Iowa Veterans Research Project

America 250 Iowa

Introduction

On July 4, 2026, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. U.S. military personnel have been an integral part of the country before and since its founding.

Honoring veterans is important because it helps us understand the real stories behind our nation’s history — stories of courage, sacrifice, resilience, teamwork and service. When we take time to learn from and about veterans, we show gratitude for their contributions and ensure that their experiences are remembered and valued by future generations.

This research project gives students an opportunity to engage in authentic, meaningful learning by researching or engaging in hearing more about veterans’ experiences. Through this work, students not only honor the service of veterans but also help preserve their stories, gaining insight into both our past and the responsibilities of citizenship today.

Overview

Throughout this project, students will gather historical information and, in some cases, analyze personal narratives to develop a deeper understanding of military service and its impact on individuals and communities.

First, decide whether students will research living or deceased veterans, or both. The process for conducting this work is different depending on whether students are conducting oral history interviews of living service members or more heavily relying on historical documents to piece together information about the service experiences of deceased veterans.

Second, connect with local community groups that focus on veterans and veteran issues. This might be a local chapter of the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars, or could be something like a veterans hospital or local museum, etc. It is important to reach out to members of your community in order to connect with veterans and partner together to share the outcomes of these projects.

Third, decide on the format of these stories. This could range from short stories of veteran experiences to extensive video interviews of living veterans. Think about what works best for your students and the community in which you live.

Finally, think about how these stories will be shared. Will students present to the wider school or community to share these stories? Will student projects be shared with a local community group or museum so they can be preserved over time?

Researching Living Veterans

By speaking directly with veterans or researching their stories, students will practice the skills of historians — asking thoughtful questions, listening carefully, evaluating sources, and connecting individual stories to larger themes in history.

Step 1: Prepare

Preparation is key to ensure the success of any student research project. One of the first steps in this process is thinking about how you will connect with veterans in the community. You might already know veterans (or you might even be one yourself) in the community. Start here. You might also want to connect with local community organizations focused on veterans and veterans’ issues. Some resources to connect with veterans include, but are not limited to, the American Legion (find your local American Legion chapter) or Veterans of Foreign Wars. You might also consider reaching out to your local county museum or other museums in your community because they often already have some information on local veterans.

Before you reach out, decide whether you are wanting a cross-section of experiences from service or whether you are looking for veterans that served during a specific time period. This might especially be true if you want the project to connect to a specific aspect of your curriculum.

Next, think about how many veterans you might need for the project students are doing. Will students be working individually or in groups? If students are working in groups, you might consider giving students different roles, such as host, interviewer, tech support, etc.

Step 2: Launch

It is now time to launch the project. Introduce the project to students in a way that makes the most sense for your learning objectives. Is this part of a larger unit on a certain aspect of military service or a specific war? Or is this a stand-alone project? Help students understand why researching veteran experiences will help them understand the sacrifice and service of military personnel.

Next, help students develop the skills needed to conduct oral histories. Your approach to this might vary depending on the grade level of your students. One video you may want to check out is Conducting an Oral History Interview (YRDSB Museum and Archives). Helping students understand and realize a specific process for conducting oral histories can be challenging, but will develop student skills and ensure a quality experience for both those being interviewed and the interviewees.

Before conducting the interview, work with students to generate questions for the veterans they will be interviewing. The Sample Veteran Research Project Interview Questions is a base set of questions to get started. However, students might want to generate more specific questions based on the goals of the project. Please also discuss with students how to handle questions sensitively. There may be some questions interviewees don’t want to answer or would feel uncomfortable answering. You may consider sharing a base set of questions with the interviewee prior to the interview.

One aspect of oral history interviews that students often struggle with is asking follow-up questions based on the answers provided. Before students interview veterans, have them practice generating follow-up questions with other students or adults in the school.

Before conducting the interview, email or send a Veterans Release Form to each person being interviewed. This will help provide clarification that veteran oral histories will likely be shared with stakeholders outside of the school, which could include local veterans organizations, museums, etc. Make sure this is signed prior to conducting the interview if the intention is that the interviews will be shared outside of the school.

Step 3: Conduct the Interview

On the day of the interview(s), think about a quiet space that can be used for each person being interviewed. This is especially important when interviews are being video- or audio-recorded. Veterans could come to the school, or interviews could be conducted virtually if that is an option.

Before beginning the interview, be sure to test equipment for sound and best lighting to ensure the interview is easy to hear and see. Make sure the interviewee has access to water, tissues (if needed), and anything else they may request.

Step 4: Share

One of the most valuable aspects of this project is sharing the stories of veterans with the wider community. Think about the ways in which projects could be shared. Does your community have a local veterans organization or local museum that wants to house these stories? Could students create a website to share community stories?

Next, think about the format that would work best for sharing. This could range from videos (via YouTube, WeVideo, etc.) and video transcriptions to student summary videos, audio (via services like SoundCloud), websites, or other simple infographics to share these stories. Keep in mind that your district may have IT policies that block the sharing of student-created videos, etc., outside of school personnel. Check with your IT department if external permissions are needed.

If possible, it will be helpful to include a Biographical Data Form from each veteran with any projects. This is not to be shared publicly, but is a way to ensure there is appropriate archival data included with any video or audio that may be shared.

Researching Deceased Veterans

The process of researching deceased veterans is just as important but different than conducting oral histories with living veterans. Iowans have contributed to military service for hundreds of years. Over forty soldiers who fought in the American Revolution are even buried here.

Step 1: Prepare 

First, decide the best way for students to learn about deceased veterans in their community. Some options for this could be:

  • Asking students to visit local cemeteries and looking for symbols that identify veterans. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration website includes types of headstones and symbols that may identify someone as a veteran. Students might also look for flags or other markers such as a Grand Army of the Republic marker, indicating that person served in the Civil War.
  • Connect with local community groups that focus on veterans and veteran issues. This might be a local chapter of the American Legion (find your local American legion chapter) or Veterans of Foreign Wars or could be something like a veterans hospital or local museum, etc. These groups often maintain lists of veterans and this could be a valuable place to start.
  • Other resources could include organizations such as the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation or the American Battle Monuments Commission. If looking for veterans from specific conflicts, consider going to specific websites or sources dedicated to memorializing those service members.

Second, decide on the format of these stories. This could range from short stories of veteran experiences to a slide presentation. Think about what works best for your students and the community in which you live.

Third, decide what resources students might use to research these veterans. Could they connect with family members of these veterans? Will they visit local museums? Will they use Internet sources such as Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, or Newspapers.com to research these veterans? Note: Schools can get free access to these resources. Other resources that may be helpful include:

Finally, think about how these stories will be shared. Will students present to the wider school or community to share these stories? Will student projects be shared with a local community group or museum so they can be preserved over time? 

Step 2: Launch 

It is now time to launch the project! Introduce the project to students in a way that makes the most sense for your learning objectives. Is this part of a larger unit on a certain aspect of military service or a specific war? Or, is this a stand-alone project? Help students understand why researching veteran experiences will help them understand the sacrifice and service of military personnel.

Next, help students develop the skills needed to research these veterans. Your approach to this might vary depending on the grade-level of your students and the research process that makes the most sense.  

Before starting, work with students to generate questions they would like to learn about the veterans. The Sample Veteran Research Project Questions is a base set of questions to get started. However, students might want to generate more specific questions based on the goals of the project and information they think will be available to them.

Step 3: Research

Decide how students will best research the lives of these veterans. This could involve students meeting with external experts and/or doing significant Internet research. How will this be structured? How will you help check in on student work and monitor progress throughout the project?

Step 4: Share

One of the most valuable aspects of this project is sharing the stories of veterans with the wider community. Think about the ways in which projects could be shared. Does your community have a local veterans organization or museum that wants to house these stories? Could students create a website to share community stories? Could you host a community night so students could share their projects with the wider community?

Next, think about the format that would work best for sharing. This could range from videos (via YouTube, We Video, etc.), websites, or other simple infographics to share these stories. Keep in mind that your district may have IT policies that block the sharing of student-created videos, etc. outside of school personnel. Check with your IT department if external permissions are needed.

Share Your Projects With Us

We want to hear about and showcase your student’s projects! Want to share your project? Questions? Email Stefanie Wager at stefanie.wager@iowa.gov.