Veterans Day is a great opportunity to listen to Grand Valley State University’s Veterans History Project videos. West Michigan male and female veterans – including Grand Rapids Junior College / Community College alums – shared their military experiences first-hand with interviewers. These are excellent examples of primary resource materials.
For many years, and continuing today, oral historians at GVSU’s History Department have recorded interviews that are part of the larger Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project. They “collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and … preserve these stories for future generations.”

Listen to one of our own, GRJC alum Chester Dykema, speak of his service.