(Press release)

Belton, Texas – A University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Historical Inquiry class of 28 students will be taking part in the Veterans History Project sponsored by the Library of Congress.

The mission of the Veterans History Project is to collect and archive the personal recollections of U.S. wartime veterans to honor their service and share their stories with current and future generations. The students, under the direction of Dr. David Chrisman, associate professor of History and Political Science, will be interviewing World War II veterans in the area.

With the assistance of Denise Karimkhani, director of Learning Resources at the university, Dr. Chrisman obtained the names of fourteen local veterans from Troy, Temple, Belton and Salado.

Two students will be assigned to each veteran and will schedule an appointment to interview the person. The local veterans include J.C. Alston, Aubrey Woolley, Keifer Marshall, Joe Camp, Doyle Chilcoat, Hulon Farrell, Ray Rucker, L.R. (Pat) Patterson, O.S. (Boots) Norwood, Roy Goad, Louis R. (Dick) Waters, Clarence Strange, Frank Thompson and Ted Edens. Among this list, there are those who served at Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, the Battle of the Bulge, the Normandy invasion, and with the 36th Texas Division in Italy.

Following the interview, the students will each write a research paper incorporating the oral history. The taped interviews will be sent to the Library of Congress and will be housed in their permanent collection. A web page will be created for each veteran who contributes an interview, memoir, or historical documents. As resources allow, the Veterans History Project will digitize interviews and documents which will permit internet users to view the collections online.

“UMHB students will be making a valuable contribution to the preservation of important historical information from the World War II era,” said Chrisman.

For more information, visit the web site at http://www.loc.gov/vets