Veterans are back on the mic

ASPEN Thanks to a recent $5,000 grant from The Thrift Shop in Aspen, area war veterans are recording their stories for the Library of Congress this weekend at GrassRoots TV.Because veterans of World War II and the Korean War are aging and many of their stories are being lost, Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000 to catalogue the experiences of men and women who’ve served.Volunteers from across the U.S. conduct interviews for collection in the Library of Congress as a resource for future generations.Roaring Fork Valley veterans had their first recording session in early February, and with this recent grant from The Thrift Shop, as well as support from the Elks Lodge and the Aspen Historical Society, more veterans will have a chance to go before the cameras today and Saturday, and again in April.Everyone from a 10th Mountain Division veteran who landed in Italy during World War II, to a Pacific theater Navy veteran, a fighter recon pilot from the Army Air Corps who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and another who served in Burma, as well as veterans of the Korean War and Vietnam, are slated for recording.The valley is relying on people like Dick Merritt, a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Marines and a Vietnam veteran; Howard Berg, a U.S. Marine veteran of Vietnam; and Darryl Grob, a Vietnam veteran and captain of the Aspen Volunteer Fire Department. Corby Anderson at GrassRoots TV is cooperating with other Veterans History Project volunteers from Denver to put on the recording sessions.The group is seeking experienced on-camera interviewers to volunteer with the project and help veterans tell their stories.Other upcoming events include a reception the Aspen Historical Society hosted to coincide with its history week March 28, as well as Disabled American Veterans Winter Sports Clinic from April 1-8, which hosts more than 50 disabled Afghanistan and Iraq veterans from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.For more information about the Veterans History Project, call (888) 371-5848 or visit http://www.loc.gov/vets.Charles Agar’s e-mail address is cagar@aspentimes.com.