The museum's speakers
program is currently inactive.
School
Visitation Program
Schools classes are welcome
to take a guided tour of the main museum museum in Sacramento.
Tours can be designed for elementary through college level. To
find out more about this educational resource, please contact
the museum at 916/442-2883,
Oral
History Programs
World War II
Oral History Program
Your service experiences are needed for
present and future generations. World War Two veterans, from
all branches of Service are invited to register for oral history
interviews. The California State Military Museum, Sacramento;
in conjunction with the University of California, Los Angeles
and the California State University, Los Angeles; have established
the California Military History Educational Project The Museum
has been tasked to develop military history educational curriculum
materials to supplement the history instruction at all California
elementary, intermediate and high schools. Part of this is to
develop a database of World War 2 veterans for oral history interviews.
if you register you will not be required to do anything but tell
us something of your recollections. This will be a chance to
tell your history, to help preserve the memories of experiences.
Your story is important and we would like to interview you, at
a time and place convenient to you. The interview will be archived
at the museum and you will be provided
with a free copy of the interview for your and your families,
use.
Simply contact Bill Davies, the project
officer, and provide him with your mailing address
(or email address if you have one). He can be reached by phone
at (916) 278-5452; by mail as Bill Davies, WW2 Oral History Project,
California State Military Museum, 1119 2nd Street, Sacramento
CA 95814; or by email at bill_davies@comcast.net.
A one page (two sided) form will be sent that asks you to provide
your basic military service information. Return the completed
form in the enclosed stamped envelope. Just completing that simple
form will be a significant help to us! You may indicate a desire
or willingness for a face to face recorded interview on the form
you complete. We will conduct interviews based upon our resources
to do the interviews; a priority based on the data you provide
and your scheduling convenience.
To Fly Beneath
the Waves: World War II Submarine Veterans History Project:
As a tribute to those men
who silently served our nation in submarines during World War
II, the California State Military Museum has announced its plans
to participate in an extensive history project proposed by and
being developed by the California Center for Military History
designed to capture the true-to-life experiences of our nation's
submarine veterans of World War II, entitled: "To Fly Beneath
The Waves" – The World War II Submarine Veterans Oral
History Project.
These unsung warriors fought
a secretive undersea war against Japan that was perhaps the most
decisive single factor in the collapse of the Japanese economy
and logistic support of the Japanese naval power. Yet, for over
fifty years, their remarkable story has remained virtually untold
–until now.
Motivated by the urgent
need to collect the stories and experiences of our nation's surviving
submarine veterans of World War II while they are still among
us, the California Center for Military History partnered with
Abbey Academy of Arts Incorporated, who unveiled their plans to
launch this multi-year, multi-phase digital video oral history
project.
Knowing that this and future
generations of Americans have much to learn from those veterans
who served their country during World War II, the California State
Military Museum embraced the World War II Submarine Veterans Oral
History Project.
To further facilitate the
project, the California Center for Military History has teamed
with the California Military History Educational Project and has
developed interview guidelines, survey questionnaires and a project
overview, complete with sample "Lesson Plans" and "Student
Worksheets", for use by teachers and students alike under
the programing of the California Military History Educational
Project.
This extensive oral history
program will capture the experiences of our nation's World War
II submarine veterans and then present their stories in such a
way as to educate and inspire the next generation of youth. Instead
of a dry historical perspective, through the use of the Internet,
combining the power to television, video and multimedia programing
with online interaction, we propose to present a visually stimulating
presentation that is both educational and entertaining in a contemporary
format that will reach out to our youth.
Typically, interviews span
only the period of World War II. However, interviews may include
discussions of various tours of duty during the course of a submariner's
career and can generally cover a wide range of topics and personalities.
These videos will be made available for research at the California
State Military Museum. Video interviews will ultimately be transcribed,
annotated and indexed –making available the recollections
of these unsung warriors for future generations.
Attention Amateur
Historians, Military History Buffs and Students!
Amateur historians, military history buffs,
students interested in helping with this project please write
or email Bill Davies (info above). Provide information on your
background, history experiences, oral interviewing experiences,
clerical ability, resources and the level of time commitment
you may be able to provide.
Your participation to help accomplish
meaningful research will gain our heartfelt thanks, perhaps some
academic credit if you are enrolled in a program, perhaps some
travel expenses and, for a particularly significant body of military
history research, you may be awarded official California recognition.
Library of
Congress Affiliation
Both programs are
official partners of the Veterans History Project of the Library
of Congress
To view the transcripts of
completed oral histories CLICK HERE
California State Military
Department