Serving: Our Voices

Serving in the military is an experience unique to each veteran. Our mission at the Veterans History Project (VHP) is to collect, preserve, and make accessible these stories of service for future generations. Whether these narratives take the form of oral history interviews or original manuscript and photograph materials, they are a treasure trove of individual feelings, personal recollections, and primary source materials representing the voices of those who took an oath to serve our nation.

Serving: Our Voices is a series of online presentations designed to highlight VHP collections centered on a particular theme. Since 2003, we have curated these exhibits to illuminate the broad spectrum of experiences, topics, and materials contained within the archive. Organized by topic and conflict, Serving: Our Voices offers a glimpse into the infinite research possibilities that our collections contain. Here, we serve collections that open our eyes and our hearts, that surprise and confound us, and that complicate and expand typical narratives of service.

Use the navigation menu to the left to dive into the dozens of online presentations that we currently offer. Return frequently, as this list is ever growing. Other resources for discovery are available via the Explore the Collections section of our website.

Please join our effort by contributing a veteran’s collection to the Veterans History Project. Each contribution makes our collection all the richer for researchers and future generations. Learn how you can participate in the Veterans History Project.

Featured Theme

In Memoriam: Honoring the Fallen

Most of the veterans represented within the Veterans History Project survived their time in the military, returning home safely to be reunited with their friends and family. Some collections, however, tell different stories—of lives lost too early and loved ones left to cope with these tragic losses. In honor of Memorial Day 2024, we present 15 collections of fallen servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Each of these collections narrates the experiences of an individual who died during their service. Some of these stories are told through personal correspondence, diaries, and photographs. Other collections include oral history interviews collected under the auspices of the Gold Star Families Voices Act, which offers surviving immediate family members the opportunity to share the story of their loved one with the Veterans History Project. No matter the medium, these collections honor and illuminate the lives and memories of the fallen, ensuring that their legacies will endure long after their deaths.

Learn more about the Gold Star Families Voices act on the VHP website.