News from the Library of Congress

Veterans History Project Recognizes Vietnam Veterans with Fourth Installment of Web Feature
The final installment of the Veterans History Project’s (VHP) year-long special "Experiencing War" website series recognizing the 50-year commemoration of the Vietnam War will launch May 24. "Vietnam War: Looking Back, Part 4," highlights the diverse wartime stories of veterans who served during the Vietnam War. The veterans in this series represent a variety of branches, service locations and military roles. These extraordinary personal accounts are digitized and accessible on VHP’s website, www.loc.gov/vets/.
One of the oral histories spotlighted is that of Kjell Tollefsen, a helicopter pilot who flew more than 1,000 missions in Vietnam with the 188th Assault Helicopter Company, a unit nicknamed the "Black Widows." Despite grueling conditions, the bonds he developed with his comrades made it difficult to leave Vietnam at the end of his tour of duty.
The feature also profiles veterans such as Mark Ryan Black, a Marine who sent audiotaped "letters" to his family back home and who was killed in action in 1967, and Don Schol, an artist with the Army’s Combat Artist Program.
In addition to oral history interviews, several of the collections feature extensive manuscript and photographic materials. The collection of combat medic Edwin Mark Trawczynski offers a visual testimony of his experiences in country. His extensive photographic documentation illustrates daily scenes of life in Vietnam, while his correspondence with his family narrates his experience from his second day in Vietnam until a month before his departure.
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.
Contact: Megan Harris (202) 707-8205, Monica Mohindra (202) 707-1071

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