Veterans are encouraged to share their stories to be heard by future generations.

The American Red Cross, Sen. James Lankford and the National Society of Colonial Dames of America are sponsoring a Veterans History Project interview event on Jan. 17 at All Souls’ Episcopal Church, 6400 N Pennsylvania Ave., Oklahoma City.

If you are a veteran interested in being interviewed or know someone who’d like to be interviewed, please visit rdcrss.org/3RVlMpI for more info and to select an interview time.

We also need volunteers to act as interviewers, camera operators and greeters. Go to rdcrss.org/3GUNQn9 to learn more and choose a shift.

The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service.

Established in 2000 by Congressional legislation, the Veterans History Project has its roots in a simple family gathering. While at a Father’s Day picnic, Wisconsin Rep. Ron Kind overheard his father and uncle swapping stories from their service in World War II and the Korean War.

Kind grabbed a video camera to record their accounts for posterity. This brief experience pushed Congress to create a national, grassroots oral history initiative, where participants would interview veterans in their lives and communities. The recordings would be archived as part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

The project’s scope quickly grew to include collecting other original source materials, such as letters, diaries, and photographs. In 2016 oral histories from “family members of the Armed Forces who died as a result of their service during a period of war” became part of the project.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.