StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, today announces its 2022 Military Voices initiative tour, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and undertaken in partnership with veteran service organizations (VSOs) across the country. This spring and summer, StoryCorps will honor veterans and members of the military community by gathering and preserving their stories in three locations: Washington, D.C.; Hilo and O’ahu, Hawaii; and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The organization will offer both in-person and virtual recording opportunities.
Millions of American men and women have served in the armed services, while their family members have stood behind them at home. The military community knows well the challenges of multiple deployments, combat injuries, and long-awaited homecomings, yet few civilians have been exposed to the unique challenges. The Military Voices initiative illuminates these lived experiences and contributes to StoryCorps’ diverse collection by recording and preserving the stories of veterans of all wars, service members, and military families—in their own words.
“Veterans and their families make an invaluable contribution to our country through their courage and sacrifice. The Military Voices initiative aims to honor them by recording, amplifying, and preserving their stories,” said Dave Isay, Founder and President of StoryCorps.
“By recording and preserving the stories of our brave military veterans and their families, we hope that future generations can learn about what it takes to sustain and defend democracy and our daily freedoms,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “CPB is committed to supporting StoryCorps as it documents the words and memories of these men and women who have served our country with courage and dedication.”
Since its launch in 2012, the Military Voices Initiative has gathered over 2,800 of these stories. With participant permission, the recordings are preserved for posterity in the StoryCorps Archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, an unparalleled world resource for over two-hundred years. This year, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress will host the culminating listening event of the 2022 Military Voices tour, where stories from the Military Voices Initiative will be presented alongside interviews from the Veterans History Project. Participants from all three tour locations, and members of the general public, will be invited to this hybrid virtual and in-person event. Details to be announced.
“We look forward to the continued relationship with StoryCorps which, through its Military Voices Initiative, complements the Library’s over 112,000 first-person narrative collections in the Veterans History Project,” said Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress. “With approximately 19 million veterans among us today, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s support of this StoryCorps initiative amplifies a timely need to preserve these treasured stories so that together these two efforts may enrich our nation’s understanding of US military service.”
2022 Military Voices Tour
The 2022 Military Voices Tour will visit Washington, D.C. from April 11-22; Hilo and O’ahu, Hawaii from June 6-17; and Cheyenne, Wyoming from July 18-29.
In each location, StoryCorps will partner with a local public radio station, which will air a selection of the interviews recorded and, in many cases, create special programs around the project. In addition, virtual listening events will be held locally, to give civilians opportunities to engage with veterans and service members in their communities.
Additionally, StoryCorps may share edited versions of interviews collected throughout the tour via its NPR broadcasts, podcast, animated shorts, and digital platforms. Reservations are free and available to the public, and can be booked online at storycorps.org/military-voices.
StoryCorps fosters an environment of comfort and intimacy for its interviews, with a trained facilitator guiding participants throughout the process. For those who choose to record virtually, the interview process and experience will be conducted via StoryCorps Virtual, a browser-based platform that allows both participants to see and hear one another during their conversation, which is guided remotely by a facilitator. After each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a complimentary copy of their interview, and a second copy is archived at the Library of Congress with the participant’s permission.
Location | Partner | Dates |
---|---|---|
Washington, D.C. | WAMU | April 11–22 |
Hilo and O’ahu, Hawaii | Hawaii Public Radio | June 6-17 |
Cheyenne, Wyoming | UWYO | July 18-29 |
About StoryCorps
Founded in 2003, StoryCorps has given nearly 600,000 people, in all 50 states, the chance to record interviews about their lives. The award-winning organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, engender empathy and connection, and remind us how much more we have in common than what divides us. StoryCorps is especially committed to capturing and amplifying voices least heard in the media. The StoryCorps MobileBooth, an Airstream trailer that has been transformed into a traveling recording booth, crisscrosses the country year-round gathering the stories of people nationwide. Learn more at storycorps.org.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.