Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (1888PressRelease)
July 17, 2008 - On July 19, local Raleigh custom homes builder Stanton Homes is helping veterans regain their place in history.
“Millions of military service records were lost in a devastating fire and more are feared lost in Hurricane Katrina,” said Stan Williams, CEO of Stanton Homes. “Without those records, veterans are having trouble getting the benefits and military honors they deserve.”
According to Dave Milidonis, founder of the Cary-based National Veterans History Archival Institute (NVHAI), there are many veterans who may not have any record of their service still existing in government archives. If they, or their families, can’t come up with documentation to prove they served, they’re being denied everything from medical coverage to special burials.
Stanton Homes, like other volunteers across the country, has donated their time and resources to help piece these records back together, by photographing documents and recording oral interviews.
“We’re also helping record the stories of veterans, as a keepsake for their families – who may never have realized all that their parents, siblings or spouses did for their country,” said Williams. “In the case of war-time service, these video recordings are also stored as national heritage history, to be viewed by the public at the National Archives.”
Volunteers, Stanton Homes staff, and members of the NVHAI will be available in Chatham County near Pittsboro on Saturday, July 19, from noon to 4pm to record these historical stories and documents.
The service is free.
“You don’t have to be a hero to have a story to tell,” said Williams, who mentioned a nurse who recounted her service during WWII, where her entire military career was spent going from port to port, without ever finding a hospital to work in! “We also had a couple who devoted 22 years to the husband’s military service. The wife had been begging her husband for years to tell his story – he just needed the platform to talk. We’re so glad we were able to help provide that.”
The NVHAI makes it easy to capture those stories, by taking photographs of key documents, listening, asking questions, and recording.
“When veterans decide they also want to tell their story, we want them to know their interviews won’t be edited,” said Williams. “They’re archived just the way they’re told. Stories remain real and vital. And everything you’ve gone through, everything you thought about, everything you saw and heard and did is a part of it. It doesn’t just have to be about long-ago conflicts, either – many of the interviews are with Iraq veterans, or with soldiers who served their country during peacetime.”
“Come on in and tell us your story on July 19, at our Chatham County, Be a Part of History Veteran’s Interview Event,” said Williams. “We want to know about your day-to-day activities. History-changing conflicts. Or how you proposed from the other side of the world, raised a family, served and contributed and coped with life in the military. The event is on us. But the story is yours.”
The NHAI is a volunteer organization staffed by local veterans who are passionate about preserving our history.
“Veterans want to be interviewed because they have a sense of duty that goes beyond self. Most veterans will gladly tell their story, if they would just be asked.” said Milidonis, veteran and founder of the NHAI. “If we wait any longer, first hand accounts of our WWII and Korean War veterans will be lost forever. We want to be sure that we are moving quickly to record these, as well as more recent accounts of service in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Veteran’s History Interview Event
Saturday July 19, 2008
12pm-4pm
Refreshments Provided
Families Welcome
Call to reserve an interview time: 919-278-8070 or 919-449-5440. Or email PennyH ( @ ) StantonHomes dot com
Whether you, a friend, or a family member served in WWII, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, or were part of peacetime operations, you have a unique story, and we want the nation to hear it. Copies of interviews will be stored with NHAI. Wartime records will be sent to the National Archives in Washington DC. And we’ll be sure your family members get a copy of your story.
Thank you for helping our veterans know how much we appreciate their service.
###
