Once again, court reporters around the country will honor our nation’s wartime veterans by hosting Veterans History Project Days in recognition of the Veterans Day holiday in November. Court reporting schools and firms as well as state and country governments will honor wartime veterans in their local communities by inviting them to attend and tell the stories of their wartime experiences. Court reporters and high-speed students have volunteered to transcribe these interviews. The veterans’ oral histories will be preserved in the permanent collection of the VHP at the Library of Congress so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Read on for more information about events and tips on how to host a VHP Day.
The following have scheduled VHP Days in November 2013:
On Nov. 9, Paradigm Reporting & Captioning, Minneapolis, Minn., will host a VHP Day that will include media coverage by Minnesota Public Radio and the Minnesota Lawyer newspaper. Firm owner Jan Ballman will capture her own father’s story, as well as his best friend’s, during the event which is expected to yield the stories of least 10 war veterans. This is the fourth VHP event hosted by Paradigm.
On Nov. 11, the 19th Judicial Circuit, Lake County, Ill., will host a VHP Day at the Waukegan Courthouse where veterans will share their oral histories with court reporters. This year’s event is expected to capture between 15 and 20 veteran’s oral histories. Read more.
Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minn., will host its sixth Annual VHP Day in November, and will bring local court reporters and court reporting students together to interview, record, and transcribe veterans’ stories for the Library of Congress.
AIB College of Business, Des Moines, Iowa, will hold its sixth VHP Day in November, to honor veterans from the State of Iowa.
Marjorie Peters Reporting Firm, Pittsburgh, Pa., is hosting a VHP in November.
The Texas Court Reporters Association, in conjunction with the Texas State Bar, is hosting a statewide VHP event, to ensure that as many veterans from Texas as possible will have the stories of their wartime experiences preserved.
The Illinois Secretary of State/Illinois State Library expects to add an additional 100 veteran’s histories to its current collection of 50, by the end of 2013.
Interested in hosting a VHP event? Below are some tips to help you plan.
- Firm owners – host a VHP Day in your office. Invite local veterans and have your reporters capture their stories.
- Officials – organize a VHP Day in your courthouse. Many judges, attorneys, and other court personnel are veterans, with stories to tell, as do local veterans within the community. Professional Development Credits are awarded for each transcript a court reporter submits.
- School owners, teachers, or administrators – organize a VHP Day on campus and encourage students to get involved. Students who volunteer and transcribe two histories receive a student membership in NCRA, paid for by NCRF.
- State associations – host a VHP Day at your convention, or partner with another organization to collect veterans’ stories.
- Freelancers – contact local VFW or DAV organizations to inquire about interviewing their members. Professional Development Credits are awarded for each transcript a court reporter submits.
If you are interested in hosting a VHP Day or would like to interview and/or transcribe veterans’ oral histories for the VHP, please visit the NCRF Website (NCRA.org/ncrf) or contact Beth Kilker at bkilker@ncra.org.
