Across the nation, NCRA members will mark Veterans Day by hosting Veterans History Project events, using the Nov. 11 holiday as the springboard to help the National Court Reporters Foundation reach its goal of 3,500 transcribed interviews with American war veterans. The transcripts are part of the Library’s VHP program and are available for the public to read.
“NCRA members recognize the importance of celebrating the nation’s military members and their families and are honored to be able to help preserve their stories through the Library of Congress VHP program,” said Irene Cahill, director of research and NCRF programs.
“We encourage all NCRA members to help with this important effort especially by interviewing any veterans they know, especially those who served in World War II and Korea. Veterans Day serves as a fitting time to honor our country’s veterans by helping to preserve their histories,” Cahill added.
A number of state associations have reported that they have organized VHP events within their communities and in some cases have even partnered with their state bar association or local court reporting schools.
Members of the Oregon Court Reporters Association, for example, have partnered with the Oregon State Bar’s Military and Veterans Law Section to host a VHP event Sat., Nov. 8, at locations in Portland, Salem, Eugene, Medford, and Bend. Read more.
In Iowa, the tradition of recording crucial, historical stories of American war veterans will continue on Nov. 7 when the Iowa Court Reporters Association and the Des Moines Area Community College School of Court Reporting jointly host a VHP day at the school’s Newton campus. More than two dozen reporters have already volunteered to conduct and transcribe interviews with veterans. For its part, the school will host a luncheon and awards ceremony for veterans, family members, and volunteers. There will also be guest speakers and videos of veterans’ trips to Washington, D.C., through the Honor Flight program. Read more.
Across the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaii Court Reporters and Captioners Association will hold a VHP event on Nov. 15. In addition to veterans’ interviews, the event will also feature presentations by representatives from the First Circuit Court Veterans Treatment Court, the Act Resilient program, the Humane Society, and a service dog named Athena who serves as a Joy Ambassador for the society. Read more.
“As long as there are veterans, there are stories” is the theme touted by the Michigan Association of Professional Court Reporters Association, which is sponsoring a VHP event on Nov. 7, along with the Ingham County Department of Veterans Affairs and the Ingham County Circuit Court. Read more.
The Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association will jointly host a VHP day on Wed., Nov. 5, at Orleans Technical Institute in Philadelphia. The event will mark the first time that PRCR and OTI have hosted a VHP event. Organizers are working with a local district judge to help recruit veterans to share their stories and have set a goal of collecting at least eight interviews. Students from OTI will also be on site to practice their own writing skills as well as participate in a luncheon with the volunteer court reporters to discuss issues related to the profession. Read more.
NCRF has partnered with the Library of Congress for more than 10 years to help generate transcripts of interviews with American war veterans for the Oral Histories Program. Professional court reporters can earn 0.25 Professional Development Credit for each transcript they complete and can earn up to a maximum of 1.0 PDC during each three-year certification period. In addition, qualifying court reporting students can earn a complimentary 2015 student membership in NCRA by transcribing interviews through the Foundation’s Student Initiatives Program.
