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Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State, State Librarian and State Archivist, has been a partner with the Library of Congress in the Veterans' History project since November 2003. Secretary White officially launched the Illinois Veterans' History Project in November 2005. In September 2007 the Secretary of State' office entered the next phase of the project, collecting oral histories of Illinois veterans. These histories will be available through the Illinois Digital Archives. IDA is also scanning and digitizing Patriot Information Forms submitted to the Illinois State Archives. Video archives are available from the September 19, 2007th workshop "A Salute to Veterans" sponsored by the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center.

 "The brave men and women who have served and defended our nation during times of war deserve our unending gratitude and appreciation," said White, a United States Army veteran. "The Illinois Veterans History Project will ensure that the names and stories of our soldiers who made sacrifices to preserve and protect our freedoms are never forgotten and always remembered in the state of Illinois."

Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White is encouraging military veterans and families of deceased veterans to visit their local public libraries to pick up and complete a form that will allow them to be part of the Illinois Veterans History Project.

The Illinois Veterans History Project is designed to create a permanent record of the names and remembrances of American war veterans and civilians who served. The Illinois State Archives, a division of the Secretary of State' office, will collect the names of war veterans and civilians-living or deceased-who served and place them in a permanent repository. Illinois Patriot Information Forms are now available at every Illinois public library. Veterans and the families of deceased veterans are asked to fill out the easy-to-complete forms and send them back to the Illinois State Archives.

The initiative follows a law passed by the federal government authorizing the Library of Congress to collect and preserve the histories of American veterans and civilians who were involved in wars dating back to World War I. The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. will be the repository for audio, video and written remembrances from veterans and their families.

Illinois Patriot Information Forms are available at driver services facilities throughout Illinois and at Illinois public libraries. Interested persons may also print their own copies by downloading a PDF file located on Secretary White's website. Veterans and others who participate will receive a Certificate of Appreciation from Secretary White.

Photo Credit: This U.S. Navy photograph of Marines at Great Lakes was selected as a frontispiece from pictures submitted by Army and Navy posts for the section on Illinois' part in the war. Illinois Blue Book, 1941-42 (Illinois Digital Archives)