May 31, 2010 (REVISED August 5, 2010) Veterans History Project Marks the Anniversary of the Beginning of the Korean War

Nestled between the epic cataclysm that was World War II and the roiling controversy that was Vietnam, Korea is often referred to as the forgotten war. The 5.7 million American men and women who served in that war have their own memories, whether they were on the battle lines, in the air, or in support of those whose lives were at risk. The war lasted just over three years, but nearly 60 years after the guns fell silent, Americans in uniform still maintain the peace along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the border between North Korea and South Korea.

“The Korean War: Not Forgotten” features 26 candid, first-person accounts of Korean War veterans from the Veterans History Project (VHP) in the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. The presentation at www.loc.gov/vets/ marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War.

Mary Weiss and Edwin Nixon are but two of the veterans featured. Weiss decided to join the Air Force in 1950 after a recruiter visited her nursing school. Her desire to travel was fulfilled after she signed up for flight school and became a flight nurse, logging more than 760 hours between Japan and Korea during her 14 months abroad. Nixon enlisted in the Navy after college, became a Navy pilot and flew his first mission over Korea in January 1953. On his 25th mission, he took crippling fire intended for another plane. He managed to crash-land his craft, breaking his back in the process. For four months, he was interrogated and kept in isolation, then spent time in a camp with other POWs.

“The Veterans History Project is honored to share these stories of those who served during the Korean War,” said Veterans History Project Director Bob Patrick. “By highlighting their personal recollections, VHP issues a call to action to encourage volunteer interviewers to record the stories of Korean War veterans before it is too late.”

Congress created The Veterans History Project in 2000 as a national documentation program of the American Folklife Center (www.loc.gov/folklife/) to record, preserve and make accessible the first-hand remembrances of American wartime veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. More than 68,000 individual stories comprise the collection to date. The project relies on volunteers to record veterans’ remembrances using guidelines accessible at www.loc.gov/vets/. Volunteer interviewers may request information at vohp@loc.gov or the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848. Subscribe to the VHP RSS to receive periodic updates of VHP news.

The Library of Congress, the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, is the world's preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov, and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.