Looking for more veteran personal stories and narratives? Here are some suggested keywords and subject headings to help find the most relevant information sources.
Veteran stories*
Veteran oral histories
Military life
[insert military conflict] veteran stories (ex. World War I veteran stories*
Veteran biographies
United States military stories*
*use biography, autobiography, narratives in place if you are not finding relevant information
World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- France -- Normandy
World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, British
World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, American
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, British
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal narratives
Veterans' families -- United States -- Anecdotes
Veterans -- United States -- Family relationships
Veterans -- United States -- Anecdotes
Veterans -- United States -- Biography
United States -- Military history -- Anecdotes
United States -- Armed Forces -- Military life -- Anecdotes
Soldiers -- United States -- Anecdotes
Soldiers' writings, American
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If you are looking to tell your experiences in the military, several organizations document the oral histories of soldiers:
A participant may be a veteran, an interviewer, or someone donating a veteran’s collection.
The Telling Project creates a space in which the experiences of men and women in uniform can be shared and witnessed by their community.
The Military Voices Initiative provides a platform for veterans, service members, and military families to share their stories. In doing so we honor their voices, amplify their experiences, and let them know that we—as a nation—are listening. - From the StoryCorps website.
The following are local and statewide sources for information related to veteran stories and oral history projects.
Located in Columbus, GA, The National Infantry Museum is an excellent source of information about the history of the U.S. military, Fort Benning, and veteran stories.
Published by the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, GA, this link will take you to the latest edition of The Infantry Heritage Letter. You can also subscribe to receive email updates.
"The Museum has collected several recordings of the personal stories of veterans of World War II. These oral histories contain vivid retellings and synthesis of the war experience through first-hand accounts and memories of the men who were there."
"...a selective, annotated compilation of the many existing oral history projects, programs, and collections dedicated to recording and preserving the experiences of veterans and civilians."
Complete collection of audio short stories, long-form interviews, and other audio recordings of veterans with a Western Pennsylvania connection of all eras and branches of service.
A Rutgers University History Department Affiliated Center within the School of Arts and Sciences, oral histories are classified into the following subcategories: Conflict Index, Military Branch & Unit, Medals Index, and Special Topics.
"From Texas Tech University. "Select a letter to view information Vietnam Archive Oral History Project Interviews for people with last names beginning with that letter, or USMC History Division Interviews for interviews conducted and held by the United States Marine Corps History Division."
Voices of the Bulge by
The powerful German counteroffensive operation code-named "Wacht am Rhein" (Watch on the Rhine) launched in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944, would result in the greatest single extended land battle of World War II. To most Americans, the fierce series of battles fought from December 1944 through January 1945 is better known as the "Battle of the Bulge." Almost one million soldiers would eventually take part in the fighting. Different from other histories of the Bulge, this book tells the story of this crucial campaign with first-person stories taken from the authors' interviews of the American soldiers, both officers and enlisted personnel, who faced the massive German onslaught that threatened to turn the tide of battle in Western Europe and successfully repelled the attack with their courage and blood. Also included are stories from German veterans of the battles, including SS soldiers, who were interviewed by the authors.
Red, White, and True Stories from Veterans and Families, World War II to Present by
Even as we celebrate the return of our military from wars in the Middle East, we are becoming increasingly aware of the struggles that await veterans on the home front. Red, White, and True offers readers a collection of voices that reflect the experiences of those touched by war—from the children of veterans who encounter them in their fathers’ recollections of past wars to the young men and women who fought in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan. The diversity of perspectives collected in this volume validates the experiences of our veterans and their families, describing their shared struggles and triumphs while honoring the fact that each person’s military experience is different.
D-Day bombers : the veterans' story : RAF Bomber Command and the US Eighth Air Force support to the Normandy invasion 1944 by
This book is largely an eye-witness account of the heavy bomber contribution to the success of the D-Day landings and therefore to the winning of the war in Europe. It is told using considerable first-hand experience from the veterans of the campaign, something not really covered in any other books on the subject, together with background information from primary source documents on the tactics and strategy employed. Eight different aircrews, five RAF and three USAAF, tell widely differing stories of operations before, during and after D-Day. Their vivid and dramatic accounts are supplemented by numerous contributions from other aircrew and ground crew veterans, army personnel and French civilians, which have been carefully gathered by Stephen Darlow from interviews with veterans and their relatives, through correspondence and contemporary diaries.
When Janey Comes Marching Home Portraits of Women Combat Veterans by
While women are officially barred from combat in the American armed services, in the current war, where there are no front lines, the ban on combat is virtually meaningless. More than in any previous conflict in our history, American women are engaging with the enemy, suffering injuries, and even sacrificing their lives in the line of duty. When Janey Comes Marching Home juxtaposes forty-eight photographs by Sascha Pflaeging with oral histories collected by Laura Browder to provide a dramatic portrait of women at war. Women from all five branches of the military share their stories here--stories that are by turns moving, comic, thought-provoking, and profound. Seeing their faces in stunning color photographic portraits and reading what they have to say about loss, comradeship, conflict, and hard choices will change the ways we think about women and war. Serving in a combat zone is an all-encompassing experience that is transformative, life-defining, and difficult to leave behind.
