Veterans History Project American Legion

Sample Materials

·                       Sample Interview (requires the free RealPlayer)

This 41-minute interview with Vietnam Veteran Thomas Hodge was conducted by students from Cathedral High School and Lyman Memorial High School in Massachusetts. Note how the student interviewer gave the veteran time to answer questions fully, and asked follow-up questions to help the story develop. The accompanying A/V Log form for this interview is also available online.

·                       Sample Audio/Video Recording Logs (requires the free Acrobat Reader)

These log forms accompany interviews conducted by students at James Madison High School in Virginia with veterans Bernard Edelman and Lewis Robeson. Note how both logs cover what the veterans speak about, not just the questions asked.

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Background Resources

The following selected books and web sites present information about military history for audiences ranging from middle through high school. Students may use this list as a starting point to learn about the topics a veteran might discuss.

World War I

Web resources:

·                       FirstWorldWar.com: http://www.firstworldwar.com/

·                       The Great War: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/

·                       The World War I Document Archive: http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/

·                       The Great War Society: For Students and Researchers: http://www.worldwar1.com/tgws/student.htm

Books:

·                       Coetzee, Frans, et al. World War I: A History in Documents. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

·                       George, Linda S. World War I. Tarrytown, NY: Benchmark Books, 2001.

·                       Steward, Gail B. World War I. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Group, 1991.

·                       Zeinert, Karen. Those Extraordinary Women of World War I. Brooklyn, NY, Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 2001.

World War II

Web resources:

·                       World War II Timeline: http://history.acusd.edu/gen/ww2Timeline/start.html

·                       Voices of World War II: http://www.umkc.edu/lib/spec-col/ww2/

·                       EyeWitness to World War Two: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/w2frm.htm

Books:

·                       Colman, Penny. Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II. New York: Random House Children's Books, 1995.

·                       Dolan, Edward F. America in World War II. Brooklyn, NY, Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press. (Note: There are five books in this series, one for each year from 1941 through 1945).

·                       Hipperson, Carol. The Belly Gunner. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, Inc., 2001.

·                       Kuhn, Betsy. Angels of Mercy: The Army Nurses of World War II. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 1999.

·                       Langellier, J. Phillip. The War in Europe: From the Kasserine Pass to Berlin, 1942-1945. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.

·                       Rice, Earle, Jr. The Bombing of Pearl Harbor. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

·                       Stein, R. Conrad. World War II in the Pacific: "Remember Pearl Harbor." Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2000.

Korean War

Web resources:

·                       Korean War History (Korean War Commemoration): http://korea50.army.mil/history/index.shtml

·                       Recollections of the Korean War, 1950-1953: http://www.iwm.org.uk/online/korea/koreaintro.htm

Books:

·                       Benson, Sonia. Korean War: Almanac and Primary Sources. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2001.

·                       Stein, R. Conrad. The Korean War: "The Forgotten War." Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1994.

Vietnam War

Web resources:

·                       Battlefield: Vietnam: http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/

·                       Vietnam Online (The American Experience): http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/

Books:

·                       Denenberg, Barry. Voices from Vietnam. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1997.

·                       Dowswell, Paul. The Vietnam War. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens, Inc., 2002.

·                       Kent, Deborah. The Vietnam War: "What Are We Fighting For?" Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2000.

·                       Young, Marilyn Blatt and A. Tom Grunfeld. The Vietnam War: A History in Documents. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Persian Gulf War

Web resources:

·                       Fog of War: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/fogofwar/fogofwar.htm

·                       The Gulf War: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/

Books:

·                       Gay, Kathlyn. The Persian Gulf War. Brooklyn, NY, Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, Inc., 1997.

·                       Kent, Zachary. The Persian Gulf War: "The Mother of All Battles." Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2000.

·                       Schwartz, Richard A. Encyclopedia of the Persian Gulf War. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., Inc., Publishers, 1998.

·                       Strait, Sandy. What Was It Like in Desert Storm?: Honest Answers from Those Who Were There. New York: Royal Fireworks Press, 1998.