The Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center collects and preserves the firsthand narratives of U.S. military veterans from World War I through the more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions. In addition to audio- and video-recorded oral history interviews, VHP accepts unpublished memoirs and collections of original photographs, letters, diaries/journals, 2-D artwork and other historical documents from those who served in the U.S. armed services. The Project makes accessible the materials that comprise this important national archive, which contains submissions from every state and includes the U.S. territories. VHP relies on volunteers, both individuals and organizations, throughout the nation to contribute veterans’ collections to VHP.
VHP also collects oral histories by Gold Star Family members, defined by legislation as a parent, spouse, sibling, or child of “members of the Armed Forces who died as a result of their service during a period of war.”