The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center in Saratoga Springs has resumed its veterans’ oral history collection program which was put on hold during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and is seeking interview subjects.
Museum docents Fred Katz and Wayne Rozen conduct the interviews under the direction of James Gandy, the museum’s librarian, and archivist. Interviews can be conducted in person at the museum, or they can be conducted over a Zoom call for those who live outside easy driving distance.
To date, the museum has conducted 1,275 interviews with veterans of conflicts ranging from World War II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The interviews are posted on the New York State Military Museum’s YouTube channel, and can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/@newyorkstatemilitarymuseum6253/videos
The interview collection program resumed earlier this year. Since then, four oral history interviews have been conducted. The interviews can range from 45 minutes to several hours, depending on how much the veteran wants to say, according to Gandy.
To participate in the program, veterans should email the museum at nysmm.oralhistory@gmail.com. Museum staff will send back information on how to participate, along with a four-page service questionnaire. The form helps the interviewers prepare for an informed discussion and becomes part of the historical record of New York citizens’ service in the military.
Veterans can also download information and the questionnaire directly by going to the oral history page on the museum website, https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/research/oral-history-project.
Once the interview audio or video recording is completed, it is digitized and posted on the museum’s YouTube channel. Currently, there are 2,158 interviews – about half conducted by other entities – posted on the museum YouTube channel. All of these interviews are about New Yorkers and their military service.
The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center is administered by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. The museum is a repository of 16,326 photographs and photographic collections, 4,345 archive and manuscript collections, 16,322 books and articles, and 28,984 artifacts – including 2,305 military flags, 700 firearms, and a variety of uniforms, medals, artwork and personal objects, and a Sherman tank – which tell the story of New Yorkers at war.
The museum’s website, https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/, allows access to thousands of digital photographs and 1,093 documents, books, magazines, and records.
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