The Illinois Secretary of State’s office is asking Illinois military veterans and their families to share their stories, photos and mementos for future generations as part of the Illinois Veterans History Project. The Illinois Veterans History Project is a statewide initiative that collects, preserves and makes accessible first-hand recollections of veterans and civilians who served the five military branches.
“It is an honor to commemorate the brave Americans who have served our country,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. “Our state’s Veterans History Project shines a spotlight on veteran voices and serves as a permanent record for Illinois veterans to memorialize their experiences and contributions to ensure they are not forgotten.”
Giannoulias encourages veterans and their family members to submit materials so his office can digitize them and make them available online.
To submit an entry, visit www.ilsos.gov/veteranshistoryproject and complete and fill out an Illinois Patriot Information Form to the Illinois State Library. Completed forms can be submitted electronically to ilvhp@ilsos.gov or by mail to the Illinois State Library, 300 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701−1796. For more information about the Illinois Veterans History Project, call (800) 665-5576 – ext. 4, email ilvhp@ilsos.gov or visit the website at www.ilsos.gov/veteranshistoryproject.
The public can visit www.idaillinois.org and search Veterans History Project to view submissions, which can be searched by name, war and hometown of veterans who have submitted materials. Oral history interviews are also available on the project’s YouTube page at youtube.com/user/ilveteransproject.