The Veterans History Project, founded in 2000, is a collection of 300+ oral history interviews with veterans from military conflicts from the Civil War to present day in partnership with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
American Women And Military Service
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Archival Collections
- Oral history interview records, including interview logs and select audio, are available online through the national Veterans History Project database at the American Folklife Center. Please contact us for additional interview information.
- Digital media resources, including documentaries and podcasts, are now available online!
Ongoing Research
The Veteran’s History Project is one of the program’s longest-running collections, organized after the Library of Congress approached SPOHP in 2000 to collect oral histories with World War II veterans for the nationwide Veteran’s History Project.
Research topics include a range of military conflicts, including oral histories veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, military operations in Central America, the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and more.
The broad scope of the Veteran’s History Project collection is owed to the determined work of its volunteers, led by Coordinators Ray Eberling and Don Obrist, and the entire team of dedicated community members who generously donate their time and energy.
Are You A Veteran?
If you or someone you know is interested in donating an oral history interview to the Veterans History Project, please call SPOHP at (352) 392-7168 or e-mail VHP Coordinator Ray Eberling or Don Obrist for more information.
Veterans Day Celebrations
Veterans History Project Events and Research News
- Dr. Ortiz is teaching an intro to oral history course…SPOHP Director Dr. Paul Ortiz is teaching a course this spring on oral history! This interdisciplinary seminar is an intensive introduction to the theory and practice of oral history. Students will have access to the resources of the award-winning Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. We will learn the craft of oral history interviewing and digital production. We will study the ...
- Scott Camil on “Winter Warrior”Vietnam War Veteran and Veterans For Peace activist Scott Camil is the subject of a new graphic novel by Eve Gilbert titled Winter Warrior. Read more "Scott Camil on “Winter Warrior”"
- Try To Keep Up With Us! Our Summer Newsletter is Here!We have packed this Summer 2018 edition of our newsletter Moving Right Along full of the many things that have been going on at SPOHP. To take a look at all the amazing things SPOHP has been up to, click on: https://spark.adobe.com/page/c8Ml7c5Rbxx7f/ Read more "Try To Keep Up With Us! Our Summer Newsletter is Here!"
- Take a Look at Our Veteran’s History ProjectThe Veteran’s History Project, founded in 2000, is a collection of 300+ oral history interviews with veterans from military conflicts from the Civil War to present day in partnership with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Read more "Take a Look at Our Veteran’s History Project"
- Telling Gainesville: A Film ScreeningPlease join military veterans and their families for a special Veterans Day film screening of the play “Telling Gainesville.” Telling Gainesville is part of a nationwide initiative by the National Endowment for the Humanities that connects civilian audiences with veterans in a creative, supportive environment. “Telling Gainesville” ran to standing-room- only audiences at the Actor’s Warehouse ...
- 50th Anniversary of the Attack on the USS LibertyOn June 8th, 1967, Israeli warplanes and torpedo boats launched a ferocious two-hour attack on and attempted to sink the USS Liberty as she sailed under a U.S. Flag in International waters. Of the 294 men aboard the vessel, 34 were killed and 174 were wounded by a well-coordinated, multi-wave assault that included the use ...
- Spring 2017 Internship Class Podcasts: Civic EngagementWith the help of coordinators Raja Rahim and Ryan Thompson, the Spring 2017 interns produced podcasts about Civic Engagement at the University of Florida. University of Florida Digital Collections Archive To date, 90+ oral history podcast pieces are available on the University of Florida’s Digital Collections website, including final projects for internship classes, as well as the original ...
- Former SPOHP Director Julian M. Pleasants Releases New Book“A powerful book; a tale of heroism, volunteerism, and sacrifice.”—Gary R. Mormino, author of Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida “Personal anecdotes humanize the narrative and add a poignant impact. The use of newspaper editorials also provides an understanding of how North Carolinians responded to the war.”—Melton A. McLaurin, author ...
- Fall 2017 Internship Applications Are Now AvailableThe Fall 2017 Internship Application is now open! SPOHP’s semester-long academic internship is available to graduate and undergraduate students for credit as an introduction to the field of oral history. The Fall 2017 Social Justice Initiatives internship offers a space for students to pursue their own interests in social justice research through training and mentoring in oral ...
- Gainesville 8: Episode 3 (Final Cut)In this final installment of SPOHP volunteer John Paul Lorie’s three-part podcast on the Gainesville Eight, we hear the story of the federal government’s indictment of the Eight on charges of conspiracy to disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention. We hear the lawyer for the defendants assess the prosecution’s case, and describe the legal strategy ...
- Congratulations to Our Fall 2016 Volunteers of the Quarter!The Villages were an untapped interviewing grounds for our Veteran’s History Project, but since its start, SPOHP volunteer team, the Villages Squad, has collected many invaluable interviews. For the past several months, the team has been tirelessly collecting the stories of World War II veterans living in the Central Florida region. Members Mike Parker, Bruce ...
- Gainesville 8: Episode 2In this second installment of SPOHP volunteer John Paul Lorie’s three-part podcast on the Gainesville Eight, we hear Scott Camil and other members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) describing the founding of the organization and the recruitment of new members. One of the VVAW’s first major actions concluded with a march on ...
- Gainesville 8: Episode 1Just on the heels of Veteran’s Day, SPOHP volunteer John Paul Lorie has assembled a three-part special feature on the Gainesville Eight. Members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, the Gainesville Eight were indicted on charges of conspiracy to disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach. This first podcast follows one member ...
- A Tribute to Frank TowersThe Samuel Proctor Oral History Program had the privilege of getting to know Frank Towers as one of our narrators in our valuable Veterans History Project. Over the years we came to know him as a leader for his fellow veterans, especially WWII veterans. We always had a deep respect for his heroism in WWII, ...
- Veterans History Project Workshops with Local Volunteer Teams in North FloridaIn early March, Deborah Hendrix and Ann Smith trained volunteer teams at Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center and Lake City Veterans Hospital. Click for details about the Veterans History Project! Read more "Veterans History Project Workshops with Local Volunteer Teams in North Florida"
- Sharing the stories of our area’s WWII veterans, Gainesville SunPeggy Macdonald, Executive Director of the Matheson History Museum, wrote about SPOHP’s Veterans History Project and Coordinator Ann Smith in the Sun, highlighting the Nov. 11 collaborative Veterans Day public history program. Read more "Sharing the stories of our area’s WWII veterans, Gainesville Sun"
- Representing SPOHP at the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall Exhibit in The VillagesVolunteers from the “Village Squad” of the Veterans History Project recently attended the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall exhibit at The Villages in November 2015. Tabling to represent the VHP collection, volunteers spoke with veterans and their families to encourage interviewees to become involved in the oral history project, including Michael Garrity, pictured below. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial ...
- Veterans History Project to Hold WWII Event with the Matheson, “Sentimental Journey: World War II Here and Over There,” Nov. 11To celebrate Veterans Day, the public program will include event speakers Dr. Steven Noll and VHP Coordinator Ann Smith, and a multimedia exhibit of memorabilia and oral histories. Read more "Veterans History Project to Hold WWII Event with the Matheson, “Sentimental Journey: World War II Here and Over There,” Nov. 11"
- Like a bird, like a plane…it’s SPOHP! with Tuskegee Airman Daniel KeelThe Veterans History Project (VHP) and Alachua County African-American History Project (AAHP) were high up in the sky this week with Mr. Daniel Keel, who served as a Tuskegee Airman in World War II! Check out photos of the interview and 1942 Vultee BT-13 Valiant flight, piloted by Chris Hoefli, a B-52 pilot and Iraq War veteran. Reflection ...
- The Villages Squad: Veterans History Project Volunteers in Wildwood, Floridaby Ann Smith, Veterans History Project Coordinator In early 2014, SPOHP Veteran’s Coordinator Ann Smith gathered the volunteers for the Veterans History Project group for a fact-to-face meeting. Ms. Smith’s talk at this meeting inspired Mike Parker to become interested in conducting interviews for the Veteran’s History Project of the Library of Congress, where SPOHP regularly submits interviews. Mike ...
- “Making It Home” Blog Series Describes Veteran Experiences from American Folklife Center ArchiveExplore the blog series, new online for December 14. Read more "“Making It Home” Blog Series Describes Veteran Experiences from American Folklife Center Archive"
- Fall 2014 Internship Class Podcasts (coordinated by Jessica Taylor and Matthew Simmons): Veterans HistoryFall 2014 interns produced podcasts on veterans history. Image from Stephen Dodd, donated to the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. University of Florida Digital Collections Archive To date, 50+ oral history podcasts are available on the University of Florida’s Digital Collections website, including final projects for the entire Spring 2011, 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014 and Fall 2014, intern classes, as well ...
- Oral Histories with Veterans Transform the Ways that Interns Study American HistoryEvery semester, SPOHP’s interns are in some way touched by United States servicemen, past and present. Whether they transcribe a sixty-year-old recording with one of the last living Civil War veterans or talk with a former leader of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, UF undergraduates encounter the intense experiences of American veterans through oral history. In ...
- Memorial Day 2014 in Gainesville, FL with SPOHPFor resources and events related to Memorial Day weekend in Gainesville, the following SPOHP media is available to students, researchers, and the general public. May 24-26, 2014: Memorial Mile with Gainesville Veterans for Peace From 7 a.m. on May 24 through dusk on Memorial Day, May 26, Gainesville Veterans for Peace will be displaying 6,781 tombstones to remember those ...
- 5/24 – 5/26 Gainesville Veterans for Peace Memorial MileGainesville Veterans for Peace will be displaying 6,781 tombstones from 7 a.m. on May 24 through dusk on Memorial Day, May 26, 7 p.m. to remember those who have died in the wars in Afghanistan since 2001 and in Iraq since 2003.Memorial Mile will line the street along Eighth Avenue just east of 34th Street, ...
- March 12, 2014, “Scott Camil: Resistance & Liberation” PanelMarch 12, “Scott Camil: Resistance & Liberation” By Eugenia Hawk, Intern On March 12, 2014, SPOHP hosted a presentation by Vietnam veteran and political activist Scott Camil. The UF Center for Women’s Studies provided the beautiful Ustler Hall atrium, in which the demonstration took place, and by the time Camil began speaking, the entire room was packed with students ...
- Vietnam War Veterans, Mary Bahr (VWV-048)Mary Bahr, a veteran of the Vietnam War, recounts the work of her in-country service as an Intelligence Officer, including challenging sexism in her ranks and living in a devastated conflict zone. http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/01/99/72/00001/VWV-048%20Mary%20Bahr%20Podcast.mp3 Read more "Vietnam War Veterans, Mary Bahr (VWV-048)"
- Gainesville 8 Reunion Celebrates Acquittal of Anti-War Activist Veterans on 40th AnniversaryGainesville, FL—August 31, 2013 marked the fortieth anniversary of the acquittal of seven Vietnam War veterans and one supporter indicted for conspiracy to violently disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention. The trial and Gainesville’s role in the peace movement gained national attention when charges were filed against seven activist veterans and one supporter organizing through ...
- Congratulations to SPOHP’s Fall 2013 Volunteer of the Quarter, Don Obrist!Mr. Don Obrist has been working with the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program since 2011, primarily on the Veterans History Project, with Ann Smith and a talented group of volunteers who hail from all walks of life. Don has interviewed military veterans from a broad range of eras, including World War II, Korea, and Vietnam-era service members. Ann Smith, ...
- Remembering Herbert Pepper, WWII-030He survived the infamous Bataan Death March; he survived bombing attacks by his fellow Americans on Corregidor who were shelling the Japanese on Bataan; he survived two hellish internment camps in the Philippines; he survived the terrifying passage in the hold of a Japanese Hell Ship en route to Japan; and he survived forced labor ...
- SPOHP and VHP Attend Veteran’s Day Parade in Starke, FloridaOn Sunday, November 11, SPOHP attended the second annual Veterans Day Parade in Starke, Florida. The event honored local veterans and featured ROTC and veterans groups, including the USO. SPOHP set up a booth to share interviews from our Veterans History Project and to schedule new ones. Staff members Deborah Hendrix, Marna Weston, Sarah Blanc, ...
- 2008 VHP “Testimony of War” EventOn November 10, 2008, SPOHP presented “Testimony of War,” a two-part program in Pugh Hall that attracted several hundred people from the community, including students, faculty, and veterans. Part One The first part of the program premiered the SPOHP-produced documentary titled “I Just Wanted to Live!” SPOHP historian Diane Fischler selected passages from four oral histories with a ...
Contact the Veterans History Project
Funding and Research Sponsorship
The Veterans History Project is supported entirely by volunteers in partnership with the Veterans History Project through the American Folklife Center with the Library of Congress. VHP works with groups in The Villages, Ocala, and Gainesville.
For additional information, contact SPOHP, call the offices at (352) 392-7168, and connect with us online today.