The Veterans History Project
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is inviting Iowans to attend a Library of Congress “Veterans History Project” event in honor of Veterans Day. The event will take place on November 9, 2018, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. CT at the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum in Johnston.
The Veterans History Project collects and makes accessible firsthand interviews and narratives of United States military veterans from World War I through the present. Grassley invites Iowa’s veterans to contribute by participating in a 30-minute to an hour-long taped interview about their service in the military. The interviews will then be made available through the Library of Congress. For more information on the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project, visit http://www.loc.gov/vets.
“Iowa has a rich history of service members fighting on behalf of our country,” Grassley said. “This is an opportunity for Iowa’s veterans to tell their stories and document their contributions to American history for future generations.”
If you are a veteran, or know a veteran, who is interested in participating, please call Grassley’s Veterans Fellow, Dave Allen, at 515-288-1145 or email him at VeteransFellow_Grassley@grassley.senate.gov to RSVP. Only 32 slots are available and are reserved on a first-come-first-served basis. A caseworker from Grassley’s Des Moines office and a representative from the Veterans Benefits Administration will also be present for all Iowa veterans, regardless of participation in the Veterans History Project, to receive assistance with federal issues.
Family and friends of veterans attending are welcome to join as the museum will be open and free of admission. Grassley will be present at 3 p.m. CT to award veterans service medals and meet with Iowans.
Grassley has been an unwavering advocate for the more than 219,000 veterans who call Iowa home. When it was revealed in 2017 that the VA had been manipulating wait lists, leading to preventable deaths of veterans across the country, Grassley supported legislation to increase oversight of the VA and give veterans more access to care in their communities when the VA would be unable to provide it. Grassley has supported benefits for veterans exposed Agent Orange and efforts to strengthen mental health and suicide prevention services. He also supported the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act which made it easier to fire employees at the VA for misconduct or poor performance, and strengthened whistleblower protections. Most recently, Grassley joined Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa in sending a letter to the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System seeking answers about a report indicating that radiation orders were improperly cancelled at the Iowa City VA.