If you want to have a veteran's story accepted into the US Library of Congress's Veterans History Project, this series will walk you through the steps. It's a way to keep a special part of family history safe by having it included in the collection of a major repository, which shares the story with the world. My hubby, a peacetime veteran of the US Army, sat for an interview with me a few weeks ago, and that interview has now arrived at the offices of the LOC. Your vet can be from any branch of the military, have served at any time, to be included in this project.
In my earlier post, I suggested beginning the process by downloading and reviewing the LOC field kit. Now, in preparation for an oral history interview, I recommend watching a few of the interviews already posted on the LOC site.
Audio or Video?
For example, take a look at the Jacob Lux interview here. You'll be able to view the recorded interview, look at the transcript, and also see what additional info was collected at the time of the interview (such as the veteran's service history, service branch, location of service, and more).
Not all the interviews have good, clean audio and video. In this one, the interviewee can be seen clearly and his answers are loud enough and clear enough. Just check a few to get a sense of what might work for your vet.
Note that some interviews are audio-only, which is definitely allowed by the LOC. Think about your veteran and how comfortable that veteran would be with being recorded on camera or via audio recorder. Also think about what your veteran might want to wear and any props that would improve the interview (for the interviewee and the viewer). Take notes to help you plan!
Plan Questions
Also take a look at the listing of sample interview questions and share the list with the veteran to be interviewed. This is a downloadable pdf of the sample questions.
Which questions would the veteran like to answer--and which would not make sense or are not of interest to the veteran? These are sample questions, not mandatory. In fact, the oral history interview will be much better with questions tailored to the vet and their experience, whether you choose audio-only or video recording.
Above, part of my retyped list of questions. Note the parenthesis in question #10, "you can type," which was a reminder to ask him how his ability to type affected hubby's military service. (If you interview a vet you don't know well, have a good conversation first with the vet to get some highlights you can follow up on during the interview.)
Also note the all-caps NAME PLATE in question #11, a reminder to hold his special office name plate up to the camera while he explained the significance of each symbol. Then a few more phrases ("primitive conditions, laundry story") that I could weave into a question if my husband didn't lead into one of these stories.
Oral history is about the interviewee
If you're going to be asking the questions, think about how to keep the focus on the interviewee. There are lots of good sites with advice about oral history, such as this one from the Smithsonian. I planned my hubby's LOC interview to revolve around his military experiences within the context of his family background, education, friendships, and work career (before and after the service).
In fact, I created a brief timeline of my husband's service, showing dates and corresponding activities (entering service, being sent abroad, being sent back to the US, etc.). This would be handy in case I needed to clarify a date or unit or place during the interview.
As with all oral history, it's a good idea to ask questions that are open-ended, relevant, and to the point. Allow sufficient time for the veteran to formulate a response to each question, especially if their military service was decades in the past. If the vet wants to "tell a story," that will make the interview even more lively and interesting. Stories are what make family history especially memorable!
Practice once or twice
Whether you propose to do an audio-only or video interview, you and the vet will want to practice the questions and responses. Not really a rehearsal, this is an opportunity to see which questions make sense, see whether the questions should be asked in a different order, and time the entire thing. It also lets the vet retrieve memories and smooth out answers before being recorded. Think of this as a conversation with the vet, not public speaking. Keep the pace conversational, not rushed, and allow time for the vet to respond.
Be aware that the Library of Congress wants an interview to be at least 30 minutes. My hubby and I practiced twice, tweaking the questions and the order while he dug deep into his memories for fresh answers. He never told a story the same way twice, which is good. We had props handy for him to refer to (such as shoulder patches from different units). I wrote down where to remind him in case he left out pertinent details or a good story in the actual interview.
Next: Recording the interview. Plan your wardrobe, be sure your glasses don't reflect off the camera, powder down your shine so you and your vet look good!
