Close to 1700 veterans of the United States Armed Forces pass away each day, and often many of their stories and experiences are lost before there is time to document them for posterity and future generations. Fortunately, there is the Veterans History Project, which was commissioned by an act of Congress, and which is dedicated to collecting and preserving the experiences of these veterans and those who supported them. This fine online exhibition brings together materials held by the Library of Congress (with an emphasis on those who served in military conflicts during the 20th century), and includes pages from scrapbooks, flags, military papers, and diaries, all in digitized form. The site is well thought out in its organization, and users will want to take a close look at the digitized diaries which contains heartfelt and honest recollections of the wartime experiences of such individuals as Corporate Vincent Cornelius Reed and Lieutenant Colonel Richard Earl Pierson, who served as a combat pilot in Vietnam. The site also contains a nice list of suggested readings, divided up by military conflict.
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