May 26, 2006 — To coincide with the Memorial Day weekend, the Library of Congress has created 22 online collections of digitized materials submitted by war veterans who served in military intelligence.
The selections, collectively entitled "Military Intel: The Inside Story," comprise the latest addition to the extensive Veterans History Project Web site. The site features interviews, letters, photographs and written memoirs related to U.S. military service.
"Military intelligence is an area of service that is not as well known to the public," said Sarah Rouse, the project's senior program officer.
"A lot of information, of course, is kept secret for national security reasons. Some veterans from past wars could not even be interviewed," she added.
Rouse, whose husband was involved in the decoding of secret messages, explained to Discovery News that intelligence gathering is not only ongoing and critical, but also potentially dangerous.
The Web site includes the story of George Davis, who in 1967 flew reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam and Laos in a Mohawk aircraft nicknamed "The Widowmaker." He conducted photo and data collection missions at night without air support or weapons.
The Web site also features Louis L. Weinstein, who was a 29-year-old lawyer when he entered the Army in 1942.
Weinstein wound up working as a plainclothes investigator whose first assignments were in Chicago. Recruiting took place there for the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the world’s first nuclear weapons.
Near the end of World War II, Weinstein interviewed prisoners released by the Japanese in preparation for war crime trials.
Japanese-Americans, such as Dan Uchimoto, also served in the U.S. military during the war. A member of the 442nd Regiment, Uchimoto experienced active combat in Italy.
He nearly lost his life to a German bullet when a sergeant miscalculated an enemy movement, but thanks to some quick thinking Uchimoto managed to dig a foxhole and dive into safety.
Uchimoto told Discovery News that while he did not work in military intelligence, he had friends who did.
He said, "Some of these people who were with me in the 442nd Regiment fought in battle in Southern France. They really had a rough time in combat. They were in their foxholes and could not even stay away from the bullet fires. Bullets went overhead and then burst into the trees."
During one mission, Uchimoto said several individuals from his regiment were brought in to rescue 200 men trapped by German soldiers. The 442nd Regiment suffered about 800 casualties -- including 200 dead -- in that one rescue.
Rouse hopes the online project will honor the memories of those who lost their lives in this and other conflicts, as well as surviving veterans.
"The deceased individuals cannot give us their stories, so our stories come from those who survived," she said. "We hope that by gathering information from many of the living veterans, we will remember and honor all who served to protect our nation’s freedom and way of life."
To see and hear the veterans' stories, visit www.loc.gov/vets.
