Veterans History Project Training

TYLER — The American Red Cross, Smith County Chapter, is participating in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Red Cross officials say the Veterans History Project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the first-person accounts of American wartime veterans and civilian workers who supported the war efforts by preserving their stories of service to our country.

The Library of Congress and the American Red Cross are offering free training for volunteer interviewers to collect veterans’ stories on behalf of the Library of Congress. The Smith County Chapter will host the training on Thursday, November 4, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and again from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the American Red Cross office located at 320 E Rieck Rd., Tyler. The training is to be conducted by Stephen Sloan, Oral Historian at Baylor University. It’s open to anyone in 10th grade or older wanting to become a part of the project. Seating is limited, so you’re advised to reserve your space today by emailing the Red Cross’s Linda Edwards at linda.edwards@suddenlinkmail.com or calling 903-581-7981.

Edwards says, “Every day we all get older, and every day more and more stories are lost. This is one way that everyone can help capture this information. She urges residents to “join us and keep our veterans’ voices alive for future generations.” You can visit http://www.loc.gov/vets to learn more about the Veterans History Project.