History becomes reality in the Veterans History Project. Teaming with the United States Library of Congress, The Center will aid in documenting the stories of GLBT veterans.

The Veterans History Project relies upon volunteers to help collect and preserve stories of wartime service.

“One of the local representatives from the Library of Congress was in touch with us to check out our digital storytelling projects,” said Patrick Loose, director of programs and operations for The Center. “In 2004, The Center began to create specialized digital storytelling projects, including those focused on youth, marriage, women and people living with HIV/AIDS…. She thought The Center would be a great place for the Veterans History Project.

“As far as we know, our part of the project is the first and only one in the nation to focus specifically on LGBT veterans,” he said.

Each interview is recorded by audio or video and is then added to the official archives in the Library of Congress. Interviews will be conducted throughout the month of November in honor of Veterans Day, which was Nov. 10.

“We are looking for LGBT veterans who are willing to share their stories and we are seeking committed volunteers to help conduct, document and help preserve these important interviews,” said Lindsay Sullivan, manager of information technology for The Center. “These personal interviews will become a permanent record of our nation’s history.”

Thus far, the community has responded positively to the Veterans History Project, The Center said, and veteran volunteers from all branches of the military are uniting to help record this often ignored part of the nation’s history.

“We’ve been very happy with the response thus far, and hope that more LGBT veterans will continue to come forward throughout this month to share their stories,” Loose said. “We’ve heard some people say that they don’t think their individual story is that important, but each one creates a collective that really makes a significant historical contribution. The stories of our LGBT servicemembers need to be told, and this is an incredible opportunity to do just that.”

The Veterans History Project brings forward the stories of thousands of vets; experiences that would remain unheard were it not for the project. Especially for GLBT veterans, who are barred from serving openly in the United States military under its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, this project gives a voice to those who previously had none. It also serves as a learning tool for current and future generations.

“We need to continue the public’s awareness of the military’s discriminatory policies,” Loose said. “It has cost us too many valuable and talented servicemembers. It is our hope to capture the unique experiences of LGBT servicemembers, and to show why policies like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ don’t serve our national interests.”

“We believe that telling our stories is one of the most compelling ways to move people,” Loose said. “Our digital storytelling projects – whether focused on youth, seniors, marriage, HIV/AIDS or veterans – are all designed to capture our history and inspire others.

“This project was totally in alignment with our existing work,” he continued. “We’re so proud and honored to partner with the Library of Congress on such an important project.”

The Center is still seeking volunteers to help them add to their growing archive.

“[Veterans] just need to share their story and talk about what role their sexual orientation may have played during their service,” Loose said. “We have volunteers trained by a Library of Congress representative who will ask them a series of questions. They can also bring any artifacts they may have from their time in the military – such as photographs, letters and newspaper articles – to be included in their history.”

The Veterans History Project in San Diego is organized in collaboration with The Center, Lambda Archives and Momentum San Diego.

Lambda Archives of San Diego is a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 as the Lesbian and Gay Archives. It was created to promote the recovery, preservation and understanding of the history of lesbians and gay men.

Momentum San Diego is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to ending discrimination in the armed services by developing a grassroots structure throughout San Diego County. The organization’s main goal is to replace “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” with a policy of nondiscrimination that allows GLBT Americans to serve openly in the armed services.

Those interested in accessing the records can refer to the Library of Congress Web site, www.loc.gov. In San Diego, copies of the local archives will be made available at the Lambda Archives and on The Center’s Web site, www.thecentersd.org.

For more information about how to get involved with the project, contact Sullivan at (619) 692-2077 ext. 107 or e-mail her at lsullivan@thecentersd.org.