Making History Project – Veteran Oral History Preserving Veterans’ Stories

After a very busy and eventful summer with the American Heartland Tour, the Making History Project is making some big changes this fall. The changes being made are the natural result of the progress and reception received to the American Heartland Tour. Intern Editing Team As part of an ongoing partnership with Governors State University, the Making History Project is …

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The American Heartland Tour was a major success that netted an additional thirty-nine new Veteran oral history interviews. These Veterans are a very diverse group, hailing from South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. Diversity included both men and women of different races and backgrounds including Native American. Represented were the Army, Navy, Air Force, …

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Update from the Field for the American Heartland Tour I am writing this brief update from the road while in Kansas City, Missouri. I do this while at a picnic table outside the fantastic National World War I Museum in downtown Kansas City. What an amazing tribute to those that served and sacrificed during the Great War. The American Heartland …

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American Heartland Tour Launches Next Week The final preparations for the American Heartland Tour are being made now as the Tour kicks off next week. The goal of the Tour is to visit many of the small towns that make America great and along the way conduct Veteran oral history interviews. This trip will cover 15 States as I drive …

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A Veteran Oral History Tour through the American Heartland The Making History Project is going on the road this July for a tour through the American Heartland to conduct Veteran oral history interviews. Unprecedented times require an unprecedented effort. The 5,124-mile trip will cover 15 States, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, …

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Omaha Beach, Normandy, France Today’s post is in tribute to the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion by the Allies during World War II that began the liberation of Europe. This represented the single largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. The task was daunting not only in terms of the operational coordination required but also in the fact that …

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Click Here To Learn More or to Register 508 PIR Reunion: The Family and Friends for the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment for the 82nd Airborne is having its Veterans’ Reunion this June in Columbus, Ohio. Specifically, please mark your calendars for June 23, 2021, through June 27, 2021. Current or past paratroopers are all welcome including their family and friends. …

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On March 10, 2021, we all lost a legend. Rock Merritt was a World War II Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne. Rock was one of my heroes and was also my first oral history interview. Paratrooper Rock Merritt, 1944 Rock Merritt was an inaugural member of the All American Hall of Fame for the 82nd Airborne. To put that into …

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