Preserving Veterans' Memories

Those who fought World War II - in Europe, in the Pacific and on the home front - carry with them a unique history of that time. Their experiences are more than mere paragraphs in a book, and their recollections are deeper than any photograph from that time can convey.

In an effort to preserve those remarkable details, Paris Junior College history instructors Allen Williams and Lisa Johnson, along with student volunteers, are interviewing Lamar County's World War II veterans, asking them to describe their experiences and memories of war. The ongoing project also includes interviews with civilians to capture the full breadth of the experience of a nation at total war.

Instructor Matt White participates in the project with students on the Greenville and Sulphur Springs campuses. Dual credit instructor Judy Falls and her students are collecting written interviews, as well.

Copies of the interviews will be donated to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress, where they will be available to a national audience of interested students and scholars.

More than 30 interviews have been collected so far, and those that have been transcribed and edited will be posted here as they become available.

For more information, contact at 903.782.0724 or at 903.782.0752. Those interested in contributing oral histories are encouraged to call or write to schedule sessions.

Choose from the interview and feature links below.

The John "Jack" Owens Manuscript

Blossom native John "Jack" Owens' account, in manuscript form, of his World War II service in The Philippines, his capture by the Japanese and his years as a prisoner of war in the Pacific.

» About The Owens Manuscript

Europe & North Africa

» Aud Brown
» Helen Seay

The Pacific

» Charlie Parkman