With the passing of Public Law 106-380, which was sponsored by Representatives Ron Kind, Amo Houghton, Steny Hoyer, and Senators Max Cleland and
Chuck Hagel and signed into law by President William Clinton on October 27, 2000, the Veterans History Project came into being. This federally funded oral history project is an attempt to save and preserve the history of the past armed conflicts that have defined the United States.
The Ward M. Canaday Center has been an Official National Partner in the Veterans History Project since 2005. Currently, the Ward M. Canaday Center Houses more than 500 audio and video oral histories of local veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Included with these interviews are artifacts, ephemera, and any other collectibles that the veterans interviewed have decided to donate to the project.
If you would be interested in participating in the Veterans History Project through the Ward M. Canaday Center, please feel free to contact Sandra Rice at 419.530.4480 or Andrew "Bud" Fisher at 419.882.1945.
Click here for an updated list of the oral and video histories present in the Ward M. Canaday for Special Collection. After the tapes are collected and catalogued at the Canaday Center, they are forwarded on to the Library of Congress to be added to the National Veterans History Collection. A list of those tapes at the Library of Congress can be accessed here.
A selection of tapes and files from the Veterans History Project can be found here.