June 25, 2002 Senator Lugar to Deliver Wartime Veteran Histories to Library of Congress

When: Friday, June 28, 11 a.m.

Where:

Member's Room
Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Building
10 First St., SE
Washington, D.C.

Who: Sen. Dick Lugar

Sen. Dick Lugar will present the Library of Congress with a small collection of oral histories collected from Indiana veterans. This presentation will mark the collection of more than 500 audiotapes by Lugar and his statewide partners for the Library's Veterans History Project this year. During the month of February, Senator Lugar traveled across Indiana and announced his participation. Since then, Senator Lugar, his staff, and more than 30 other Indiana partners have participated in the project.

The Veterans History Project was signed into law by President Clinton on Oct. 27, 2000. The law calls upon the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to develop a program to collect and preserve audio and video recorded oral histories from America's war veterans, along with other documentary materials such as photographs, diaries and letters. The project is aimed at wartime veterans: men and women, civilian and military, in all ranks and all branches of service from World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.

Since its inception, the Veterans History Project has responded to the thousands of individuals and organizations throughout America who have called or written asking for information and requesting instruction kits. To date, more than 250 organizations have been recruited to help carry out the project in all 50 states, including hundreds of individual volunteer interviewers.

Editors note: Due to security procedures at the Library of Congress, members of the media should plan on arriving by 10:45 a.m. on Friday.