Last week Mike Sewards, Chairman/Founder of the Lehigh Valley Veterans History Project spoke to our club about their partnership with the U.S. Library of Congress Archival Program. Moments into his presentation you could sense that for Mike this isn’t a project it’s a passion to honor those who serve and preserve their legacy. He and a team of dedicated volunteers travel the tri-state area to document the stories of all wartime veterans so that future generations can learn from personal accounts that are not found in history textbooks.
For 20 years the U.S. Library of Congress has been archiving the stories of wartime veterans. The Lehigh Valley Veterans History Project has documented the stories of over 500 vets. Veteran’s interviews are video or tape recorded, transcribed and submitted to the National Veterans History Project which is sponsored by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. A copy is also give to the Veteran’s family. Some of these traumatic accounts are told during a persons final days in hospice care because it can difficult for some to share their experiences. These stories are cherished by their families. From tank gunners, and cooks to infantry, medics and stenographers these are the people who shaped history through acts of courage large and small so that we enjoy our freedom today.
Here is what you need to know about the LV VHP
- The Lehigh Valley Veterans History Project was formed to capture the stories of ALL war time American veterans; WWII, the wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- The primary mission: to collect, document and preserve the personal experiences of U.S. wartime veterans, as well as home front workers and volunteers who supported the war effort.
- The objective: to honor their service and share their stories with current and future generations, historians and equally important, the veteran’s family members.
- Veterans stories are documented via in-home video recorded interviews or taped presentations at monthly Roundtable public meetings (except July, August and December). These meetings are held on the last Thursday of the month at the Lehigh Valley Active Life Center, 1633 Elm Street, Allentown, PA.
- Bus trips are organized for veterans to visit monuments in Washington D.C.
- LVVHP is a PA registered non-profit organization #4005062. We are also a 501c(3) organization as of December 2019, which means your donations are tax deductible. If you would like to help fund LVVHP’s ongoing mission to collect wartime veteran stories and our honor bus trips to Washington, D.C., please make check payable to "LVVHP." Please send $$ donations to: Mike Sewards/204 S. 17th St. Allentown PA 18104
- Visit their website for lots more info, images and videos. http://www.lvveteranshistory.org/index.html
- Check out the VHP Library of Congress Archives https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-web-archive/
