[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1070 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 History Project of 
        the American Folklife Center of the Library 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;
Whereas the Veterans History Project has collected stories from veterans in 
        every major United States military conflict since World War I;
Whereas the Veterans History Project has provided opportunities to thousands of 
        veterans to share their personal recollections while serving their 
        country;
Whereas the Veterans History Project has collected and preserved 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, including 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 History Project in the early 2000s, 
        and his efforts have been continued and strengthened by Librarian Dr. 
        Carla Hayden;
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 experiences 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 expanded 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 period 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 Representatives; 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) commemorates the work that the Veterans History Project 
        of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress has 
        done to honor the lives of United States veterans;
            (2) supports the work of the Library of Congress to 
        preserve stories critical to understanding the history of the 
        United States;
            (3) encourages veterans and their families to participate 
        in the Veterans History Project; and
            (4) encourages the Library of Congress to continue to 
        provide materials for educators seeking to teach the history of 
        the United States.
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