Northwest Ohio Veterans Oral History Project: Preserving the Past

Northwest Ohio Veterans Oral History Project

Hayes Presidential Center

              On this Memorial Day...

"As citizens we must listen to our veterans. If we do, we will hear stories of pride and courage, anger and pain, laughter and joy. We'll hear of actions that humble and inspire us. We'll also hear of moments that break our hearts. These stories represent the best of our nation."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey

2014

 A large part of the  Hayes Presidential Center's mission has been to preserve the letters, diaries, pictures, and objects of past generations. To that end, the Hayes Presidential Center has launched the Northwest Ohio Veterans' Oral History Project. The program has met with immediate success. More than 50 veterans of WWII, Vietnam, Korea, and the Iraq War have shared their experiences and memories. 

The program focuses on recording and collecting the personal recollections of America’s war veterans in order to preserve an authentic record of wartime events from World War II to the present day.

If you or someone you know, is a military veteran or is active military and would like to participate, please contact Julie Mayle, Manuscripts Assistant (jmayle@rbhayes.org), or Nan Card, Curator of Manuscripts (ncard@rbhayes.org), at the Hayes Presidential Center, 1/800-998-7737 x239. Julie and Nan would be pleased to arrange an interview at a time and place that is convenient for you. We also would encourage participation of U S citizen civilians who were actively involved in supporting the war efforts - USO workers, defense workers, WAVES, medical volunteers, etc.

We are deeply grateful to the following individuals who have helped support our efforts with financial contributions

Ann Cain

Anonymous Donor

Patty D. Pascoe
In memory of her father Christopher Dahm WWII veteran

Glenn Kuebeler

Dorothy Damore

In memory of her father Malcom Taylor WWII veterans

Kristie Miller

Northwest Ohio Veterans Oral History Project

Julie Mayle at the Athenaeum
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Hayes Center’s Manuscripts Division recently launched its Northwest Ohio Veterans Oral History Project. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal remembrances and recollections of America’s veterans through personal narratives, correspondence, and visual materials. The project focuses on veterans who served from before World War II to the present day conflicts of Afghanistan and Iraq.

This fall Manuscripts Assistant Julie Mayle attended Giving Voice, a conference hosted by the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. The national conference brought together historians and preservation experts to discuss best practices in collecting veterans’ experiences. Julie also learned strategies for preserving audiovisual materials; making them accessible to students and educators; developing exhibits and educational programming.

Julie has begun interviewing veterans in their homes and at various locations. She makes an audio recording of the interview, which, along with scans of photographs, military documents, letters, and diaries, are preserved as part of the Hayes Presidential Center’s Local History Collection. Julie has also uploaded the audio recordings and scans of veterans’ photographs and documents to Youtube and Historypin where anyone can access them and listen to the audio recording. They are also linked on the Hayes Center’s website.

Our local history is an invaluable resource for our community. It offers an open doorway to our past and to the extraordinary individuals who have helped create our community’s story. Although no tribute can truly match the magnitude of our veterans’ service and sacrifice for our nation, we can preserve their remembrances and learn from their experiences.

Julie prepares a packet containing a typed transcription of the interview and a CD of the digital files for each veteran. All of the originals are returned. However, the Hayes Presidential Center would be pleased to accept veterans’ donations of their original letters, photographs, diaries, and documents. Through the years, numerous veterans have donated their collections to the Hayes Center. They are part of the permanent holdings in the Local History Collection.

Marine Cpl. Stephen J. Erchenbrecher

served in Viet Nam

If you or anyone you know are or were a military veteran and would like to participate in the Hayes Center’s project, please contact Julie Mayle or Curator of Manuscripts Nan Card at 419-332-2081 or email jmayle@rbhayes.org or ncard@rbhayes.org.