HOUSE MEMORIAL 9

46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2004

INTRODUCED BY

Jim Trujillo

A MEMORIAL

SUPPORTING THE VETERANS' ORAL HISTORY PROJECT AND ENCOURAGING NEW MEXICANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT.

     WHEREAS, the veterans' oral history project was authorized on October 27, 2000 when Public Law 106-380 was signed into law by President Clinton after receiving unanimous bipartisan support in congress; and

     WHEREAS, the American folklife center at the library of congress launched a program to collect and preserve the personal experiences and oral histories of America's war veterans; and

     WHEREAS, there are nineteen million war veterans living in the United States but every day we lose one thousand seven hundred of them; and

     WHEREAS, the veterans' oral history project encourages war veterans, their families, veterans groups, communities and students to make audiotapes and videotapes of veterans' memories of their time in service military; and

     WHEREAS, collecting the oral histories of American veterans is critical to preserving our history as we enter the twenty-first century; and

     WHEREAS, these histories will be an invaluable resource for future generations; and

     WHEREAS, a veterans' oral history project is being conducted in New Mexico and copies of oral histories of veterans, including interviews and pictures, are being cataloged at the state records center and archives and are being collected at the museum of New Mexico, the Bataan memorial military museum and library and other appropriate locations;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the veterans' oral history project be supported; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all New Mexicans be encouraged to participate in the project; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the museum of New Mexico, the Bataan memorial military museum and library and the New Mexico veterans' service commission.

- 2 -