Veterans Offered Opportunity to Tell Their Stories and Become Part of History - Desperate Need for Documents to Recreate Service Records
Triangle custom home builder Stanton Homes is pleased to announce the first National Veterans History Event in Chatham County on Saturday July 19th, as a volunteer service in conjunction with the Cary-based National History Archival Institute.
At no cost, Stanton Homes and the NHAI will record stories of military service, in the voice of those who have served. They are looking for personal accounts of day-to-day activities as well as history-changing conflicts, to become a part of the nation's historical records.
"We want to capture the memories of local heroes - no matter when or where they served," said Stan Williams, CEO of Stanton Homes. "If you know any veterans who may be interested in sharing stories of their service for our country, please let them know about the National History Project, and this local opportunity."
Veterans are urged to bring their service records and any other documentation. In some cases, these are the only remaining records of military service, as millions of records were destroyed in a 1973 fire.
Stanton Homes and the NHAI will carefully photograph each of these personal documents, which will become part of the NHAI's attempt to help reconstruct these service records. Reconstructed records will allow military burial honors to former servicemembers who otherwise may be denied, as no records of their service still exist in government facilities.
"Veterans want to be interviewed because they have a sense of duty that goes beyond self. Most veterans will gladly tell their story, if they would just be asked. We have not asked, but we are asking now," said Dave Milidonis, veteran and founder of the NHAI. "If we wait any longer, first hand accounts of our WWII and Korean War veterans will be lost forever. We want to be sure that we are moving quickly to record these, as well as more recent accounts of service in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Stanton Homes will be hosting these veteran interviews on Saturday July 19th from 12pm-4pm in Cattail Creek, about 10 minutes northwest of Pittsboro.
"The NHAI told us they needed a place for veterans to relax and tell their stories in the area of Siler City, Pittsboro, and Chapel Hill," said Williams. "We're pleased to offer a comfortable environment, with refreshments for the men and women in uniform we consider to be heroes, along with their families."
Appointments are recommended, and drop-ins are welcome. Contact Stanton Homes at 919-278-8070, or Dave Milidonis of the NHAI at 919-449-5440, or by email Info@StantonHomes.com. Call or email for complete directions to the interview site.
"Whether a veteran of WWII, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, or peacetime operations, you have a unique story, and we the nation want to hear it," said Williams.
Copies of interviews will be sent to the National Archives in Washington DC (wartime records only), stored with NHAI, and also given to the Armed Forces member to save as part of their family history.
About the National Veterans History Archival Institute
There are over 20 million veterans living in the United States today, and every day we lose 1,600 of them. Motivated by the urgent need to collect the stories and experiences of veterans while they are still among us, the United States Congress created the Veterans History Project. As a collecting partner, the NVHAI is serving under Public Law 106-380 to collect and preserve audio- and video-oral histories, along with documentary materials such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and home movies of America's veterans and those who served in support of them.
Find out more at http://veteranshistoryinstitute.org/, or email Dave Milidonis at info@veteranshistoryinstitute.org.
And if you're a veteran, active duty, or retired military, click here to read about “Stanton Homes® for Heroes” - One of the nation’s largest military and veteran programs offering new home discounts.
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