LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Efforts are underway to transcribe oral histories of veterans during their time of service.

It’s a partnership between the National Court Reporters Foundation and the veterans’ stories that will sit in the U.S. Library of Congress.

“Well, it was an honor. So, I mean, I just felt like I was helping people. So I never thought about that and blood never bothers me, which is a good was a good attribute, I guess,” said veteran Robert Miller.

He enlisted in the Navy in 1952 to avoid the draft and performed medical functions as a corpsman.

“I was 18, so, so I went from there to Corona Naval Hospital, where I was… they brought the prisoners of war to the Oakland Naval Hospital,” Miller said. 

His service came with some daring stories. During the Korean War, he assisted two people who survived a civilian plane crash. While in the Vietnam War, he flew as part of a secret mission into Cambodia, battled in over 40 combat missions, and helped people as a triage nurse.

“It’s a unique opportunity to hear someone’s history, to hear someone’s personal experience,” said Meredith Bonn, spokesperson for the National Court Reporters Foundation. “So the Foundation sponsors the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, where throughout a long period, we have sat down as court reporters, machine shorthand stenographers to make a transcript and a video record of the stories, the histories of our veterans and their experience in war, their experience in the service as a way to preserve those for all of time.” 

So far, the National Court Reporters Association members have transcribed more than 4,300 oral histories of U.S. military veterans.

“I worked with some around great people all my life, so and I had events that very few people can experience,” Miller said. 

Stories now for anyone to watch and for future generations.