In commemoration of Memorial Day, a new installment of 21 digitized collections of materials submitted to the Library's Veterans History Project (VHP) by veterans and civilians who were involved with D-Day has been made available on the Library of Congress Web site at www.loc.gov/vets, and a selection of materials from the VHP is now featured in the Library's "American Treasures" exhibition. It will remain on view in the Thomas Jefferson Building through Nov. 13.
Online
The fourth set of personal stories comprising interviews, letters, photographs and written memoirs is part of a Web presentation titled "Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project." They join the growing online collections from the American Folklife Center's Veterans History Project on themes that include "Courage," "Life-Altering Experiences," "Family Ties" and "Patriotism." Nearly 350 individual wartime memories are now available online.
The personal narratives focus on three topics: experiences during the June 6, 1944, D-Day landing of American and British troops in Normandy, France, called "On the Beach"; efforts in support of the battle, "Beyond the Beach"; and struggles in the days that followed, "D-Day Plus 1, D-Day Plus 2…." The digitized materials are part of the continuing effort by the Library to make its collections accessible online.
On Exhibit
The exhibition, "From the Home Front and the Front Lines," exposes visitors to the personal experiences of veterans who fought in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War that are taken from firsthand accounts documented in correspondence, photographs, diaries, bound volumes and albums.
Maps, flags and military papers are included in the exhibit as well, which also includes two audiovisual stations. One displays filmed recollections of veterans, and the other contains a compilation of feature film clips reflecting the film industry's interpretation of war and war experiences
