CL-Nov/Dec_2024 - 23

WAR STORIES
Keeping
Veterans'
History Alive
Sharing fi rsthand accounts
of military service
story courtesy of Family Features
T
oday, more than a century aſt er
the signing of the Treaty of
Versailles ended World War I,
stories told by American veterans who
served during this pivotal time off er
fascinating insights into this period. To
preserve and share history as it happened
through the lens of those who lived it,
the Library of Congress Veterans History
Project collects these stories, and the
stories of veterans who followed.
Many of the veterans' individual
stories have been lost to time; however,
the VHP program encourages military
veterans to document their experiences
through fi rsthand oral histories, photos
or written accounts. Th e stories are then
made accessible so current and future
generations may better understand what
veterans experienced during their service.
As time passes, new submissions
from veterans who served in World
Recording oral histories can
preserve personal accounts of
a veteran's military service.
War I have become increasingly rare,
but occasionally, something special is
uncovered, such as two submissions
from Sherie Lockett: collections from
her grandfathers, both African American
World War I veterans.
Containing 34 original letters, Jessie
Calvin Lockett's collection provides
a unique insight into his experience
serving in France as a stevedore, loading
and unloading cargo ships.
Th e collection of Sherie Lockett's
grandfather, Arthur Singleton, includes
a unique fi nd: a 105-year-old diary.
When Singleton joined the Army
in 1918, he was assigned to the 803rd
Pioneer Infantry Brigade, a segregated
unit tasked with constructing and
repairing infrastructure.
Singleton's diary is notably VHP's
Arthur Singleton
co-opliving.com
fi rst written account from a Black soldier
who served during World War I. Entries
detail his time in service, from training
at Camp Grant to enduring harsh
conditions en route to Europe aboard
the USS Mannequin. He describes
arriving in Scotland, traveling to France
for further training and being sent to
the front lines on Nov. 11, 1918, the
same day the Armistice took eff ect.
Singleton's combat experience lasted
only six hours, but his time in Europe
extended beyond the ceasefi re.
Post-combat entries describe
camping at Ménil-la-Tour, receiving
a promotion to Platoon Sergeant,
recovering U.S. property from the
trenches and visiting Paris.
He also candidly recounts instances
of racism from fellow American troops
while abroad - including being
denied service at his base canteen
and harassed out of a theater - and
shared how his unit was assigned
" background " work while white
engineer units received recognition
for digging trenches on the front lines.
Th anks to their granddaughter's
donation of their letters and diary
to the eff ort, VHP can share
Jessie Lockett's and Singleton's
experiences and perspective as Black
soldiers during World War I. While
the program requires fi rsthand
submissions, the stories of veterans
who served long ago and have already
died still may be included through
similar donations of diaries or
pre-recorded videos.
*
To read more veterans' stories and
learn more about how you or a loved
one can contribute to the program,
visit loc.gov/vets.
November-December 2024 * Cooperative Living * 21
http://www.loc.gov/vets http://www.co-opliving.com
CL-Nov/Dec_2024

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