Veterans Day – on Nov. 11 – pays tribute to the men and women who have served this country during war.

In Loomis, it’s also a reminder that local veterans have the opportunity to add their stories to the Veterans History Project. Since 2000, the Library of Congress American Folklife Center has collected the memories, accounts and documents of war veterans, and civilians who served in support of them, so that they can share their stories with current and future generations.

Bob Golling was recently interviewed and videotaped by Michael Neal, a Veterans History Project volunteer.

Golling is a U.S. Navy veteran, serving from 1965 to 1969. He refers to the Vietnam conflict as “the American war in Vietnam” because “their history is populated by the different wars,” he said.

Golling said more than 80 percent of the Vietnamese population was born after the U.S. left there, and the number of people who know about the American involvement in the war is small.

One of Golling’s assignments during his Navy service was as a body escort, during which he accompanied the bodies of fallen servicemen and women to their home towns.

The Veterans History Project interview is not the first time Golling has spoken publicly about his service. For 16 years, he has been a member of a veterans writing group.

Sharing stories, he said, has allowed him “to see the things of my wartime experiences much more clearly. And writing those things down helps me understand the mystery of those experiences.”

Golling said the Veterans History Project can help ease the “burden” of war experiences.

“If it’s either put down on paper or shared with others, we realize that we weren’t the only ones who had these experiences … so that we’re not burdened by either the guilt or the sadness of the tragedies we have seen.”

Unfortunately, he said, “Some go to their graves and never speak.”

Neal, also a Loomis resident, was a volunteer with the Sacramento group that conducts the Veterans History Project prior to bringing it to Placer County. He was able to do so with the help of the Town of Loomis, which has provided funding for a video camera and equipment, as well as access to the Loomis Depot where the interviews are held.

“It’s important to everyone,” Neal said, “to embody the experiences undergone by these men and women who defended and served the country in time of war.”

Neal recently interviewed Rosel Hyde “Bud” Andrews Jr., a Loomis resident since 1963.

Andrews experienced the first atomic bomb test while stationed with the Army Air Force at Alamogordo, N.M., as an aircraft mechanic during World War II.

Andrews later served in Europe and in 1946 visited the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

“We saw where they (over 200,000 Jews and political prisoners) were all cremated. It was pretty sick … I thought it was terrible,” Andrews said.

Andrews, 83, said there are many details that he has forgotten and that he wishes he could have remembered during the interview.

But he feels it’s vital to tell what he does recall.

It’s important, he said, “So your ancestors listen to what took place, remember the things that took place during the war, like Dachau, the atomic bomb and the time it went off.”

Neal and Golling invite the public in honoring veterans of all wars when they, and the Placer County Writer Group, host a Veterans Reception at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Loomis Train Depot.

Coffee and donuts will be served during the informal reception. Neal will answer questions about the Veterans History Project and make appointments for interviews.

Golling will talk about his experiences writing with veterans, which resulted in the publication of his story “The Body Escort” in the highly acclaimed anthology “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace.” The book was featured on PBS’ Bill Moyers Journal on May 25, 2007.