Making History Project – Veteran Oral History Preserving Veterans' Stories

With some extra time this summer, I am starting to catch-up and add some photos to the WWII Photo Gallery from past trips. As it now stands, there are 21 individual galleries with 368 photos in total. These photos are from events that the Making History Project attended, including trips to Normandy, France as well as WWII Veteran reunions. The …

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Normandy Where it All Began It is hard to imagine but it has been eight years since my first trip to Normandy France for D-Day. Today represents the 74th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. All told, I have been in Normandy three times and it never gets old. To be in the presence of greatness and at the …

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We are seeking, in conjunction with a local French organization, World War II Veterans who served in Normandy who would like to return to Normandy for the annual D-Day commemorations during the first week of June. In order to qualify, the Veteran must be able to provide proof of service in Normandy during World War II, which normally can be …

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We held our annual board meeting this month. Prominent in our discussion was the project work for the past year related to the National Endowment for the Humanities grant on War and Trauma at Governor’s State University. Below, you will find one of the public outcomes of the grant, a televised town hall meeting between students and veterans on the …

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Being a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, I simply could not resist sharing this awesome photo of a Marines pilot throwing up the “U”. I would love to see other photos like this. Please contact me and share, if you know a service member on active duty from the University of Miami. Let’s go Canes!

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The New Year is often a time to reflect on the year that has passed. Last year was a watershed moment for the Making History Project in that I completed the work on my first NEH grant involving combat trauma. Combat Trauma Presentations The work culminated in November when I made several oral history presentations in Chicago concerning War and …

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On October 20, 2017, the 508 P.I.R. of the 82nd Airborne performed a commemorative jump for the Family & Friends of the 508 P.I.R on the 75th Anniversary of the Airborne. Present and observing were paratroopers from the conflicts of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Panama. I was also present and fortunate enough to win a silent auction for the signed …

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War and Trauma: Dialogues on the Experience of War On November 6, 2017, I am honored to help lead a class discussion on war and trauma at Governor’s State University in Chicago. This coursework is the result of winning a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant topic is for the Dialogues on the Experience of War. …

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I have just returned from the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment reunion at Fort Bragg. What a fantastic trip! We had such a great turnout with Veterans from all the conflicts including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, and Panama. Since this is the home of the 82nd Airborne, the participation from active duty soldiers was off the charts as well. …

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US Army Air Force/USAF Pilot and POW Veteran oral history interview for Vietnam War Veteran Norman Gaddis is now available. Patrick Russell conducted this interview on June 5, 2014, at Omaha Beach, Normandy, France during the celebrations for the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion. This was a challenging interview to handle in that it was conducted in the public …

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