Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1070 Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 29, 2020 Mr. KIND (for himself, Mr. MAST, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Ms. STEFANIK, and Mr. BURGESS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Veterans His- tory Project of the American Folklife Center of the Li- brary of Congress. Whereas the stories of United States veterans are crucial to understanding the history of the United States; Whereas the Veterans’ Oral History Project Act was passed unanimously by Congress and signed into law on October 27, 2000, creating the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center; Whereas the Project preserves the firsthand interviews and other narratives of United States military veterans from World War I through the present; VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:59 Jul 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1070.IH HR1070 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1070 IH Whereas the Veterans History Project has collected stories from veterans in every major United States military con- flict since World War I; Whereas the Veterans History Project has provided opportu- nities to thousands of veterans to share their personal recollections while serving their country; Whereas the Veterans History Project has collected and pre- served over 110,000 records of United States veterans; Whereas the Veterans History Project has digitized over 7,000 hours of audio and 9,000 hours of video and made them available on its website; Whereas the Veterans History Project provides resources to guide and assist those looking to interview veterans, in- cluding family members, friends, neighbors, and other veterans; Whereas the Veterans History Project will highlight select stories to commemorate major anniversaries, including the 75th anniversary of major events in World War II over the last few years; Whereas educators across the country are able to access and utilize Veterans History Project materials when teaching about United States involvement in military conflicts; Whereas preserving the individual narratives of veterans helps better understand the lives of servicemembers who currently serve the United States; Whereas then-Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington advocated for the successful launch of the Veterans His- tory Project in the early 2000s, and his efforts have been continued and strengthened by Librarian Dr. Carla Hay- den; VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:59 Jul 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1070.IH HR1070 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1070 IH Whereas the Veterans History Project utilizes valuable space in the alcoves of the Library of Congress’ reading room to provide a tranquil and meaningful space for veterans wishing to be interviewed; Whereas the Veterans History Project has partnered with documentarians and authors looking to share the experi- ences of veterans while they served, including Ken Burns with ‘‘The Vietnam War’’ and Liza Mundy with ‘‘Code Girls’’; Whereas the Veterans History Project has collaborated with other organizations, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, to gain collections in traditionally underrepresented areas; Whereas the mission of the Veterans History Project was ex- panded in 2016 with the unanimous passage of the Gold Star Families Voices Act to also include oral histories by immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces who died as a result of their service during a pe- riod of war; Whereas the Veterans History Project has partnered with the House of Representatives Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program with districts across the country to teach a monthly cadre of Fellows about the Project; Whereas the Veterans History Project continues to hold strong bipartisan support in the House of Representa- tives; and Whereas the year 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the Veterans History Project: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:59 Jul 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1070.IH HR1070 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1070 IH (1) commemorates the work that the Veterans 1 History Project of the American Folklife Center of 2 the Library of Congress has done to honor the lives 3 of United States veterans; 4 (2) supports the work of the Library of Con- 5 gress to preserve stories critical to understanding 6 the history of the United States; 7 (3) encourages veterans and their families to 8 participate in the Veterans History Project; and 9 (4) encourages the Library of Congress to con- 10 tinue to provide materials for educators seeking to 11 teach the history of the United States. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:59 Jul 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1070.IH HR1070 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS