Edith Shain, 92, passed away at her home in Los Angeles on Sunday, some 65 years after her passionate embrace with a serviceman celebrating the end of World War Two became one of the most famous photos in history.

Shain was a nursing student in New York on August 14, 1945, when radio networks announced the surrender of the Japanese.

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Anyone who has cleaned out a family attic knows the importance of keeping family records. You may have military records from relatives who served in one of the World Wars—or even the Civil War. Or pictures of your great-great grandparents on the day they became American citizens. Or the canceled check that paid for your first home.

Now imagine the task of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)—the nation’s record keeper.

Many people know the National Archives as the keeper of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. But we also hold in trust for the public the records of ordinary citizens—for example, military records of the brave men and women who have fought for our country, naturalization records of the immigrants whose dreams have shaped our nation, and even the canceled check from the purchase of Alaska.

In a democracy, records belong to the people, and for more than seven decades, NARA has preserved and provided access to the records of the United States of America. Records help us claim our rights and entitlements, hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, and document our history as a nation. In short, NARA ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their Government.

The National Archives was established in 1934 by President Franklin Roosevelt, but its major holdings date back to 1775. They capture the sweep of the past: slave ship manifests and the Emancipation Proclamation; captured German records and the Japanese surrender documents from World War II; journals of polar expeditions and photographs of Dust Bowl farmers; Indian treaties making transitory promises; and a richly bound document bearing the bold signature “Bonaparte”—the Louisiana Purchase Treaty that doubled the territory of the young republic.

NARA keeps only those Federal records that are judged to have continuing value—about 2 to 5 percent of those generated in any given year. By now, they add up to a formidable number, diverse in form as well as in content. There are approximately 9 billion pages of textual records; 7.2 million maps, charts, and architectural drawings; more than 20 million still photographs; billions of machine-readable data sets; and more than 365,000 reels of film and 110,000 videotapes. All of these materials are preserved because they are important to the workings of Government, have long-term research worth, or provide information of value to citizens.

In addition, NARA must also manage the rapidly growing number of electronic Government records. Now being developed, the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) is our strategic response to the challenge of preserving, managing, and providing access to electronic records. ERA will keep essential electronic Federal records retrievable, readable, and authentic for as long as they remain valuable—whether that is a few years or a few hundred years.

The rich stores of material that make up the National Archives of the United States are available to all.

Preservation of the Constitution and other historical documents is part of our history and mission.

Concern for the preservation of the records of the nation was expressed early. “Time and accident,” Thomas Jefferson warned in 1791, “are committing daily havoc on the originals deposited in our public offices.” But it was not until the early 1930s that historians and others concerned with the preservation of the nation’s records saw their hopes realized.

The task of designing an archives building was given to the distinguished architect John Russell Pope. He set out to create a structure that would be in harmony with other great Washington landmarks—the White House, Capitol, Treasury Building, and Lincoln Memorial—and at the same time express the significance, safety, and permanence of the records to be deposited inside.

Ground was broken in 1931; President Herbert Hoover laid the cornerstone in 1933; and the staff moved in to work in 1935. The building reached capacity in the late 1960s, and many records were moved to off-site storage and regional archives. After years of planning, in 1993 a new archives building was completed.

The National Archives at College Park, MD.

The National Archives at College Park, MD, is a modern facility that has enabled NARA to consolidate its Washington-area records. The six-story building’s present records storage capacity is approximately 2 million cubic feet, and its research rooms can accommodate up to 390 researchers at a time.

NARA’s mission, however, reaches far beyond these two buildings to cover the entire lifecycle of records from creation to their ultimate use. Archives locations in 14 cities, from coast-to-coast, protect and provide public access to millions of records. In addition to assisting Federal agencies and the public with research and reference services, we deliver educational programs and public workshops to help Americans learn how to use archived records. Further, 17 Federal Records Centers (FRC) provide Federal agencies superior records storage, access, and disposition services through a national network of facilities.

The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis manages the records of millions of military veterans of the 20th century as well as former civilian Federal employees.

The Federal Register is the daily “gazette” of the U.S. Government.

Published daily, the Federal Register is a record of Government proclamations, orders, and regulations, and Presidential and other public documents. The Presidential libraries house papers, records, and other historical materials relating to all Presidents from Herbert Hoover on, their families, and their administrations. Not strictly libraries, these institutions combine museum exhibits and educational programs with original records open for research.

NARA also runs a Government-wide records management program to identify records of permanent value, assure the timely disposal of temporary records, and provide agencies with guidance on managing their current records, and it assists non-Federal institutions through a grants program administered by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Located at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, these exhibits are open every day except Thanksgiving Day and December 25:

• National Archives Experience
• Declaration of Independence
• Constitution of the United States
• Bill of Rights
• Digital Vaults

Visitors to the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, are invited to begin their journey through the National Archives Experience at the William G. McGowan Theater. There, a film highlighting the role of the National Archives in preserving the nation’s records is shown throughout the day. The theater is also a showplace for documentary film and informative lecture programs, featuring screenings of films from the Archives’ extensive holdings and presentations by authors, historians, and other researchers who use our records.

Ascending from the McGowan Theater, visitors can enjoy the latest offerings in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Special Exhibition Gallery or enter the Public Vaults, the first permanent interactive exhibit hall at the National Archives.

The Public Vaults give visitors the sensation of going back into the stacks and vaults where original records are held. Once inside, visitors not only have the opportunity to look at fascinating letters, maps, and films that offer glimpses into the history of our country but will also have the chance to make their own discoveries about the stories found in records.

The Boeing Learning Center is a headquarters for the nationwide education programs of the National Archives. In the center’s ReSource Room, educators, parents, and children are invited to explore documents in-depth. At the Learning Lab, scheduled groups of middle school students can work with primary sources related to the U.S. Constitution.

The highlight of any National Archives Experience visit is a stop at the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, where our nation’s founding documents are displayed. First installed in the National Archives in 1952, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights (collectively known as the Charters of Freedom) were re-encased in the renovated Rotunda in 2003. In the exhibit “A New World Is at Hand,” these founding documents are flanked by 14 cases containing milestone documents that chronicle the development of the Charters and the impact they have had on the course of American history.

The National Archives Building has numerous sculptural decorations and inscriptions, but the words on the base of one statue have become identified with the institution itself. Cut into the stone are these words from Shakespeare’s Tempest: “What is past is prologue.” Certainly there is no better reason for preserving the documentary materials of the American experience.

For details about exhibition and research hours in NARA facilities across the United States, visit our web site or call toll-free 1-86-NARA-NARA.

Visit us at http://www.hometown-heroes.org/ to learn more about Hometown Heroes, and to check out our video library of Veteran’s stories.

Finding peace and forgiveness after 24 years

By John Plummer, Purcellville, Virginia

I was in my living room reading a book with the television on low. It was a warm, pleasant June evening in 1996, and I was glad to have some time to myself.

Then a photo flashed on the screen, an image that had haunted me for years. No matter how often I saw it, the pain came back to me. How could I be forgiven? How could I even speak of my part in it?

A little Vietnamese girl running toward the camera, arms outstretched, screaming hysterically from terrible napalm burns. This Pulitzer prize-winning photo had wrung the hearts of millions, but it was particularly wrenching for me: I was the one responsible for the girl’s agony.

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1789 – A law was passed to give money to soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

1861 – The Civil War broke out. The number of Union veterans grew from 80,000 to 2 million!

1862 – President Lincoln started national cemeteries. This was to honor the many Union dead from the Civil War.

1865 – President Lincoln gave his second inaugural speech. He asked Congress “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” This became VA’s motto.

1912 – A new law called the Sherwood Act was passed. This gave pensions (money) to veterans of the Mexican and Civil Wars when they turned 62, even if they were not sick or disabled.

1930 – President Hoover signed a bill creating the Veterans Administration (VA).

1940 – Congress created a law to help World War II veterans find jobs when they came home from war.

1944 – A lot of people were hurt and killed in World War II. This left many families in need. On June 22, 1944, President Roosevelt signed the GI Bill of Rights. This helped veterans go to college and buy a home.

1946 – More hospitals were built to take care of veterans. VA was able to train and hire good doctors. VA also started research that has helped all of us.

1973 – The Army gave 82 cemeteries to the Veterans Administration. VA makes sure that veterans and family members have a respectful burial place forever.

1988 – Congress made VA a Cabinet Department. This means that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs meets with the President of the United States.

1998 – All eligible veterans could now enroll in VA’s health care system.

Visit us at www.hometown-heroes.org to learn more about Hometown Heroes, and to check out our video library of Veteran’s stories.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.

This 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Miss.; Macon, Ga.; Richmond, Va.; Boalsburg, Pa.; and Carbondale, Ill.

In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America’s wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)

Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.

Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.

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In a speech announcing the formation of the day, President Truman “praised the work of the military services at home and across the seas” and said, “it is vital to the security of the nation and to the establishment of a desirable peace.” In an excerpt from the Presidential Proclamation of Feb. 27, 1950, Mr. Truman stated:

Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20, 1950, marks the first combined demonstration by America’s defense team of its progress, under the National Security Act, towards the goal of readiness for any eventuality. It is the first parade of preparedness by the unified forces of our land, sea, and air defense.

The theme of the first Armed Forces Day was “Teamed for Defense.” It was chosen as a means of expressing the unification of all the military forces under a single department of the government. Although this was the theme for the day, there were several other purposes for holding Armed Forces Day. It was a type of “educational program for civilians,” one in which there would be an increased awareness of the Armed Forces. It was designed to expand public understanding of what type of job is performed and the role of the military in civilian life. It was a day for the military to show “state-of-the-art” equipment to the civilian population they were protecting. And it was a day to honor and acknowledge the people of the Armed Forces of the United States.

According to a New York Times article published on May 17, 1952: “This is the day on which we have the welcome opportunity to pay special tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces … to all the individuals who are in the service of their country all over the world. Armed Forces Day won’t be a matter of parades and receptions for a good many of them. They will all be in line of duty and some of them may give their lives in that duty.”

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions, and air shows. In Washington D.C., 10,000 troops of all branches of the military, cadets, and veterans marched pass the President and his party. In Berlin, 1,000 U.S. troops paraded for the German citizens at Templehof Airfield. In New York City, an estimated 33,000 participants initiated Armed Forces Day “under an air cover of 250 military planes of all types.” In the harbors across the country were the famed mothballed “battlewagons” of World War II, the Missouri, the New Jersey, the North Carolina, and the Iowa, all open for public inspection. Precision flying teams dominated the skies as tracking radar were exhibited on the ground. All across the country, the American people joined together to honor the Armed Forces.

As the people gathered to honor the Armed Forces on this occasion, so too did the country’s leaders. Some of the more notable of these leaders’ quotes are stated below:

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William Hase

1/13/1921 – N/A
Branch: Army
Rank: Corporal
Outfit: 96th Division
Service Dates: 1943 – 1946
Conflicts/Significant Events: World War II
Story uploaded/modified: Thursday, November 06, 2008

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Who’s eligible for V.A. long-term care benefits?

The V.A. provides nursing home and other long-term care — the V.A. calls it “extended care” — for many veterans. Those eligible for V.A. nursing home or noninstitutional long-term care include:

*      Veterans with a service-connected disability rating (or combined disability ratings) of 70 percent or higher.

*      Veterans with a 60-percent service-connected disability rating who are unemployable, or who have a rating of “permanent and totally disabled.”

Read more… http://www.caring.com/articles/va-nursing-home

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Lowell B. (Bud) Love

Lowell B. (Bud) Love

10/10/1923 – N/A
Branch: Navy
Rank: Photographer Mate 2nd Class
Outfit: VG
Service Dates: 1942 – 1946
Veteran Station: Johnson
County: Johnson
Conflicts/Significant Events: World War II

Learn more and see Bud’s Video Story HERE.

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