West Point Center for Oral History facts for kids
The West Point Center for Oral History is a special place at the United States Military Academy at West Point. It's like a super important department that focuses on one big thing. This center collects and keeps the stories of American soldiers. They record these stories from both wartime and peaceful times.
What makes this center unique is how they collect these stories. Unlike many other places that just record audio, the West Point Center for Oral History uses advanced video technology. They record interviews on video. They even use these video recordings to make documentary films.
How the Center Started
The Center for Oral History began in 2008. It was started by Colonel Lance Betros. At that time, he was the head of the history department at West Point.
The first director of the center was a well-known journalist and author named Todd Brewster. He led the center from 2008 to 2013. Mr. Brewster is still involved today. He is part of the center's special advisory board. This board includes famous people like Ken Burns, Sebastian Junger, Martha Raddatz, Brent Scowcroft, and Jack Jacobs.
The center officially opened in October 2011. They launched their website and their first documentary film. This film was called Into Harm's Way. The Documentary Group, a film company in New York City, made this movie. Todd Brewster was the main producer for the film.
What Stories Are Collected?
The center has hundreds of interviews. These interviews are with soldiers, leaders, and other people. All of them have been involved with the military in some way.
The people interviewed include veterans from many different wars. They have stories from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. There are also interviews from the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. More recent conflicts like the Bosnian War, Iraq, and Afghanistan are also covered.
