Stories Of Camden County Veterans To Join Library Of Congress

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) will join Camden County Freeholder Bill Moen as he travels to Washington, D.C., to deliver interviews conducted with Camden County veterans to the Library of Congress. Moen will travel to D.C. on Wednesday, May 23, for the 9:30 a.m. event.

“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 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.”

Moen, who initiated the presentation to the Library of Congress, will deliver 25 videos from Camden County’s Veterans History Project. Camden County is 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 said. “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 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 local veterans. 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 air bases 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.”

Anyone who would like to participate in the Veterans History Project, or for more information on the program, call the Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs at 1-800-464-VETS.

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