Whereas the stories of United States veterans are crucial to understanding the history of the United States; Whereas the Veterans’ Oral History Project Act was passed unanimously by Congress and signed into law on October 27, 2000, creating the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center; Whereas the Project preserves the firsthand interviews and other narratives of United States military veterans from World War I through the present; Whereas the Veterans History Project has collected stories from veterans in every major United States military conflict since World War I; Whereas the Veterans History Project has provided opportunities to thousands of veterans to share their personal recollections while serving their country; Whereas the Veterans History Project has collected and preserved over 110,000 records of United States veterans; Whereas the Veterans History Project has digitized over 7,000 hours of audio and 9,000 hours of video and made them available on its website; Whereas the Veterans History Project provides resources to guide and assist those looking to interview veterans, including family members, friends, neighbors, and other veterans; Whereas the Veterans History Project will highlight select stories to commemorate major anniversaries, including the 75th anniversary of major events in World War II over the last few years; Whereas educators across the country are able to access and utilize Veterans History Project materials when teaching about United States involvement in military conflicts; Whereas preserving the individual narratives of veterans helps better understand the lives of servicemembers who currently serve the United States; Whereas then-Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington advocated for the successful launch of the Veterans History Project in the early 2000s, and his efforts have been continued and strengthened by Librarian Dr. Carla Hayden