Primary Source Learning: Veteran Teaching Resources & Strategies


“The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.” The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog provides some great starting points for using the Veterans History Project in class activities. More veteran-related teaching resources and primary sources are listed below.

Veteran projects, lesson plans & activities

Teaching with the Library of Congress blog posts

Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project

  1. Courage, Patriotism, Community
  2. Sweethearts, Buddies, Family Ties
  3. Life-Altering Moments, On a Mission, Hurry Up & Wait
  4. D-Day Anniversary
  5. Prisoners of War
  6. Voices of War
  7. Military Medicine
  8. War’s End: VE- and VJ-Days
  9. Stories from the 2004 WWII Reunion on the Mall
  10. Forever a Soldier
  11. African-Americans at War: Fighting Two Battles
  12. Military Intel: the Inside Story
  13. The Art of War
  14. Women at War
  15. Asian Pacific Americans: Going for Broke
  16. World War I: The Great War
  17. The War (companion to the Ken Burns Series)
  18. China-Burma-India: WWII’s Forgotten Theater
  19. Women of Four Wars
  20. Jewish Veterans of World War II
  21. The Global War on Terror
  22. Hispanics in Service
  23. Buffalo Soldiers: The 92nd in Italy
  24. Helicopters: The Multi-mission Aircraft
  25. Disabled Veterans: The Unhealed Wounds
  26. D-Day 65th Anniversary
  27. They Also Served: Coast Guard/Merchant Marine
  28. Willing to Serve: American Indians
  29. Submarines: The Silent Service
  30. The Korean War: Not Forgotten
  31. The WASP: First in Flight
  32. VHP: The First Ten Years
  33. Chaplains: On a Divine Mission
  34. Wings of War
  35. Pearl Harbor: 70th Anniversary
  36. Military Photographers: Framing the Shot
  37. Serving in Silence
  38. Vietnam War: Looking Back, Part 1
  39. Vietnam War: Looking Back, Part 2
  40. Vietnam War: Looking Back, Part 3
  41. Vietnam War: Looking Back, Part 4
  42. Healing with Honor: Medical Personnel
  43. Current Conflicts: Afghanistan and Iraq
  44. The Aleutian Islands: WWII’s Unknown Campaign
  45. National World War II Reunion: May 27-30, 2004, Man-on-the-Mall Interviews
  46. D-Day 70th Anniversary
  47. Stories from the Stacks: Staff Picks
  48. World War I Remembered: 100 Years Later
  49. “Please Write Often”: Wartime Correspondence
  50. VHP’s 15th Anniversary: Year of the Interviewer
  51. End of World War II: 70th Anniversary
  52. VHP at 15: Collections Over the Years
  53. The Persian Gulf: 25 Years Later
  54. Speaking Out: LGBT Veterans
  55. The Art of War (enhanced version)
  56. PTSD: A Lasting Impact of War
  57. World War I: Echoes of the Great War
  58. Stories Above and Beyond: The Medal of Honor
  59. Guadalcanal:75 Years Later
  60. “Equality of Treatment and Opportunity”: Executive Order 9981
  61. Cold War Dispatches: Service Stories from 1947-1991
  62. Personal Snapshots: Picturing the Vietnam War
  63. The GI Bill: 75 Years of Opportunity
  64. D-Day: 75th Anniversary
  65. Breaking Ground and Boundaries: Veteran Changemakers
  66. Veterans and the Arts: Showcase Companion
  67. Family Matters: Relatives at War
  68. End of World War II: 75th Anniversary
  69. First, Serve: Athletes in Uniform
  70. Celebrating 20 Years: VHP Staff Favorites 
  71. Legacies of Service: Celebrating Native Americans
  72. 20 Years of Service: Post-9/11 Veterans
  73. Line by Line: Transcribed Correspondence

More veteran primary sources & other resources