Preserving the memories of WWII

See video of our interviews with three local veterans

Tommy Thompson still has a Navy uniform and still wears it proudly -- though he jokes that he had it tailored so it still fits.

Thompson, formally Charles Thompson, spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy, earning five medals for his service.

Though he never had to serve overseas, Thompson was at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed the base, sucking the United States into World War II.

His story will join thousands of others as part of the Veterans History Project, a national program created by Congress in 2000. The Library of Congress has been collecting oral history interviews of veterans and civilians who were actively involved in supporting war efforts.

Today, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will interview Thompson about his service.

"It's just kind of an inspiring program to her," said Jeffrey Connor, Emerson's spokesman.

Emerson has several ties to the military. Her husband was in the military, and her son is serving in the Army. Her stepdaughter was in the Army as well.

She has been involved in getting Purple Hearts to veterans who earned them but did not get them because of lost paperwork.

"It just makes you cry. When I go and pin these medals on these older gentlemen, your heart just stops," she said. "They are so proud."

"The stories get passed on, but nobody actually writes them down," she said. "We can learn so much from these veterans."

"When future generations want to go back and understand what was on their minds and what was going through the minds of our veterans, they'll be able to have that close up and personal account from these people," Emerson said.

When her staff contacted the Missouri Veterans Home to find someone to interview, the home was excited, said administrator Jan Rau.

"We feel good about the fact that there's interest in the community," she said. "That people care about our history. If somebody's interested in listening, we've got guys willing to tell their story."

They asked a few men in the home, and Thompson stepped forward. Rau said he has represented the home in past interviews.

The national project is not the home's first step into the studio spotlight. In 2007, a few of the residents were interviewed for the Missouri veterans project, "Missouri Veteran Stories."

The Veterans History Project differs from the National World War II Memorial in that it collects memoirs, letters, diaries, photographs and any other memorabilia from all of the wars in the country's history.

"We know that it's important to them," Rau said. She and the veterans home staff always make sure the veterans "feel OK with sharing their story."

The Veterans History Project asks for more than just the accounts of service members. They collect stories from war industry workers, USO workers, flight instructors and medical volunteers.

It has no deadline and is an ongoing effort to categorize war memories. Go to www.loc.gov/vets for more information.

charris@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246