Military Collection at the State Archives can help with documentation recovery
By From staff reports
Published in News on November 15, 2016 9:57 AM
RALEIGH -- The Military Collection at the State Archives of North Carolina can assist North Carolina military veterans whose personal military records, military correspondence and photographs, military training manuals, and other archival items from their service in the U.S. Armed Forces and North Carolina National Guard have been affected or damaged as a result of Hurricane Matthew.
Veterans whose service materials were affected by floodwaters, who do not have a place to store archival service records, or who need assistance in making decisions about retaining personal belongings due to damage to their home can contact Military Collection archivist Matthew Peek for a consultation via phone, at 919-807-7314, or by email, at matthew.peek@ncdcr.gov, to discuss preservation options.
"We are proud to work with our state's veterans preserve some of the items we know they value most," said Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz. "Whether it's cleaning and restoring historic treasures or helping to preserve people's personal treasures, we are here to help whenever we can."
Veterans are encouraged not to discard any service materials damaged by the storm to storm since there could be historical value in these materials, and there are other options available besides discarding them.
The Military Collection views all of the state's veterans' service history as valuable for historical context for its citizens, and can offer its assistance in helping to determine what materials have enduring historical value and should be retained and preserved.
"Just because water or other damage may have affected your military service materials, does not mean they cannot be saved in many cases," Peek said. "We want all veterans affected by this storm to know that we care about you and preserving your history. The recovery process for your service materials might take a while, but we are willing to take the time to try to assist you as much as possible."
For more information, visit the N.C. State Archives Military Collection online at http://archives.ncdcr.gov/Public/Collections/Non-Government/Military-Collections.