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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...
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" 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.
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| 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 ARCHIVESThe 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"
