Archives Veteran stories
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers presents Jeremy Mullin with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Library of Congress for his work with the Veterans History Project on Jan. 5.
SPOKANE VALLEY – As part of a nationwide project that helps record and archive the stories of Veterans and gold star families, Jeremy Mullin with the Spokane County Library District was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers at the new Spokane Valley Library on Jan. 5.
"Today I'm here because we wanted to acknowledge the commitment and the leadership of Jeremy Mullin," McMorris Rodgers said. "He is the ultimate professional ensuring the equipment and audio/video are prepped for each recording session, and that each recording meets the Library of Congress strict recording requirements."
"This is so important to preserve the stories for future generations, and to get these stories directly from the Veterans and have a better understanding of what they saw and what they felt during their service."
The certificate comes from the Library of Congress, as the project Mullin helps with is a Library of Congress project.
"It's definitely the community that makes this possible," Mullin said. "With just our strong infrastructure and amazing staff that allow this to happen."
"Without that support we wouldn't have such an ability to reach out to the community."
According to Mullin, who lives in Spokane and has worked with the library district for six years, the library also has patrons that bring in older recordings, and he helps them to preserve the footage.
Mullin, 43, takes it a step further and teaches people how the process works so they get first-hand experience.
Mullin is the Technology Instruction Specialist with the library and said his experience in technical recording earned him the opportunity to help with this project, although he didn't expect to be a part of it.
He said he was thrilled with the chance to incorporate that program into the services the library offers.
"I was lucky to be able to assist with the program, they just approached me out of the blue," Mullin said. "It was terrific to work with them and to make that happen."
Since 2000, The Veteran's History Project has collected and preserved the firsthand accounts of military veterans and gold star families and makes them accessible to the public.
According to McMorris Rodgers, these recordings are entered into the permanent collection in the Library of Congress.
She also said the oral histories of gold star families have been recorded since 2016.
They specifically work with individuals from World War I and after.
The program was initially brought to Spokane County August 28, 2023, when McMorris Rodgers and her staff held a workshop at the Spokane Veteran's Center.
Mullin said he expects to see growth in the process and that should open the door for future opportunities.
"The more individuals that seek out our assistance and our facilities," Mullin said. "The larger the community response will grow."
"I just saw this start and it has bloomed ever since."
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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