“I find it not only important for society as a whole to collect stories that will soon fade with time, but I think that it's also important for the people telling the stories, the people collecting them, and the people that happen upon them,” Wooten says.
The American Red Cross initiative is part of the Veterans History Project, which was created by Congress in 2000 as a way for the public to gain access to first-hand remembrances and stories of war. Through these accounts, future generations can hear directly from veterans and have a better understanding of the realities of combat.For Wooten, these first-hand accounts are invaluable. “Oral history has a certain amount of intimacy that other forms of collecting history may not have. It also gives a voice and perspective on a time or event that you may not always get. It may not be 100% accurate, but the same can be argued for any other form of collecting history as well.”
The project includes first-hand accounts from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Along with getting a personal look at the realities of war, the public and researchers use the collections for academic papers, documentaries, and genealogy research. There is an online database used for searching each collection, though some information is available only when you make an appointment through the research staff in Washington DC. With more than 65,000 collections, it is the largest oral history program of its kind in the nation.
“I hope that the people that are being interviewed are given a platform to tell their stories the way that they would like to tell them,” Wooten says. “As for the people conducting the interviews, I hope that they are able to gain an insight on a subject that they didn't have before.”
Wooten credits his time in the department for preparing him for such a unique and important project. “Through my studies at UAB, I have an understanding of history and particularly oral history that many people may not have. I understand the importance or it, and that it is much more than story-telling. It is just as important as a book or some other kind of document. It is history and it gives us a glimpse into a different era.”
Currently, the project is looking for participants to submit their stories, and they would love to hear from others involved in war efforts, like war industry workers, USO workers, flight instructors, and medical volunteers. The Red Cross will record your story, convert it to DVD format, and then give one copy to the Library of Congress and one copy to you.
If you would like to tell your story, or know someone who is interested, contact the Red Cross at (707) 257-2900. You can view the collections at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.
