Contact: Monica Mohindra (202) 707-1071, Megan Harris (202) 707-8205

November 15, 2012

Veterans History Project Recognizes Vietnam Veterans with Third Installment of Web Feature

The latest installment of the Veterans History Project’s (VHP) Experiencing War website feature, titled "Vietnam War: Looking Back, Part 3," launches today. The website feature, one of 39 created thus far, highlights the wartime stories of veterans who served during the Vietnam War. These extraordinary personal accounts are digitized and accessible on VHP’s website, www.loc.gov/vets/.

"Veterans who served during the Vietnam War are opening up and sharing more details about their experiences," said Veterans History Project Director Robert Patrick. "The Veterans History Project is honored to provide a platform for our men and women who served, to share memories that many have held on to for nearly 50 years."

One of the veterans spotlighted in VHP’s new website feature is Army infantryman Dennis "Denny" Martin, who died in combat in 1970 but left behind poignant letters to loved ones. Through Martin’s letters, which were recently donated by his sister, readers get a sense of the difficulties of war and the homesickness he felt. Army infantryman Vincent Simonelli’s letters also convey the emotional effects of combat. The photographs in Roger Knight's collection depict the sights and colors of Vietnam.

The feature also profiles veterans such as Frances Buckley and Richard Earl Pierson, both career military staff, as well as such veterans as Tedosio Samora and Walter James Dexter, who struggled to reconcile their time in Vietnam with their life after the war.

"Vietnam War: Looking Back, Part 3" is the third of four features in a year-long series highlighting the stories of Vietnam War-era veterans. The veterans in this installment represent a wide variety of branches, service locations and military roles.

Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000 to collect, preserve and make accessible the first-hand remembrances of America’s war veterans from WWI through the current conflicts, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. For more information, visit www.loc.gov/vets/ or call the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848. Subscribe to the VHP RSS to receive periodic updates of VHP news.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to advance the knowledge and creativity of the American people through its collections, programs and services. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

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PR 12-210
11/15/12
ISSN 0731-3527

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