The U.S. Navy Memorial Stories of Service

Welcome to the U.S. Navy Memorial Stories of Service program—a group of dedicated volunteers from across the country, who interview and record the personal accounts of Sea Service veterans. It is our hope to preserve American Naval history through the accounts of the men and women who served our nation.

If you would like to share your experiences in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Merchant Marines, we would appreciate the opportunity to meet you and record your contribution to our nation’s history. Read How it Works and then contact us.

If you would like to volunteer to conduct interviews yourself, we encourage you to read the Join Us section and then contact us.

Mission

Our mission is to interview, record, and archive the accounts of our nation’s veterans who served within the Sea Services. By preserving this important link to our past, once overlooked accounts will be passed along to future generations so that they may hear and read the personal accounts, recollections and stories of our veterans who bravely served.

How it Works

First, contact us and let us know that you would like to be interviewed. Be sure to provide your current state of residence.

Then, you will be contacted by one of our regional directors. Your regional director will coordinate the interviews between veterans and volunteers in your respective region:

Southwest
California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Hawaii, Alaska
Northwest
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois
Northeast
Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont,  New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine
South
Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida

After your interview, your story will be archived by the U.S. Navy Memorial and made available online to share with fellow veterans, friends and family, the next generation of sailors, and the rest of the world.

Join Us

The driving force behind our program is our volunteers. Without their dedication and perseverance, our program would not be what it is today.

Time commitments depend solely on a volunteer’s interest and commitment to our program. Volunteers will be asked to meet and interview veterans in their local area. All travel expenses and technology costs will be covered by the U.S. Navy Memorial.

If you are interested in volunteering, please do not hesitate to contact us. Help us keep our nation’s past alive by becoming the newest member of the U.S. Navy Memorial Stories of Service program.

Veteran Histories

The Stories of Service is proud to have conducted interviews with veterans from every era, beginning with World War II.

We have had the honor of meeting Pearl Harbor survivors, members of the USS Hornet, fighter pilots, gun crews, a Huey Crew Chief, Tin Can Sailors and Marines—these are just a few of the many riveting interviews that we have conducted throughout our first year.

They, along with other distinguished histories, have created our archive of oral histories. We will post as many of our interviews to our website as we can.

If you would like some interview tips, visit the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project (click here).

Contact Us

Email Matt Fash (National Coordinator, U.S. Navy Memorial Story Corps) at mfash@navymemorial.org if you would like to:

• Share your Navy experiences with an interviewer
• Conduct interviews with Navy veterans in your community
• Receive more information on the U.S. Navy Memorial Stories of Service program

Additional Resources

Interview Tips (Library of Congress)

Joint Release Form

1-A Veteran Form

2-A Volunteer Form

The U.S. Navy Memorial Stories of Service program is sponsored by the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation.