Military Voices Initiative

press release: Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) teams up with StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, for the Military Voices Initiative. Together, they will honor Wisconsin’s veteran and military community by recording and preserving their stories Aug. 24 through Sept. 4.

With limited space available, veterans, active service members and families are encouraged to reserve a virtual recording time now at StoryCorps.org/military or by calling 800.850.4406 (English and Spanish available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Seeking representation from all branches and eras, WPR is especially interested in recording the experiences of veterans and service members from underrepresented and marginalized populations in our state. These include women, African American, Latinx, Native American, Hmong/Lao and LGBTQ veterans among others. 

"From our partnership with PBS Wisconsin on the LZ Lambeau Welcome Home project, to our work with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. on ‘Wisconsin Remembers,’ we have been honored to help tell the story of Wisconsin's veterans and their families over the past decade,” said WPR Director Mike Crane. “All of it has been personal. All of it has been powerful. This opportunity with StoryCorps' Military Voices Initiative is a very special continuation of that commitment."

Nearly half a million people of all backgrounds and beliefs have recorded a StoryCorps conversation. The organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. In a StoryCorps interview, two people are able to record a meaningful conversation with one another about who they are, what they’ve learned in life, and how they want to be remembered. 

The Military Voices Initiative builds on this notion and contributes to StoryCorps’ diverse collection by recording and preserving the stories of veterans, service members, and military families. It is an opportunity for them to share their experiences in their own words. It is also an opportunity for civilians to understand more clearly the complex realities of veterans’ service and sacrifice.

StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). 

About StoryCorps 

Founded in 2003 by Dave Isay, StoryCorps has given more than 500,000 people—Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs, in towns and cities in all 50 states—the chance to record interviews about their lives. The organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ weekly podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, wisdom and values; engender empathy and connection; and remind us how much more we have in common than divides us. For more information visit storycorps.org, follow us on Twitter @storycorps, or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/storycorps. 

About Wisconsin Public Radio  

For more than 100 years, Wisconsin Public Radio has served the people of Wisconsin with quality news, music, talk and entertainment. On air, online and in the community – we work for Wisconsin. WPR is a service of the Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Listen, learn more and donate online at wpr.org. 

About CPB 

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for other updates.