History Center collects local veterans' stories

More than 1,500 World War II veterans die each day in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Indiana recognizes the state is quickly losing many veterans and realizes the pressing need to get first-hand accounts of the experiences of war veterans.\n"If we don't get the information now, there's no way to go back," Kari Price, Monroe County History Center director said.\nIndiana has already submitted 6,000 interviews with war veterans who have served in World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam, as well as Somalia, Desert Storm and Bosnia. Price said most of the veterans have served in World War II because the project's main target is that age group. \nSen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and his staff, along with more than 200 selected high schools and other community centers around the state, are performing the interviews with veterans. Interviews submitted from Indiana currently account for nearly 20 percent of the entire collection at the Library of Congress, according to Lugar's office.\nLugar has focused his efforts on increasing veterans' awareness of the Veterans History Project, which is coordinated by the Library of Congress and supported by members of the U.S. Senate. Local veterans interested in telling their stories are referred to the Monroe County History Center, where H.M. "Bud" Lynch conducts most of the interviews for the center. \nLynch served in the Army for 22 years and has been a volunteer for this project since it began three years ago. \n"Because Bud has experience in the military, the interviews are like one soldier talking to another soldier," Price said.\nThough most veterans are male, Price said the coordinators of the project make an effort to talk to female veterans, as well. The interviews normally last about one hour, with the interviewer first asking basic information about the veteran's experience, such as what kind of weapons the veteran used and how long he or she served.\nThen, Price said, the veterans tell more detailed stories based on his or her experience.\nThe interviewers try to let the veterans tell their stories at their own pace rather than attacking them with probing questions, Price said. \n"Some people have never talked about their experiences until this interview," she said. "Some people leave in tears and said they felt so much better after they talked about it."\nAbout 550,000 war veterans live in Indiana, said Lugar spokeswoman Emily Krueger. The Monroe County History office has submitted more than 200 interviews, Price said. Some counties in Indiana are not participating in this project at all. The Monroe County History office does not have the budget for television advertisements but makes an effort to provide brochures at events such as the Bloomington Senior Expo and the Monroe County Fair. \nThe Monroe County History office said it hopes Veterans' Day, Nov. 11, will encourage more veterans to participate in the project. Price said many veterans are nominated by family members to discuss their war experiences. \nVeterans can also submit letters, diaries and photographs. \nLugar is active in providing information about the nationwide Veterans History Project and has hired an officer in Indianapolis who is in charge of encouraging veterans from Indiana to submit their accounts of war. \n"It's important to preserve the valuable stories for future generations," Krueger said.