As I’ve mentioned before, I’m using this blog to help me to break out of my hermit-like existence that I’ve fallen into since returning to Minnesota in 2007. I also need to improve my general health by getting out of the house and do something besides go to the grocery store and the Post Office. So I was happy to find a new outside activity that would also incorporate my inner gadget geek.
My brother-in-law is a Vietnam veteran. He was a Marine who flew in helicopters. He came through the war reasonably unscathed, but he was injured in the early 1970’s while still in the service and stationed in the San Diego area and had to have a hip replacement (one of the first such surgeries performed in the US). So he’s been all too familiar with the VA hospital out by the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport and Fort Snelling. His most recent hospitalization there has also included several follow-up appointments. Earlier this year, one of his doctors suggested that he might enjoy working on a project for recording the experiences of veterans for The Library of Congress called The Veterans History Project. He then asked me if I would help him. I was excited about the idea and naturally created the Voices of Veterans website to serve as a focal point for the project.
