Veterans Day: Google, YouTube, help veterans share their stories

Google and YouTube are honoring Veterans Day by helping veterans share their experiences of serving in the military.

The search giant is featuring a special animated Doodle to commemorate Veterans Day. People who click on the Doodle can hear the experiences of five veterans thanks to a partnership between Google and StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve peoples’ stories for future generations.

The five veterans, who are chosen from the StoryCorps archive, include a Marine Corporal who deployed to Iraq in 2003, a Navy veteran who survived Pearl Harbor and a female Air Force reservist who deployed to Iraq twice in 2007 and 2008. An Army Special Forces sergeant major who was seriously injured by an IED in Afghanistan also recounts his experiences, as does the medic who pulled him from the wreckage of the attack.

Using the hashtag #VeteransVoices, YouTube is calling on video creators to interview a veteran they know and upload their story to the video sharing service or to the StoryCorps app. Stories collected through StoryCorps will be submitted to the Library of Congress.

YouTube is also highlighting the work of Dallas high school senior Andy Fancher, whose YouTube channel documents the stories of World War II veterans.

Other Google initiatives have focused on veterans. In August, for example, the tech company unveiled a new search tool to help veterans get civilian jobs. Google.org has also given a $2.5 million grant to the USO to provide training and career guidance for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, military spouses, and veterans.

Veterans Day 2018 also marks the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. To commemorate the event, Google Arts and Culture has partnered with the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri to digitize and upload hundreds of historical documents, posters, and photographs. Virtual visitors can also tour the museum’s grounds and interior in Google Museum View, and take part in Google Cardboard tours.

Source: Foxnews.com