As Veterans Day approaches in a few weeks, we recognize one of the best ways to learn about historical events is to talk to the people who lived it. Recently, the Johnson County Historical Society, together with the Missouri Veterans History Project, began a new venture in order to capture first-hand memories that may soon be lost to time.

Local veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War are getting the chance to share their memories in taped interviews that will eventually end up in the Library of Congress preserved for future generations and scholars.

Currently in Missouri, a few towns have groups of volunteers that have begun to work on this project. Along with Warrensburg, the communities of Columbia, St. Louis, Tarkio and Troy are working to preserve local veterans’ memories. With such an exciting mission, the University of Missouri and the executive director of the Missouri Veterans History Project, Audrey Mack, help set up volunteer chapters anywhere across Missouri, including right here in the 21st Senatorial District. With 6,278 veterans in Johnson County, and 16,764 veterans total in the district, that adds up to a lot of stories to tell.

This opportunity is wonderful for the local community, as well as our state and nation. Each of these 30-minute interviews will be logged and added to a DVD, which will then be sent to the Library of Congress, state and local historical societies and participants. I encourage you to take the time to be a part of this project, or to seek out the final product and see what you might learn from the experiences of our veterans in the 21st Senatorial District.

The obvious reality is that as time goes on, there will be fewer men and women able to tell their personal stories about their service in World War II, the Korean or Vietnam War. 

Another aspect to this project, besides recording history, is the opportunity for local citizens to help get involved. Volunteers trained in the interview and recording process are needed. This project has been on-going nationally since 2000, but funding has been left up to the communities that undertake the job. For more information about how people can help, visit www.mvhp.org.

By taking the time now to discuss their memories, we will preserve history forever.

As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or 573-751-2272, or by fax at 573-526-7381.