Oral Histories of WWII Veterans::
Dover – Lt. Governor John C. Carney, Jr. today joined with six Delawareans who served in World War II to announce the start of an oral history project that will preserve the memories and experiences of WWII veterans from the First State.
Carney is working on the project in conjunction with Secretary of State Harriet Smith Windsor and the Delaware Commission on Veterans Affairs, which operates under her leadership.
Carney, who detailed the project at the Delaware Public Archives this afternoon, was joined by six Delawareans who served in World War II.
“Sadly, we are losing about 1,500 World War II veterans a day in this country,” said Carney. “All of these veterans have a story to tell. Many Delawareans haven’t heard these stories and that’s just not right. Our hope is to create a record of what these brave people have to say and make it available now and for future generations.”
Delaware World War II veterans Louis Spitzfaden, 77 of Dover; Werner Schlaupitz, 79 or Dover; Stanley Slusark, 80 of Smyrna; Richard Drummond, 79 of Seaford; John Ross, 80 of Georgetown; and Vaughn Russell, 77 of Seaford, attended the announcement and voiced their support for the project.
The first step of the project is collecting completed questionnaires from World War II veterans around the state. There are approximately 15,000 World War II veterans in Delaware. The Commission on Veterans Affairs will be mailing questionnaires to about 350 WWII veterans it is has contact information for. The Commission will also be working with veteran’s organizations and other community groups to identify additional WWII veterans.
Once all avenues to identify potential contributors are exhausted, a selection committee will choose between 20 and 30 submissions for in-depth interviewing and videotaping. These selections will reflect a diversity of factors, including branch of military, theater of war and ethnicity. All submitted questionnaires – once their author is determined as genuine by the Commission on Veterans Affairs – will be compiled into book form. Both products will be reproduced and distributed throughout the state’s school and library systems.
While the collection of data will be handled by the Commission on Veterans Affairs, partners from the private sector will be needed for both technical and financial help. On the production side, several outlets have voiced interest, including WHYY, and talks are ongoing.
Any World War II veterans or others interested in this project can call the Lt. Governor’s Office at (302) 577-8787 or (302) 744-4333, or the Commission on Veterans Affairs toll-free at (800) 344-9900.
