There is a heightened poignancy to this year’s celebration of Flag Day and other holidays celebrating service to

our country. Almost daily, from Iraq or Afghanistan, new names of brave Americans are added to the list of those who have died in defense of our country. At the same time, our grief and pride have turned back in time, as we take special steps to pay tribute to and learn from World War II veterans.

Nearly six decades after the war ended, at last we have a place in Washington, D.C., that honors the more than 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces and the millions of men and women who supported the war effort at home. Set between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the open-air National World War II Memorial includes 4,000 gold stars commemorating the 400,000 Americans killed in World War II, pillars for each of the U.S. states and territories during the war, arches representing the Atlantic and Pacific theatres, and panels depicting scenes from the era. More than a million people, many of them veterans, attended the recent dedication ceremonies.

Our homage to the enormous and courageous effort of the “greatest generation,” however, will go beyond stone and metal symbols. A few years ago, Congress voted unanimously to create the Veterans History Project. That project, overseen by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, is collecting and preserving audio- and video-taped oral histories, along with diaries, photos, maps and letters, of America’s war veterans and those who supported them at home. The undertaking focuses on surviving military and civilian participants in all the major 20th century conflicts involving the United States. However, there is a special urgency to preserving the recollections of the now elderly men and women who ensured the victory of freedom in World War II.

This exciting work is happening all across the country. This school year, for example, a fourth-grade class in Yarmouth has been interviewing and recording residents at a nearby assisted-living facility. Ted Barris, a retired Portland lawyer, recalled how, as an 18-year-old Marine on the deck of the U.S.S. Minneapolis, 20 miles from Pearl Harbor, he watched in horror as a sky full of Japanese fighter planes flew overhead, and as two torpedoes narrowly missed his ship but struck another nearby American vessel.

Two sisters, wives of Army soldiers, explained what rationing coupons were, and told the children what it was like to live on their parents’ farm near Loring Air Force Base, and worry about their husbands who had left teaching jobs to fight in Europe. Roy Earl, now a vigorous 80, came to the classroom to describe his experience on Iwo Jima. From him, the boys and girls learned about both the horrors of that battle, and the courage that he and his buddies needed to do their jobs.

Sharing and gathering these stories has a powerful and lasting impact on all participants. Narrators gain a greater sense of pride in their contributions to the war effort, and satisfaction from knowing that their firsthand knowledge is being passed on. Listeners are enriched by a better understanding of the past and respect for these unsung heroes. This information, moreover, will be permanently preserved by the Library of Congress, enabling future generations to understand the realities of war and the everyday selfless and heroic acts that made victory possible. We encourage the people of Maine to join this national effort, by calling our offices or checking the project’s Web site, www.loc.gov/folklife/vets.

Finally, the grass-roots creation of this historical record can play an important role in shaping our society’s collective memory and perspective on the present. The lessons that we learn from these wise Americans may help us better appreciate today’s heroes, the young men and women in our armed services who are now in harm’s way. Understanding the suffering and heroism of our predecessors is vital if we are to build a more peaceful future.

Tom Allen is Maine’s 1st District congressman.