WASHINGTON -- When U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., was growing up, it seemed like everybody he knew had some connection to the military.

The senator's father was a waist gunner on B-17 bombers during World War II, and his uncle served during the war. His brother Fay would later join the Air National Guard. As a child and into his early adult years, Boozman was exposed to veterans who served in battles from World War I to the first years of the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War.

"These were ordinary people that just did extraordinary things," said Boozman, of Rogers. "So often, those that were in conflict came home and just never really talked about it."

The lack of communication extended into Boozman's family; the senator admits his dad "never really talked about the war."

"That generation came back and had a very difficult time," he said. "I think part of that was just being grateful that they made it and maybe feeling a little guilty that so many of their friends didn't."

During Boozman's tenure in Congress' upper chamber, his office has prioritized collecting the personal narratives of military veterans for the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project. Through interviews led by congressional staff and Arkansans interested in the project, Boozman has submitted personal narratives, videos, interviews and photographs of more than 100 veterans to be included in the collection.

"I really have a great appreciation for those who have served and feel it's really important their stories continue to be made in such a way that will actually recognize the sacrifice that they did," Boozman said.

President Bill Clinton and Congress in October 2000 approved the creation of the Veterans History Project as part of the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center. Since its start, the Library of Congress has received submissions highlighting the military service of more than 119,000 veterans from World War I to post-Sept. 11 operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Monica Mohindra, director of the Veterans History Project, said the collection serves an important purpose in preserving veterans' stories as "part of our national understanding of the United States in times of conflict and peacekeeping."

"It's a way for all of us to understand how we're personally connected to our collective history through these stories one by one," she said.

According to the Library of Congress, the collection includes the narratives of more than 2,000 Arkansas veterans. Boozman submitted interviews and other documents on seven Arkansans last week, bringing his office's total contribution to the collection to 104 accounts.

The recent batch includes the story of former Alma Mayor Keith Greene, who served in the Vietnam War as a driver and mechanic in the U.S. Army.

"I think it just reinforced that need to have a lot of self-discipline," Greene said in an interview with Boozman's office. "You just didn't know what was going to happen next, and it got you to start thinking ahead and not just letting the dice roll every minute of the day."

Mohindra said she is constantly in awe of the commonalities between veterans and their families. Similar to Boozman, Mohindra has familial ties to the military; her husband served in the U.S. Navy, and his family has an extensive history of service in the armed forces.

"We can sit down and find things in common about the collections around us common to ourselves and common to each other," she said. "When you're talking about things like conflict, war, peace, death and different experiences, it never fails to amaze me that what resplendently rises from that is how much we actually have in common."

Also like Boozman, Mohindra is aware of the challenges in getting some veterans to discuss their experiences, yet she views the issue as an opportunity.

"When you can say to a veteran or their family member to help pull those collections together, 'This is another part of your patriotic duty,' you're giving them an opportunity to unburden themselves from that sacrificial experience, and you're giving the family member -- for the greater good -- to delve deeper than the tabooness of the subject," she said.

"These are important stories," Mohindra added. "What this gives everyone is the gift of the moment to sit down and listen, [and] really try to understand the human experience."

Boozman noted a push to collect as many accounts from World War II veterans with these former service members in their 90s or older. He added these veterans may feel initially uncomfortable in sharing their accounts, but once they open up about their experiences they are willing to provide valuable insight about their military service.

"As you get older, you lose your filter a little bit," he said. "Many of these people have never really talked about it. Their children and grandchildren were surprised at their exploits and what they've actually done."

Every submission to the Veterans History Project can be accessed through the Library of Congress' website, and thousands of interviews are available for public consumption. As the library prepares for the collection's 25th anniversary, Mohindra said she hopes people explore the submissions to gain a better understanding of American history through individual accounts.

"We're not the military record; we are the personal narrative," she said. "These are what it's like to be part of service on the human scale, what it's like to witness history through that first-person perspective."

To read the story in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette click here.