Practicing Oral History with Military and War Veterans

Sharon D. Raynor currently serves as the Dean of the School of Humanities and the Winnie Wood Endowed Professor of English and Digital Media at Elizabeth City State University. She is the co-editor of Teaching Race in Perilous Times: Racial Discourse in the College Classroom (SUNY) and Executive Producer for the documentary film, In the Face of Adversity: The Service and Legacy of African American WWII Veterans.

"With this superb book, Dr. Sharon Raynor has unlocked what she terms the "the transformative power involved in practicing veteran’s oral history for both the veteran and the interviewer." Raynor’s book is a beautiful intersection of two key areas: first, it is an expert how-to guide to conducting individual and group veteran’s histories; and, second, poignant meditations on the relationship of memory, trauma, and voice, as these have emerged in her own family’s experiences. This is a pathbreaking addition that will enable veterans to speak through their own voices, gain self-understanding, and illuminate the complex worlds through which veterans have journeyed." - Harlan Joel Gradin, PhD, Scholar Emeritus, North Carolina Humanities"To know Dr. Sharon Raynor is to witness her passion for veterans. We met when I had been awarded a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council. Dr. Raynor was selected as a mentor to help me continue my documentary work with Vietnam veterans. I was soliciting and curating, for the first time, their personal photographs and remembrances. As a Vietnam-era veteran and documentarian, I felt it was my responsibility to help them "show what they couldn’t say." Because Dr. Raynor was working on veterans oral and recorded histories as well, she was invaluable. Her most important piece of advice about my work was to first create trust - and a dialog - with the men and women. Those heartfelt guidelines that comprise this book are a gift to anyone who wants to create that safe place for veterans of all ages who, deep inside, want to share their experiences. Thank you, Dr. Raynor. Job well done!" - Martin Tucker; Vietnam-era veteran; Photojournalist & filmmaker; Author, Vietnam Photographs From North Carolina Veterans: The Memories They Brought Home "Through her tremendous personal connection to our Veterans, Dr. Sharon Raynor has written an insightful must-read book that serves as a powerful blueprint, comprehensively outlining the process and techniques of orally capturing the history, personal stories, and encounters of America’s heroes, our Veterans. I highly recommend this book and commend Dr. Raynor for her many contributions in support of our U.S. Armed Forces." - Lieutenant Colonel Rob Freeman, U.S. Army

• Preface Section I: IntroductionChapter 1: My Story Chapter 2: Overview and Evolution of Military and Veterans Oral History Chapter 3: Personal Connections to Veterans Oral History Section II: Issues Common in Veterans Oral HistoryChapter 4: Best Practices and Ethical Guidelines Chapter 5: Race, Ethnicity, Class, Dis/Ability and Gender in the Military [among Veterans] Chapter 6: Trust, Trauma and the Human Factor Chapter 7: The Nature of Memory and Silence Section III: Conducting a Veterans Oral History ProjectChapter 8: Project Design and Preparation Chapter 9: Recording Techniques Chapter 10: Interviewing Techniques Chapter 11: Interviewing War Veterans Section IV: After the Interview Chapter 12: Transcribing and Archiving Chapter 13: Using Veterans Oral History Chapter 14: The Value of Veterans Oral History Chapter 15: Reflections AppendixAppendix A: Sample Interview QuestionnaireAppendix B: Veteran’s Biographical Information Form Appendix C: Interview’s Release Agreement FormAppendix D: Veteran’s Release Agreement FormAppendix E: Photograph & Memorabilia LogAppendix F: Interview Summary FormAppendix G: Project Design FormAppendix H: Veterans OrganizationsAppendix I: Oral History OrganizationsSelected BibliographyIndex