AUSTIN — Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D. was honored to announce that the VLB Voices of Veterans Oral History Program is part of the Texas Oral History Locator Database (TOLD) at Baylor University.

TOLD was created in 2022 by the Texas Oral History Association and Baylor University Institute of Oral History. This remarkable online database aims to identify and preserve as many oral history collections as possible. Researchers and history enthusiasts can easily search the database and connect with the managers and websites of unique oral history archives.

"Preserving the stories of our courageous Veterans is a responsibility I take seriously as VLB Chairwoman, and it is an immense honor for our Voices of Veterans Oral History program to be included in the Texas Oral History Locator Database. Through this partnership, Voices of Veterans will reach more historians, researchers, and Texas history buffs than ever before. By expanding the reach of Voices of Veterans, we will help ensure that the memories of our Veterans and the lessons their stories teach us are accessible to future generations. I want to thank VLB staff for their diligent work in submitting Voices of Veterans to TOLD, and the Texas Oral History Association and Baylor University Institute for Oral History for their support."

TOLD archives are from around the state and are supplied by many sources, including universities, public libraries, historical societies and commissions, and museums. The database has around 40,000 total interviews and nearly 700 projects, or distinct groups of interviews within the more extensive collections.

Adding the VLB Voices of Veterans program's hundreds of Veterans interviews to the growing TOLD archive will help shape the tapestry of Texas' rich history and glorify the memories of our Veterans in the hearts and minds of Texans forever.

To learn more about TOLD and view the oral history database, click the button below:

Texas Oral History Locator Database

Veterans can email VoicesofVeterans@glo.texas.gov to tell their stories. Please note that the Veteran must be a resident of Texas at the time of their interview.

Voices of Veterans is a state agency's first Veteran oral history program. It records the stories of Texas Veterans through their time in service and after returning home from combat.

The VLB records interviews with veterans over the phone or in person. Their interviews are then permanently archived in the Office of Veterans Records at the GLO, where they join the historical documents of other Texas heroes such as Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis.

Veterans' interviews are also available to researchers, historians, genealogists, and the public. These precious records inspire future generations and remind us of our Veterans' sacrifices.

To listen to the over 500 archived stories of Veterans documented through the GLO's Voices of Veterans oral history program, click the button below:

Voices of Veterans