Calling All Queens Veterans

As the young men and women of the US armed forces prepare for a second possible war in the Persian Gulf, the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association is calling on Queens veterans to tell their stories of the wars that marked the 20th century.
The EPVA, based in Jackson Heights, is one of hundreds of organizations across the country participating in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, which is creating a quickly expanding collection of videotaped oral histories of World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars.
Two years ago, Congress allocated the funds for the project, after census figures showed that the countrys 1.9 million veterans are dwindling at a rapid rate an average of more than a thousand deaths per day among older veterans.
"This project is about preserving these stories for future generations," said Donna Fredericksen, the public affairs officer at the EPVA. "It will allow people of all ages to access the stories."
Fredericksen is one of several people conducting interviews with veterans at the EPVAs headquarters on Astoria Boulevard.
The Library of Congress is compiling an extensive, searchable catalog of all materials collected through the project, enabling easy access for researchers and the general public.
The Librarys Website www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/ already features some of the recorded histories.
"The EPVA is taking a leading role to move this important project along so that the experiences of veterans are captured before they are lost forever," said Peter Addesso, president of the organization.
"We feel it is important for the public to have an understanding of what it means to have served."
Addesso has recorded his story of the 1968 battle of Hue City in Vietnam. He was awarded the Silver Star medal for "outstanding and courageous" service during that battle.
Veterans from all branches of service are encouraged to participate, said Fredericksen. Once an interview is scheduled, the EPVA mails out a packet with information and questions that should assist veterans in recalling the specifics of their wartime experiences.
The taping sessions last no longer than 90 minutes.
For Fredericksen, these sessions are an invaluable portal into the past.
"[The veterans] tell their stories in such detail," she said. "Its very exciting."
It is, however, also difficult at times. Some of the interviewees relate tales of the horrors of modern war. Frank McKee, a veteran from Rockland County, told Fredericksen about the early days of the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
"They didnt take any prisoners, and you can see that it really wore on them."
The retelling of the stories also wears on the veterans, so interviewers give them opportunities for breaks.
But all involved acknowledge the intrinsic value of the project.
"I just hope that people will use the information that we gather to educate themselves," said Fredericksen.
Veterans interested in scheduling an interview can contact Fredericksen at the EPVA, (718) 803-3782, ext. 283. Or they can reach her via email, dfred@epva.org .