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veterans history project

The Lexington Veterans Association is now in partnership with AARP and The Library of Congress to participate in the Veterans History Project.  The purpose of the project is best stated by James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress...

" We owe our wartime veterans a profound appreciation for their sacrifice and service to our nation and its future.  We also owe all our citizens an opportunity to appreciate and honor those men and women who have protected our nation in the gravest of times.  Together, with the help of all Americans, we can honor our war veterans and create a lasting body of documentary materials that will inform and educate our citizens in the decades ahead."

and by Anthony J. Principi, Secretary of Veterans Affairs...

"I urge all Americans to participate in the Veterans History Project.  Capturing stories of those who served in uniform in their own words will provide the inspiration future generations will need when it is their turn to defend the nation Abraham Lincoln once called 'the last best hope on earth'

Lexington's plan is to conduct videotape interviews of willing veterans at the Island Club at 4 pm every Wednesday afternoon.  Our plan is to interview one veteran or spouse per week.  The interviews will last no more than 45 minutes.  Interviewees will be given a series of questions at least a week in advance so they can prepare themselves.  Participants can bring photos, memorabilia, letters, artifacts that can be videotaped as part of the process.

We will convert the tape into three CD or DVD discs, one of which the interviewee receives as a keepsake; another is sent to the Library of Congress to be archived in the American Folklife Center and the third will be archived at Lexington in the Activities Office.  

Lexington Marine Corps Veteran Ben Polk will serve as the first coordinator of the project.  Veterans, spouses or family members wishing to be interviewed should contact Ben at 267-2840 or email him at adakusmc2@aol.com 

The following volunteers working with Ben are Betty Davis, Rich Hill, Ernie Smith, and Milan Zimer.

founders

Part of Project: Lexington Veterans Association members from left, Rich Hill, 71, Ben Polk, 72, and Marty Benjamin, 80, are participating in the National Veterans History Project.  Hill and Polk fought in the Korean War while Benjamin was in WWII.  (News-Press)

LEXINGTON VETERANS ASSOCIATION VHP ARCHIVES

The following veterans have been video taped

Hal Bootz                                Air Force - WWII Richard Hill                         Navy - Korea Jim Kiser                             Army - Korea Jim Sims                              Navy - Cold War
Marty Benjamin                 Army - WWII William Ratliff                    USMC - Vietnam Miles Vondra (deceased) USMC - WWII - Korea - by Pat Vondra Rish - wife Roy Boles Navy - Army - Air Force Reserves -WWII - Korea - Cold War
Ben Polk                           USMC - Korea Frank Burlingham               Army - Korea Phil Loparo                             Air Force - Cold War Ernie Smith                         Navy - Cold War
Jay Burgess                        Army - Korea Robert E. Davis                  Army - Korea Paul Tenenbaum                 Army - Korea Norm Beausoleil                 Navy - Korea
Bob Wildey                          Army - WWII Marion "Bud" Passini                                 Army - Cold War Ralph Allen                              Air Force - WWII Kenneth Taylor                   Navy - Vietnam
Bob Kelley                          Army - Korea Marshall Schmidt                      Navy - WWII Ken Rose                            Army - WWII James Antonic                    Army - Vietnam
Steve Kendziorski - Army Medic - WWII - father of Kathy Nettleton Wayne Gibbs (deceased)     Navy - WWII by Marge Gibbs wife Vivian Rose                        Navy - WWII Robert Hellner, Sr. (deceased) Army - WWII by Betty Hellner - wife and Monica Hill - daughter
Paul Giacchetti                    Army - Korea Henry Zemel                       Army - WWII Frank Hammond                  Army - WWII Thomas Norpell               USMC - WWII
Al Gunderson                      Navy - Korea Bernard Casady                   Navy - WWII Chester W. Diercks, Jr.     Army - WWII Ahti Autio                         USMC - Korea
Larry Valentine                    Navy - Vietnam Paul Stivers                             Air Force - Cold War Robert Koehler                  Army - Korea Dr. John Churchill                Navy -  WWII
Len Rubens                             Air Force - Vietnam Don Lerch                               Air Force -  WWII    
       
       

Music: US Air Force Band - "Into The Wild Blue Yonders"