Veterans Sought To Share Stories For Library Of Congress

BRANDON, FL – Judy Smolk loves listening to stories from veterans, from people who served in World War II all the way up to current conflicts. Getting involved with the Veterans History Project was the perfect way for her to do just that.

Smolk and a team of volunteers at First Presbyterian Church in Brandon have been working to help Hillsborough County veterans get their stories recorded for posterity and for their own family archives. The church’s volunteers have helped 36 veterans share their stories since they started in January 2016.

The project, which started as an act of Congress in 2000 and is run by the which Library of Congress American Folklife Center, collects and preserves firsthand interviews of America’s wartime veterans, among other memorabilia. The Veterans History Project relies on volunteers – both individuals and organizations – throughout the nation to contribute veterans’ stories.

In the Tampa Bay area, American Red Cross volunteers are interviewing veterans for the VHP while other local organizations are helping them to get in contact with veterans.

Smolk first heard about the project in 2015 from the Sun Towers retirement community in Sun City Center. She and an interested veteran from First Presbyterian visited the VHP volunteers there to learn how to recruit veterans, make appointments for interviews and make contact with Red Cross personnel.

The interviewer follows a general guideline beginning with the place and year of birth and initial entry into the service. Wartime service is reviewed and discussed but only at the veteran’s discretion. The interview wraps up with the end of the veteran’s military experience and return to civilian life.

The typical interview appointment takes about one hour. The actual interview is required to be at least 30 minutes.

Permission from the veteran is required for use of the materials by the Library of Congress. The DVD created of the interview is given as a gift to share with the veteran’s family.

“The interviews are not scripted and each one is unique,” Smolk said.

The Health Ministry and Member Care teams at First Presbyterian have provided volunteers for the VHP.

“We have found than many (veterans) have enjoyed organizing their story and remembering details,” Smolk said. “Children and grandchildren have often joined the project.”

First Presbyterian, located at 121 Carver Ave., has helped with the effort by providing a private, comfortable room for the interviews and publishing information in the church bulletin. Smolk said the church’s annual Veterans Day Concert has brought in several interested veterans from the audience.

“The project is a statement of the church goodwill for the veterans we meet,” she said.

Veterans or families of veterans who are interested in having their service time memories recorded can contact Smolk at (813) 643-9596 or judybelle@tampabay.rr.com. The church’s volunteers will help arrange an interview with a Red Cross volunteer at First Presbyterian at the veteran’s convenience.

“Any U.S. veteran or civilian who served in support of a war effort in a professional capacity are welcome to participate if they can make arrangements for an appointment,” Smolk said.

People interested in starting their own coordinating efforts to help veterans have their stories recorded, contact Lou Rodriguez at the Tampa office of the American Red Cross of Central Florida at lou.rodriguez@redcross.org.

For more information about the Veterans History Project, visit www.loc.gov/vets.

Caption: Red Cross volunteer Deborah Decker poses for a picture with former Brandon resident Cpt. John Kenneth Cartee. The Air Force veteran met with Decker, who has interviewed nearly 100 veterans for the Veterans History Project, at First Presbyterian Church.

Image courtesy of Judy Smolk