JEFFERSON CITY—Senator Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, is highlighting the wonderful work the Missouri Veterans History Project (MVHP) is doing across the state. MVHP exists solely to ensure that future generations are able to hear the stories of Missouri’s veterans in their original, authentic voices.

As of September 2014, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimated there were 494,346 veterans living in Missouri. Sadly, only 22,201 of those were World War II Veterans.

“Most of the men and women who served in World War II are now in their 90s. With every day that goes by, we are losing more of our nation’s heroes,” said Sen. Walsh. “Every veteran has a memory worth sharing. Together, though, their experiences tell a story about one of the most terrible and triumphant periods in American history—a story that, more than 70 years later, is still so awe-inspiring and heartbreaking that it is capable of making those who hear it beam with pride and mourn for all those we lost. Their story must be preserved, and that is exactly what the MVHP program is accomplishing.”

The mission of MVHP is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of Missouri veterans, so that future generations may hear them and better understand the realities of war. Veterans from all wars are invited to share their stories. Each veteran is provided with the unedited recording of their interview free of charge. In partnership with the State Historical Society of Missouri, the Library of Congress and other organizations, the interviews are then archived and made available to the public.

The Missouri Veterans History Project is a volunteer-driven nonprofit corporation. MVHP has chapters across the state and is seeking volunteers in the St. Louis, Troy, Columbia, Warrensburg, Boonville and Tarkio areas. They have plans to expand into the Jefferson City/Fulton and Cape Girardeau areas in early 2015. If you would like to volunteer, donate or be interviewed, please visit the website at www.mvhp.net, email info@mvhp.net or call (573) 522-4220 for more information.

For more information on Sen. Walsh’s legislative actions, visit her official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/walsh.