(Camden, NJ) – At 9:30 a.m. on May 23, Freeholder Bill Moen will travel to Washington, D.C. and be joined by Congressman Donald Norcross as he delivers interviews conducted with Camden County veterans to the Library of Congress.
“It has been said that history is our greatest teacher. I am honored to present the heroic stories of Camden County’s veterans to our nation’s official repository of history, the Library of Congress,” said Freeholder Bill Moen, liaison to the Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs. “More than 26,000 call Camden County home, and no two share the same story. I thank the Library of Congress for ensuring that their stories are preserved.”
Freeholder Moen, who initiated the presentation to the Library of Congress, will deliver 25 videos from Camden County’s Veterans History Project, making Camden County one of only two counties in the country to participate in the national Veterans History Project.
“This is our first submission of hopefully many veterans’ legacies into our nation’s archives, including first-hand accounts and interviews with Gold Star families,” Moen explained. “This group met the exacting criteria of the Library of Congress, and we are in the process of reviewing all of our veterans’ documentaries to identify future submissions. All of the recordings will continue to be a part of our own archives here in Camden County.”
The Freeholder Board created the Veterans History Project in 2013 to capture the trials, tribulations and triumphs of our local veterans as a lasting memory to their commitment to our country and freedom. The Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs conducts the interviews and produces the documentaries to make these videos available to future generations. To date, the stories of more than 150 veterans have been saved for posterity.
“These brave veterans and families graciously agreed to share their personal knowledge of the hardships and horrors of battle so that future generations may learn from their accounts,” Moen said. “We documented recounts of their stories of service on the land, sea and air, from the kamikaze-scarred Intrepid to remote airbases in Papua New Guinea, and from the enemy-infested jungles of Guam to the bloody beach at Iwo Jima. We thank them for their service to our nation, and for allowing us to document their contributions and sacrifices.”
If you would like to participate in the Veterans History Project, or for more information on the program, please call the Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs at 1-800-464-VETS.