Senator Enzi’s August Chamber of Commerce Submission
By U.S. Senator Mike Enzi
Who is the veteran in your life? Whether a neighbor, friend, small business owner, teacher or family member, veterans play an integral role in shaping our local community and national history. Sometimes hidden in plain sight, their service and sacrifices often go unnoticed. What better way to honor the veteran in your life than to listen to their experiences and preserve these memories so they can instruct and inspire future generations. Thankfully, Congress established the Veterans History Project to help achieve this goal. We need your help in collecting the personal narratives of the more than 47,000 veterans who call Wyoming home. Volunteer to be a part of this historic endeavor today!
The Veterans History Project, led by the Library of Congress, collects and preserves the recollections of America’s veterans from World War I to present. By recording interviews with veterans and curating their memoirs, photographs, letters and other historical documents, the project captures their important contributions and commemorates their valor. Interviews and historical documents become part of a permanent collection of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, with veterans and interviewers receiving their own copyright.
My office is teaming up with the Library of Congress to host a Veterans History Project Day on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. This is a great opportunity for your business to show gratitude for local veterans. There will be a training workshop beginning at 10:00 a.m. for volunteers to learn more about the project and receive training on conducting interviews with our veterans and submitting those interviews to the Library of Congress. At 1:00 p.m., there will be private spaces to record veterans’ stories. We invite you to stick around for the formal donation ceremony with the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden. If you’re interested in volunteering or participating, please visit the Veterans History Project banner on my website at www.enzi.senate.gov or email Rachel_Vliem@enzi.senate.gov in my DC office to RSVP. This event is free and open to everyone.
Our debt to our country’s veterans is never more clear to me than when I listen to firsthand accounts of their service. My wife Diana and I encourage everyone to be part of this important project. Whether you volunteer to record stories, help spread the word or host your own Veterans History Project event in town, your business would be part of a vital step to preserve our veterans’ histories. Let’s take this chance to honor the men and women who served.