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November 4, 2009
ROCKEFELLER HOSTS TAKE A VETERAN TO SCHOOL DAY ACROSS WEST VIRGINIA
Project Connects Veterans with Students and Allows Veterans' Stories to be Recorded for the Library of Congress's Veterans History Project
Charleston, WV – Senator Jay Rockefeller is hosting West Virginia’s second annual Take a Veteran to School Day program – to link veterans to students in schools throughout the state and capture and preserve veterans’ real-life experiences as a part of American history.
“Our veterans have served our country and given so much of themselves to keep us safe. Bringing veterans into schools across West Virginia to share their stories is an incredible real-life history lesson that will have a meaningful impact on our students,” said U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller. “The Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project is an absolutely remarkable project that has been working for almost a decade to collect the invaluable stories of our American heroes and I am happy that they are a partner.”
Rockefeller continued, “I am honored to participate in this event again this year. Both our students from WVU and Concord University, and our sponsors from the WV Cable Industry and The History Channel™, make this project a success.”
The Take a Veteran to School Day program events will take place in 13 schools across the state from November 9-19. Schools participating in the 2009 Take a Veteran to School Day program include: Brooke High School, Parkersburg High School, Morgantown High School, Robert C. Byrd High School, Hurricane High School, East Fairmont High School, Huntington High School, Buckhannon-Upshur High School, Capital High School, Musselman High School, Fayetteville High School, Summers County High School and Bluefield High School.
“We are honored to work with Senator Rockefeller to recognize West Virginia’s veterans and help connect them with the next generation. During the course of our 2009 high school events, students will gain first-hand accounts from the veterans representing every war and conflict from World War II to Iraq,” said Michael Kelemen, West Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association (WVCTA) President and Suddenlink Communications’ Director of Government Relations.
Inspired by the Library of Congress American Folklife Center Veterans History Project launched by the United States Congress in 2000, participating West Virginia Veterans’ first-hand accounts will be archived in the Library of Congress collections. Students from West Virginia University’s School of Journalism and Concord University will work with high school and cable officials to catalog the veterans' stories for posterity.
The Take a Veteran to School Day program is supported by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, as well as the West Virginia State House and Senate that passed resolutions in 2009 encouraging West Virginia educators to participate in future Take a Veteran to School Day initiatives. The program’s return to West Virginia schools is made possible by the WVCTA - led by Suddenlink Communications, Comcast and Time Warner Cable and The History Channel™.
To learn more about the Take a Veteran to School Day project and to view photos, visit http://www.veteransinwv.com.
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