“Veterans Day is an important occasion to, as a nation, express our appreciation to those who have served in uniform. 

We think of the veterans in our life – the neighbors, the colleagues, and the members of our families – who have not only sacrificed as members of the armed services, but who have also imparted the lessons of service to us.  The time they spent away from home, the anguish of losing their comrades in battle, the difficulties implicit in military service during which they put their entire lives on hold. 

We honor them in every way we can, and I want to encourage everyone in our congressional district to explore another.

The U.S. Library of Congress is home to an astounding collection of videos, audio recordings, and original documents that demonstrate the bravery of our veterans.  These documents are part of the permanent historical, archival record of the Library through a program called the Veterans History Project.  Any American of any future generation will be able to access and review the personal accounts that are placed in the archive today.

A main source of the collection’s holdings come from recorded interviews by Americans with the men and women in their families and communities who have served in uniform.  It only takes an hour and a cassette or video recorder to preserve the words, thoughts and experiences of a veteran in your life for posterity.

Between Veterans Day 2007 and Memorial Day 2008, I would like to encourage everyone in our congressional district who knows a veteran – and we all do – to take a moment to participate in this national call.

This ought to be a project embraced by our schools as part of their focus on our nation’s history as well as through extracurricular activities.  It should be an activity for families around the holidays as we gather with veterans who are loved ones.  It should be the focus of community service organizations which can work with members of veterans groups to record their stories.

Once you have a video or a tape, please fill out a form on my website under Veterans History Project, have it signed by the veteran and by the interviewer, and drop it off at or send it to one of our Eighth Congressional District offices.

It will be my great honor to deliver these efforts to the U.S. Library of Congress, so they may be available to future generations of Americans who value the history of our country and the stories of those who have served it in uniform.

This effort is more than just a reflection on the importance of preserving the memories of our veterans, however.  It is about more than our personal pride in ensuring that the contributions of Southern Missouri veterans are well-represented in the Library of Congress archive.  The Veterans History Project is most important because it serves to raise our collective awareness about the wonderful resource, the true heroes, right in our own families and communities.  This is an opportunity to bridge generational divides to learn more about our veterans so we can better serve the nation for which they sacrificed.

They may not speak freely of their own heroism, but our veterans will gladly tell you about the heroics of those who served alongside them.  Those testimonials alone are worth keeping close to the heart of our country forever and ever.”