News Release Archive
News Releases Index FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. COC-08-077-SC
January 11, 2008 Volunteers Sought for Veterans History Project This spring, College of the Canyons is calling for volunteers to begin interviewing the more than 20,000 veterans living in the Santa Clarita Valley to preserve their war experiences as part of the Library of Congress' nationwide Veterans History Project. The project includes an in-depth interview of the participant, which will either be videotaped or audio recorded. A copy of the interview will be sent to the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress where it will be archived and accessible for future generations. "The Veterans History Project provides a wonderful opportunity for those who have served our country to share their stories, as well as to create a setting whereby young and old can learn from their experiences," said Patty Robinson, dean of social sciences and business division at the college. Created by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 2000, the Veterans History Project aims to provide first-hand accounts of those who served in WWI, WWII, the Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, or the current Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. The project also includes the accounts of U.S. citizen civilians who supported the war efforts as war industry workers, USO workers, medical volunteers and other roles. As of 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 24.5 million U.S. veterans from various wars remained alive, but almost 9.5 million of them are over the age of 65. The college is working directly with several community partners, including local veterans, Herb Hightower and Morris Deason, Pat Saletore of the SCV Historical Society and Becky James of the Sepulveda Veterans Project. The deadline to sign up as a volunteer is Feb. 22. Volunteers will interview veterans throughout the spring semester and use interviewing kits supplied by Congress. The Veterans History Project is also linked to Vets Back to War Zone, a local program that takes veterans back to the war zone for post-traumatic stress therapeutic purposes. For more information about how to be a volunteer or how to be interviewed, please contact Hightower at (661) 299-1487 or Robinson at (661) 362-3992. For more information about the Veterans History Project, visit www.loc.gov/vets. | 
