IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1070 

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Veterans History Project of 

the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2020 

Mr. KIND (for himself, Mr. MAST, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Ms. STEFANIK, and Mr. 

BURGESS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee 

on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. 

Whereas the stories of United States veterans are crucial to 

understanding the history of the United States; 

Whereas the Veterans’ Oral History Project Act was passed 

unanimously by Congress and signed into law on October 

27, 2000, creating the Veterans History Project at the 

Library of Congress American Folklife Center; 

Whereas the Project preserves the firsthand interviews and 

other narratives of United States military veterans from 

World War I through the present; 


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•HRES 1070 IH 

Whereas the Veterans History Project has collected stories 

from veterans in every major United States military conflict since World War I; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project has provided opportunities to thousands of veterans to share their personal 

recollections while serving their country; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project has collected and preserved over 110,000 records of United States veterans; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project has digitized over 

7,000 hours of audio and 9,000 hours of video and made 

them available on its website; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project provides resources to 

guide and assist those looking to interview veterans, including family members, friends, neighbors, and other 

veterans; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project will highlight select 

stories to commemorate major anniversaries, including 

the 75th anniversary of major events in World War II 

over the last few years; 

Whereas educators across the country are able to access and 

utilize Veterans History Project materials when teaching 

about United States involvement in military conflicts; 

Whereas preserving the individual narratives of veterans 

helps better understand the lives of servicemembers who 

currently serve the United States; 

Whereas then-Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington 

advocated for the successful launch of the Veterans History Project in the early 2000s, and his efforts have been 

continued and strengthened by Librarian Dr. Carla Hayden; 


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Whereas the Veterans History Project utilizes valuable space 

in the alcoves of the Library of Congress’ reading room 

to provide a tranquil and meaningful space for veterans 

wishing to be interviewed; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project has partnered with 

documentarians and authors looking to share the experiences of veterans while they served, including Ken Burns 

with ‘‘The Vietnam War’’ and Liza Mundy with ‘‘Code 

Girls’’; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project has collaborated with 

other organizations, including the Smithsonian National 

Museum of the American Indian, to gain collections in 

traditionally underrepresented areas; 

Whereas the mission of the Veterans History Project was expanded in 2016 with the unanimous passage of the Gold 

Star Families Voices Act to also include oral histories by 

immediate family members of members of the Armed 

Forces who died as a result of their service during a period of war; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project has partnered with the 

House of Representatives Wounded Warrior Fellowship 

Program with districts across the country to teach a 

monthly cadre of Fellows about the Project; 

Whereas the Veterans History Project continues to hold 

strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives; and 

Whereas the year 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the 

Veterans History Project: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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1 (1) commemorates the work that the Veterans 

2 History Project of the American Folklife Center of 

3 the Library of Congress has done to honor the lives 

4 of United States veterans; 

5 (2) supports the work of the Library of Con6 gress to preserve stories critical to understanding 

7 the history of the United States; 

8 (3) encourages veterans and their families to 

9 participate in the Veterans History Project; and 

10 (4) encourages the Library of Congress to con11 tinue to provide materials for educators seeking to 

12 teach the history of the United States. 

Æ 


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