StoryCorps' 2023 Military Voices Tour to Record and Preserve the Stories of Veterans, Active Duty Service Members, and Military Families

March 6, 2023 – StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, today announces its 2023 Military Voices Initiative tour, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and undertaken in partnership with veteran service organizations (VSOs) across the country. Staffed with trained StoryCorps facilitators, free and open to active service members, veterans, and loved ones, the Military Voices Initiative will head to three locations in-person this year: Portland, ME; Anchorage, AK; and Savannah, Georgia. Virtual recording options will also be available throughout these three states.

StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative honors veterans and members of the military community by gathering and preserving their stories. Millions of American men and women have served in the armed services, while their family members have stood behind them at home. The military community knows well the pride and honor of service as well as the unique challenges of multiple deployments, combat injuries, and long-awaited homecomings. Yet these are experiences that few civilians have heard about. The Military Voices Initiative illuminates these experiences and contributes to StoryCorps’ diverse collection by recording and preserving the stories of veterans of all wars, service members, and military families—in their own words. Since its launch in 2013, the initiative has collected more than 2,800 interviews with service members past and present from all over the country.

"As a proud member of a military family, I know first-hand the value of preserving and listening to the stories of service members, veterans, and their loved ones," says Sandra M. Clark, CEO of StoryCorps. "Recording these experiences—and preserving them for posterity at the Library of Congress—is a profound way to honor their service and acknowledge that their lives and sacrifices matter. I am so proud of my dad’s—and my mom’s—service. We are grateful to all the military families who entrust us with their stories."

“CPB is proud to support StoryCorps and this vital initiative, which honors the lives and sacrifices of the men and women who have served with such distinction,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “By preserving their stories of leadership and sacrifice, we are ensuring they will be accessible to future generations, reminding us of what it takes to protect our democracy and freedoms.” Recordings from the Military Voices Initiative, like all StoryCorps interviews, are preserved for posterity in the StoryCorps Archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, an unparalleled world resource for over two-hundred years.

StoryCorps’ 2023 Military Voices Initiative Tour Schedule

     ● Maine // Virtual: April 24 - April 28 // In-Person: May 29 - June 2 (Portland)
     ● Alaska // Virtual: May 8 - May 12 // In-Person: July 24 - July 28 (Anchorage)
     ● Georgia // Virtual: July 10 - July 14 // In-Person: August 7 - August 11 (Savannah)

Reservations are free and available to the public, and can be booked online at storycorps.org/military-voices.

StoryCorps has partnered with Maine Public, Alaska Public Media, and Georgia Public Broadcasting Media in each respective tour stop. With participant permission, these stations will air a selection of the interviews recorded in their state and, in many cases, create special programs around the project. Virtual listening events will also be held locally to give civilians opportunities to engage with veterans and service members in their communities.

Additionally, StoryCorps may share edited versions of interviews collected throughout the tour via its NPR broadcasts, podcast, animated shorts, and digital platforms.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, StoryCorps fosters an environment of comfort and intimacy for its interviews, with a trained facilitator guiding participants throughout the process. For those who choose to record virtually, the interview process and experience will be conducted via StoryCorps Virtual, a browser-based platform that allows both participants to see and hear one another during their conversation, which is guided remotely by a facilitator. After each free, 40-minute recording session, participants receive a complimentary copy of their interview, and a second copy is archived at the Library of Congress with the participant’s permission.

Special thanks to the dedicated and trusted Dignity Memorial® providers for their sponsorship of the Military Voices Initiative broadcast on NPR in 2023.

About StoryCorps
Founded in 2003, StoryCorps has given over 620,000 people, in all 50 states, the chance to record interviews about their lives. The award-winning organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, engender empathy and connection, and remind us how much more we have in common than what divides us. StoryCorps is especially committed to capturing and amplifying voices least heard in the media. The StoryCorps MobileBooth, an Airstream trailer that has been transformed into a traveling recording booth, crisscrosses the country year-round gathering the stories of people nationwide. 2023 marks StoryCorps’ 20th anniversary. Learn more at storycorps.org.

About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for other updates.

Press Contact:
Blake Zidell and Nora Lyons
blake@blakezidell.com, nora@blakezidell.com 917.572.2493