Udall and his staff conducted interviews and documented the oral histories of veterans from each of New Mexico’s 33 counties
VIDEO LINK : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AggPVnarU8
WASHINGTON — In honor of Memorial Day, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) joined Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden to virtually present 90 oral histories his office collected from New Mexico veterans to the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project. Udall and his staff have worked with the veterans—who come from each of New Mexico’s 33 counties—to ensure that the diverse and multicultural experiences of New Mexico veterans are permanently available to future generations and documented in the Veterans History Project.
The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the impacts and realities of war. Udall personally conducted 6 interviews for the project.
Udall and Hayden discussed the meaning of seeking out and preserving the stories of veterans for future generations and as a recognition of the service given and sacrifices made by veterans in New Mexico and across the country.
“My staff and I have been involved with [the Veterans History Project] in the last year, and we’ve been collecting oral histories from veterans all across New Mexico,” Udall said .
“When I think of veterans, Dr. Hayden, I first think of my father,” Udall continued . “He flew over 50 missions in a B-24 Liberator over Europe as a waist gunner, and he never really talked about it. He would very modestly say…the heroes were the ones we left behind. So, this project is very close to me.”
“What we are finding is that so many of the veterans will say just that,” Dr. Hayden responded . “I ‘just rode the supply truck,’ or ‘I just’—there’s always that caveat. And what we find out when they start talking is that those deliveries were being delivered to a very crucial point in a battle or in a conflict…We want to capture the whole range of stories because everyone who was involved in any type of military action was participating and had a significant part.”
“In New Mexico, my father probably spent the last 15 years of his life in New Mexico, and he would point out to me about the tradition of Native Americans and Hispanics and others, serving with great distinction,” Udall said . “And we wanted to capture that. So, we went to all 33 counties in New Mexico…to try to make sure that every county was represented.”
“There are so many stories, and they are all part of the American story,” said Dr. Hayden . “And I remember visiting New Mexico and Native American communities as part of the Institute of Library Services, and the stories and the experiences of the Native community were just as powerful and significant and we want to make sure that those stories are on the Library’s website, that people understand that everyone had a part—and plays a part—in defending this nation.”
“These experiences are part of our national identity, from the survivors of the Bataan Death March to the Navajo Code Talkers. We can learn so much from the stories of our veterans and we have an obligation to ensure that these stories live on,” Udall said . “So, I’m proud, and humbled, to present this collection of 90 oral histories to you today for the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project. These stories deepen our eternal gratitude to our nation’s veterans, and I hope they will deepen our commitment to honoring their service with the support they have earned.”
“And they will take their place right alongside those 110,000 stories [in the Veterans History Project] and be a vital part of telling the American story and the role that Native Americans had,” said Dr. Hayden . “This was an area that we wanted to make sure that was covered in the Veterans History Project and we had hoped to have a ceremony in person and we are looking forward to the day that we can have something in person.”
To view the more than 110,000 narrative histories and learn more about how to participate, visit the Veterans History Project website at loc.gov/vets . The stories submitted by Udall’s office will be processed by the Library of Congress and later available online.
To view a list of names of veterans from each of New Mexico’s 33 counties who generously donated their time and their stories for the enrichment our national story, click here .
To read Udall’s op-ed in the Albuquerque Journal about the Veterans History Project last year, please click here .
