Vetreans History Project (2023)

Lake County Veterans History Project
Type of Activity	Documenting Veterans Military History
Location
Location	Waukegan Lake Co. IL
Date of Activity	10 November 2023
Coordinates

On Nov. 11, 2023 I had the Honor to participate in the Veterans History Project (VHP) sponsored by the 19th Judicial Circuit Court of Lake  County, Illinois. The Circuit Court will once again participate in the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project. The Program is open to any veteran that honorable served in every branch of service. Every veteran is interviewed and a transcript of their active duty service is prepared and forwarded to the Library on Congress to be recorded. 

The United States Congress created the Veterans History Project (VHP) in 2000 as part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

VHP’s mission is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

Chief Judge Mark L. Levitt announced that Lake County’s 19th Judicial Circuit, various partners of the Lake County legal community, and the County of Lake will once again participate in the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project. This year's project will take place at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan on the morning of Friday, November 10, 2023. 

VHP Program

The event was held in the Atrium of the Lake County Court House. The event kicks off with check-in, after all of the participating veterans registered, were given a program and signed the Veterans History Quilt with our name unit and dates of service.

Signing the Veterans History Quilt

Waiting for the event to begin

    

Support from the Lake County Stars and Strips Honor  Flight

We were then served a great breakfast including S.O.S provided by the United States Marine Corps League. The Tri-County Leathernecks Detachment #1395.

The breakfast serving line

 

Breakfast line featuring SOS

After a nice breakfast and a short program by our hosts at the 19th District Court of Lake County each veteran was interviewed, and a transcript of their military service history will be recorded. Each transcript will be sent to the Library of Congress to become a permeant history of the Veterans' military service.

The programs Master of Ceremony

Todays Guest speaker

The Guest speaker, the Honorable Judge Michael Fusz (ret.) (Lt. Commander, US Navy reserves (ret.), gave us powerful words imploring us to honor our veterans by living our best lives and serving others!

 All of the registered veterans sat together for a group photograph to commemorate our participation.  After the photograph, we were then escorted to an assigned Court Room to give our oral histories with the assistance of volunteer attorney interviewers.

Group photo of the seventeen veterans that participated

I am with my Interviewer and Court Recorder

Each interview was recorded by a volunteer court reporter which will then be transcribed and archived at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. This program has been held in the courthouse since 2012 and is a moving and inspirational experience for all who participated.        

Everyone who participated received a packet of cards and letters from Lake County students thanking us for our service. We also received a commemorative flag for participating in the Project.

I am truly appreciative of all of the volunteers who spent their time to put this program together.

 The Lake County Veterans History Project on November 10, 2023, successfully achieved its goal of fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices made by veterans. The event was a testament to the resilience, bravery, and camaraderie that define the veteran experience. As my community expressed their gratitude to all of us who have participated, the project has left an indelible mark on the community, ensuring that the stories of our veterans will be remembered and honored for generations to come.

The Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand narratives 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. Since 2000, VHP has preserved thousands of individual veterans’ collections, which offer users an unparalleled archive of primary source material.

In addition to unedited audio- and video-recorded oral history interviews, VHP accepts memoirs and collections of original photographs, letters, and diaries. You can find more detailed information about the basic requirements for a collection and the kinds of material that VHP accepts via our website (see How to Participate).

 

Biographical Data Form                               Veteran's Release Form