Being part of the Veteran's History Project is so much more than just sitting for an interview. I just heard this story - and I hope this encourages Veterans to look around for their old records.
An interview was being held with a Veteran, and Dave Milidonis was videorecording and asking questions. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. A funeral director was standing in the open doorway. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but I think you're the only one who can help this family." 
A grieving family had come to the funeral home to make arrangements for their father and grandfather, who had just passed away. However, when they requested a military burial, they were told that there was no record that this man had served, and he would not be able to be given military honors!
The director knew that this happens. He knew about the warehouse fire in 1973 that destroyed 18,000,000 of the 22,000,000 service records and documents stored there. He also knew that Dave Milidonis and his network of volunteers through the National Veterans History Archival Institute has been working tirelessly to collect documents from thousands of local and not-so-local veterans, and these documents have been archived and cross-referenced to start to put these records back together.
He told Dave the veteran's name, and Dave immediately searched electronically through the data base that the NVHAI has painstakingly put together, and was happy to report that he had, indeed, started a file to rebuild this former soldier's record. With the documentation that Dave was able to produce, this family was able to apply for and receive the military burial honors that this soldier deserved.
Not every story ends as well.
At the time of the fire, there were no computerized records. So the work the NVHAI does is vitally important. At every interview they and their partners conduct, veterans are asked to bring any old orders, service records, release paperwork, or anything else they may have.
Careful digital photographs are made of each document, which is immediately returned to the veteran. Every document has not only the veterans name on it, but the names of men and women who served with them, dates, and much more. The NVHAI archives these documents while at the same time sending the same documents to the government so that they could rebuild their records.
If there is a Veteran in your family, encourage them to be interviewed. They have a great deal to say, no matter when they served, wartime or peacetime. And please let them know to bring their documents with them!
Stanton Homes will be hosting a Veterans Interview Event on Saturday July 19th from 12-4pm.
Appointments are recommended, but drop-ins are welcome. Contact Stanton Homes at 919-278-8070, or Dave Milidonis of the NVHAI at 919-449-5440, or by email Info@StantonHomes.com. Call or email for complete directions to the interview site, or to have any questions answered about the interview process.
I can also send information and brochures on the program directly to anyone who is interested! The NVHAI is local to the Triangle area, but does schedule free interviews throughout North Carolina.
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Good information. I did not know there was anyone that did this sort of thing.
Dennis - the most amazing part is that all these interviews are done completely free. The veteran can have a free DVD of their interview, or even one for each family member! The interviews are easy to do, and EVERYONE has a story to tell, whether it's about a military wedding, what training was like, or even what they did to relieve boredom!
This is fabulous information to share with everyone and excellent advice. Thanks Penny.
Kris - thanks. It's so easy to do, but many veterans don't think they have enough of a story to tell. They do! Even if a soldier never left the base, they can still talk about their experiences - how they ended up in the service, when and why they left, and so on...
Not only that, if they served before 1973, any records they still have may help piece together the service of a fellow veteran.
Penny - As the son of a Canadian Veteran - I would just like to thank you for your efforts in hosting the Veterans Interview Event for American Vetrans
Barrie - It's a small thing we can do to thank our Veterans.
Thanks for the info. It is great there are people out helping the veterans out of which I am one.
Gene - Have you done an interview? If not, you might want to consider it! Your contributions deserve to become part of our history.
Penny, excellent blog - thank you for sharing this story with us.
Penny
The information you are providing is great, are you aware of similar program for other states?
Paul -
Anyone can request a kit from the Library of Congress, and work with a friend to put together an oral interview. Here's a link to the order form:
http://www.loc.gov/vets/kit.html
Only thing is, the veteran has to pay to get a copy back from the government, and these are oral interviews, not film. Our local National Veterans History Archival Institute is solely run by volunteers, and is a non-profit organization. Volunteers will even go to a veteran's home to conduct a video interview if the veteran is not able to attend an interview event, and the veteran and his or her family always receive free DVD's of the interview.
You may want to check and see if there is a similar volunteer organization in your area - these are usually started by dedicated veterans. Also, the National Veteran's History Archival Institute will travel throughout the state of North Carolina and even into surrounding states to gather interviews!
Here's a link to further information: http://veteranshistoryinstitute.org/about/about.htm
Penny thanks for the information
Penny - Thanks for sharing! It is great to know that an organization such as this one exists.
Tanya - if you know any veterans, please let them know that this service is available! We are losing more of our WWII veterans every day. WWII ended 63 years ago, which means even the youngest men and women who helped in that great effort are now in their 80s. Anything we can do to help capture those individual recollections is extremely important.
But this effort extends to veterans of any war or peace period. We want these men and women to know their service was valuable, and that they have something unique to say that we want to hear. Thank You!
Penny - I have emailed my family and friends the info. And I will definitely continue to pass the info on. Thank You for all that you are doing to support this cause!
Tanya - And thank you, for letting veterans know that this service exists!