A court reporter’s skill set can be used for numerous purposes other than capturing the record in a courtroom or in a deposition. Members of the Texas Court Reporters Association are among the court reporters nationwide who volunteer their specialized skills to ensure that the stories of our country’s veterans are preserved for future generations.

The Veterans History Project, a part of the Library of Congress, started in 2000 and collects histories from any veteran who served from World War I through the Iraq war. Lorie Schnoor, President of the Texas Court Reporters Association, said that once a veteran has contacted them and is willing to share their story, arrangements are made for a 30-minute interview. A trained interviewer talks with the veteran while the court reporter takes down the record. The court reporter then prepares a verbatim transcript, which is submitted to the Library of Congress.

“Nationwide … over 4,000, I guess, transcripts have been done by court reporters,” Schnoor said.
Schnoor admitted it’s hard to get the word out about the project. She said the TCRA has put up flyers in businesses and places that veterans frequent, but getting veterans to come forward is the hardest part.

“We don’t want to track them down and, you know, ‘Please do this for us,’ you know?” Schnoor said. “It’s got to be on their own free will.”

She added many veterans they come in contact with don’t want to relive the experience they had while in the Armed Forces.

Due to a shortage of court reporters in Texas and nationwide, it sometimes takes a while to get an interview scheduled. The interviewers and court reporters prioritize older veterans, particularly World War II veterans, since their numbers are quickly dwindling.

For more information on how you can participate in this vital program, either as a court reporter or an interviewer, visit the Veterans History Project website: https://www.loc.gov/vets/.