Saturday, September 24, 2005

Warletters.com, The Legacy Project

Welcome to the Legacy Project's website. Our mission is to honor America's veterans and active duty personnel by preserving their wartime letters. We believe that these letters (and e-mails) help current generations and those to come better understand both the realities of warfare and the sacrifices made by the men and women who have served—or are now serving—in the armed forces.
Go. Read. Marvel.

I have letters that my relatives in the hinterlands of Pennsylvania wrote to my great-great-great-grandfather in the Civil War. I have a couple v-mails that my grandfather wrote home to his parents (in the hinterlands of Pennsylvania) in WWII, including the one where he mentions meeting the woman who would, in a few months, become his wife--and eventually my grandmother. I have letters my friends wrote to me during Desert Shield/Storm and now the Iraq occupation.

I've offered these to the Legacy Project.

THE LEGACY PROJECT

Launched on November 11, 1998, the Legacy Project is a national, all-volunteer effort that encourages Americans to honor and remember those who have served—or are currently serving—this nation in wartime by seeking out and preserving their letters and e-mails home. We believe personal correspondences offer unique insight into warfare and the thoughts and perspectives of those who have experienced it firsthand.

These letters and e-mails are also powerful reminders that the members of the armed forces are not just soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen; they are husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, and their letters and e-mails capture their distinct voices and personalities. Every one of these individuals has a story to tell, and our mission is to preserve their stories—as expressed in their own words—for posterity.


Here's more:

Although we appreciate the generosity of those who have offered, the Legacy Project does not accept monetary donations. Nor do we solicit grants, government funding, or any other form of financial assistance. The Legacy Project is able to support itself thanks to the assistance of volunteers, who donate both their time and the necessary financial resources to cover all administrative costs.


What adjectives can I use to describe the people doing this? Generous? Patriotic? What other ones?

I am humbled.

2 comments:

Darren said...

And in light of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, we won't mention how your letters to me start!

{bseg}

Anonymous said...

I think this is a wonderful project on its surface. Only spending ten minutes to peruse the contents of the site, its mission, etc, I am glad to see records being preserved for future generations.