniversary of the Commemoration; Emily Carley, Witness to War Foundation director; and Guha Shankar, Civil Rights Oral History Project and folklife specialist at the Library’s American Folklife Center. The panel will be moderated by Andrew J. Ringlee, historian for the Commemoration. The opening remarks will be presented by retired Col. Karen D. Lloyd, director of the Veterans History Project.

The Commemoration’s mission is to assist the nation in thanking and honoring Vietnam veterans and their families, the fallen, those who were held as prisoners of war and those still listed as unaccounted for. In support of that mission, the History and Legacy Branch strives to provide the American public with a clearer understanding and appreciation of the service and sacrifice of the country’s Vietnam veterans and ensure the legacy of their service endures for future generations. Their goal is to video-record the oral histories of Vietnam veterans, with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. The Commemoration will donate the unedited interview footage to VHP and make shorter versions of the recordings accessible on its website, vietnamwar50th.com, in the coming months.

Congress created VHP in 2000 to collect, preserve and make accessible the firsthand remembrances of America’s war veterans from WWI through the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. For more information, visit loc.gov/vets/ or call the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848. Subscribe to the VHP RSS to receive periodic updates of VHP news. Follow VHP on Facebook @vetshistoryproject.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States—and extensive materials from around the world—both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

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PR 17-154
2017-10-17
ISSN 0731-3527