Students Capture the Voices of Louisiana’s Veterans

Students in an LSU Ogden Honors College seminar have captured the first-person narratives of Louisianans who have served in the military. In addition to being added to the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, part of the LSU Libraries, the oral histories they collected will be housed in the Library of Congress’ national database as part of a partnership with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

The students learned how to preserve valuable historical information by collecting personal recollections through recorded interviews. These interviews become powerful primary sources that are available to anyone interested in understanding the impact of Louisiana veterans who have served in the U.S. military during the 20th and 21st centuries.

According to Jen Cramer, director of the Williams Center and instructor of the course, “What’s amazing about this class is that you’ve got these…freshmen and sophomores doing original research…[T]hey’re creating this primary source that is going to be preserved locally and nationally,” Cramer said.

Students met with Monica Mohindra, director of the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project, who spoke about the collaboration with the Library of Congress. Later, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser spoke to the students about their work.

“Louisiana veterans are near and dear to my heart. So, when I heard about these LSU students who were preserving their stories for future generations of Louisianans, I recognized the significance of what that meant. What a di erence it will make to the veterans telling these stories as well as to other veterans who will hear these stories and feel that what they have done for their country and their state has made a lasting di erence to the citizens of Louisiana,” Nungesser said.

To Cramer, the mission of the class and the mission of the Williams Center are aligned to document first-person stories about Louisiana history and culture, especially to help fill in the gap of under-documented communities, individuals, and groups. The Williams Center holds several important interviews from Black Americans who served in WWII and returned to a country that did not give them the same respect or opportunities as white veterans. Despite their sacrifice, they were still made to use the back door or sit at the back of the bus.

“Many veterans from World War II, mostly African American veterans but even some white veterans, ended up participating in social movements in large part because of their experience in World War II – having been treated one way while abroad and then returning to very di erent treatment in the Jim Crow South afterward,” Cramer said.

For example, most of the founding members of the Deacons for Defense and Justice, an armed Black self-defense group operating during the civil rights era in Bogalusa, La., were combat veterans who served in WWII and the Korean War. Another example is the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott, which was led by many WWII veterans and helped to plant the seed for the more well-known Montgomery bus boycott.

“I chose a civilian life, but I want to somehow help honor those who serve,” Cramer said, “Veterans are so much a part of our culture and have so much to teach us civilians about life and leadership. What better way to understand and honor the veterans in our lives than by providing a welcoming place to tell stories, and, most importantly, to listen.”

To learn more about the oral histories of Louisiana veterans stored in the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, visit the Louisiana Digital Library website.

Christine Wendling is director of communications at LSU Libraries.

By Christine Wendling

Items belonging to Leroy Poydras, a Lafayette, La., native, who served as a Chief Petty O cer in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His oral history was captured by Michelle Melancon, an assistant processing archivist in LSU Libraries and a volunteer for Oral History Day, held by the Library of Congress Veterans History Project in 2019. Two years later, he participated in a follow-up interview with Dale Rhodies, a graduate student in LSU’s T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History. Photo: Brian Baiamonte, LSU Libraries' Harry T. Williams Center for Oral History.

Tara Jones, center, is the Incarcerated Veterans

Liaison and Louisiana National Guard Disability

Benefits Administrator for the Louisiana Department of Veterans A airs. She was a sta sergeant in the Louisiana Air National Guard (1988-1997) and more recently the subject of an LSU student-led oral history interview about her military experience. Ajalynn Crum, right, of Lake Charles, La., right, served as the interviewer while Amara Bordelon, left, of Baton Rouge, served as the audio engineer. Both students are Ogden Honors College freshmen studying mechanical engineering. Photo: Brandee Patrick, Louisiana Department of Veterans A airs.

By Ava E. Borskey