Ohio Department of Aging Director Bonnie Kantor-Burman and Ohio Department of Veterans Services Director Thomas N. Moe today announced the launch of the departments' joint War Era Story Project. The agencies are seeking stories by the people who lived them – from veterans of World War II, to the men, women and children who held steady on the home front.
The effort will pick up where the Department of Aging's award-winning 2009 Great Depression Story Project left off by collecting Ohioans' memories from the start of World War II through the 1940s.
"We want to continue to help our elders tell their personal tales of sacrifice, perseverance and recovery during some of the most challenging and influential times in our nation's history," said Bonnie Kantor-Burman, director of the Department of Aging. "Whether they fought in the war, raised a family or grew up during the tumultuous 1940s here at home, our elders can teach us many things about thriving during adversity."
"The Second World War forever changed America; it challenged the nation and the world in ways that today's young people may never experience," added Col. Moe. "It remains critical that we learn from the generations that preceded us so that their lessons can help guide us into a prosperous future."
Stories should focus on the story-tellers' experiences during the war and the years that followed, and should be 500 to 1,000 words long. You may include photographs, but please note we cannot return them. Send stories with the author's name, location and current age to:
Ohio Department of Aging
Attn: War Era Story Project
50 W. Broad St. / 9th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-3363
You also may e-mail stories to [email protected]. For the first time, the department also is accepting video stories via YouTube. Videos should be no more than 10 minutes long. Upload the video to your personal YouTube account (available for free at YouTube.com), then e-mail the link to the address above or share it on the department's page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/OhioDeptOfAging). Stories should be received by July 31, 2012.
Excerpts from the stories received will be posted to the Department of Aging's website around Veteran's Day in November. Full stories will be featured in the department's free e-newsletter, Boomerang. Visit www.aging.ohio.gov/news/boomerang/ to read and subscribe.
The Great Depression Story Project, conducted in 2009, gained national media attention and was named a "Notable Government Document" by Library Journal. It included more than 1,000 excerpts from over 300 submissions and has been viewed more than 38,000 times on the Department of Aging's website.
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