Witness to War Foundation observes Memorial Day and celebrates 25 years of preserving oral histories of combat veterans

Atlanta, Ga – Witness to War Foundation (WTW), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the oral histories of combat veterans through video interviews, is joining with the nation to observe Memorial Day and to celebrate 25 years of the nonprofit’s work to document the personal stories of U.S. veterans. In 2026, WTW is conducting a national tour to expand the scope of its collection to include remembrances of additional generations of combat veterans and is inviting the public to nominate a combat veteran they know to be interviewed.

Founded in 2001 by entrepreneur Tom Beaty, Witness to War has interviewed more than 3,500 veterans with the mission to preserve their important and historical stories for their families and future generations, and to educate the public on the sacrifices made to preserve our freedoms. WTW’s video library contains interviews with individuals who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War as well as in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is working to expand its outreach to include younger generations of combat veterans.

“Memorial Day honors those who died in battle or from wounds sustained in combat and we join with those who returned home in remembering the military personnel who have died in service to our country,” said Emily Carley, director of the Witness to War Foundation. “It is an honor to lift up the memories of combat veterans and help Americans learn about the sacrifices these brave men and women made for our country.”

“In 2001, I attended a meeting with a group of WWII veterans and realized none of them had recorded their stories,” said Tom Beaty, founder of the Witness to War Foundation.  “I went to bed thinking what a tragedy it would be if our nation lost all of those stories. I bought a camera the next day and the Witness to War Foundation was born.”

In 2026, the WTW video crew is scheduled to visit several states and events to gather more interviews. In Kentucky and Tennessee, they will meet 187^th Infantry Regiment (Rakkasans) veterans and members of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association. In South Dakota, they will interview members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. In Colorado, they will conduct interviews with Marine combat veterans.

“Many veterans return home and focus on rebuilding their civilian lives and say that one day they will write down their memories for their children and grandchildren,” said Carley. “Through the efforts of Witness to War, these heroic men and women are able to easily share their memories that are now preserved for future generations, loved ones, historians and scholars.”

“On this holiday honoring the memory of combat veterans, we are inviting the public to nominate a loved one who is a combat veteran to be interviewed by Witness to War,” said Carley. For information about how to share your story, please visit https://www.witnesstowar.org/share_your_story. There is no cost to be interviewed and veterans and their families receive free copies of the interview.

“We often hear from people whose loved ones sat for our cameras and are no longer with us,” said Carley. “It is a special honor to preserve these memories for them.”

One such person is Stacey Richey Huddleston of Winter Garden, Florida, who posted on Facebook:  “Recently, my sister and I were trying to find exact dates for Dad’s Vietnam service and she stumbled across this website. (Witness to War Foundation). She searched his name and several interviews popped up that we’ve never seen. To hear his voice again is the best gift but these stories are stories that we’ve never heard before either. It is a gift (to hear) Dad opening up about Vietnam, which is something he rarely did for us until we were adults.”

“As we celebrate our 25^th year, part of our focus is to encourage younger veterans, from more recent conflicts, to share their experiences while the events are fresh in their minds,” said Carley.  “What they have experienced is significant and deserves to be preserved for future generations and recorded so others may learn from their time in the military.”

https://www.youtube.com/@WitnessToWarFoundationWitness to War Foundation videos are posted online and easily searchable with hashtags such as #veteranstories plus the war name and military branch. To view videos, visit https://www.youtube.com/@WitnessToWarFoundation.

About Witness to War Foundation: The Witness to War Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the oral histories of combat veterans through video interviews. Founded in 2001 by entrepreneur Tom Beaty, Witness to War has interviewed thousands of veterans with the mission to preserve their stories for their families and future generations, to honor the veterans by posting combat stories on WitnessToWar.org, and to educate the public on the sacrifices made to preserve our freedoms. The Witness to War Foundation is primarily funded by the founder and corporate sponsorship from Resultiv Capital DE, LLC.

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