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Ex-lawmaker spearheading veterans archive

Photo by Elizabeth Hittos

Ken Collins, left, is congratulated by former U.S. Rep. Michael Bilirakis after Collins was elected chairman of the committee creating a veterans' archive on the Tarpon Springs campus of St. Petersburg College.

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By KLINT LOWRY | The Suncoast News

Published: October 23, 2009

Updated:

PALM HARBOR - In his 24 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, one of the duties that held the most personal meaning to Michael Bilirakis was serving on the House Veterans Committee. As a Korean War veteran, he shares a bond with all who have served.

Bilirakis, who left the House at the end of 2006, is now spearheading a project to ensure that the experiences of all local veterans are remembered in a way that will continue to serve their community.

The Tarpon Springs campus of St. Petersburg College is putting out a call to all veterans and their families to add their stories to a veterans' archive that will be permanently housed at the school library. The idea is to create a repository where the experiences of veterans can be shared, in their own words, for generations to come.

"This all started with my getting a two-page letter," Bilirakis said. It was from a World War II veteran telling about his experience at the Battle of the Bulge. The letter was handwritten; the penmanship and grammar weren't so good, but those flaws somehow made the letter more powerful.

Hollywood has made some accurate depictions of war, Bilirakis said, but it is no substitute for authentic memories. It struck Bilirakis how valuable it would be to have a place where the stories of former members of the military would be preserved, told in their own words. St. Petersburg College officials wholeheartedly agreed.

"We'll reach out to the community, for the families and friends of veterans, and the veterans themselves who have stories, and to urge them to write those stories down, and give those stories to the college about their valor and their bravery and their experiences in the military in their particular battle," Conferlete Carney, St. Petersburg College Tarpon Campus provost, said. "We will gather all that history and create an archive."

There are many museums, Bilirakis said, at which people can see weaponry, uniforms and other items of militaria. But the archive will be different. The purpose of this is to collect and preserve memories.

With so much emphasis in recent years to honor World War II vets, Bilirakis emphasized that this archive would be for those who served at any time, anywhere, in any capacity.

"It's not my intention that we limit it to just 'war stories,'" he said. The idea is to have stories that completely chronicle the military experience. Anyone who served has a story.

"And the families," Bilirakis added, "How about the families?" For everyone who goes off to war, there are all those they leave back home. Carney agreed that should be a powerful component of the archive.

"To get wives who weren't in the battles, but to get them to read stories from other wives who endured while their husbands were gone, that's a great dimension," he said.

The archive will be available to the public, and will be a tremendous teaching tool for the college, said David Liebert, Social and Behavioral Science Department Chair. Personal stories bridge the generations far more than books or films can.

Just a few weeks ago, Liebert said, John Van Brunt came to the campus to speak about serving on the U.S.S. Proteus, a submarine tender, during World War II. The presentation was digitally recorded, so it will become a reusable teaching tool.

"The idea is to start building some narratives, particularly in the digital format, where teachers can load them up online, in two- to five-minute segments," Liebert said.

A committee headed by veterans advocate Keith Collins is putting together a push to get the word out to veterans' groups throughout the Suncoast area. All veterans and their families are encouraged to contribute their stories, letters and photos. All submissions and inquiries should be sent to: St. Petersburg College, 600 Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs FL 34689, Attn: Mr. Jorge Perez, Head Librarian.

Submissions can also be brought in person to the school library. For more information, call 727-712-5728.

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