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SLO County museum records WWII veterans' stories for Library of Congress

Tribune - 5/5/2022

May 5—World War II veterans Bill Hewes, James Porter and Spence Stimler had front-row seats to history — and now their stories are being immortalized for posterity.

The Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum in San Luis Obispo gathers and records veteran stories onsite as part of the National Veterans History Project with the Library of Congress. To date, the museum has submitted more than 500 recorded stories to the Library of Congress archives since the project's start more than 20 years ago.

On Monday, the museum gathered together the three latest veterans, all of whom served in the Navy during World War II, to record their recollections of the war and on living for a century.

(Hewes is 100 years old, while Porter is 99 and Stimler is 98.)

All three men have connections to the Central Coast, according to the museum news release. Porter and Stimler both reside in Santa Maria, while Hewes has family in San Luis Obispo.

On Monday, the trio recorded their stories for the Central Coast museum, sharing what it was like serving during World War II.

Hewes, the oldest of the trio, served aboard the Navy destroyer USS Miller and even witnessed the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, he recalled.

"All the ships around blew their horns," he said Monday, choking up slightly as he recalled the historic moment. "It still gets me. It was quite a sight."

The three men will all receive free DVDs of their interviews, and one copy will go to the Library of Congress while the other is held in museum files, according to Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum communications director Sarah Twisselman.

Twisselman said the clips could eventually be shown to the public, though that would depend on getting museum volunteers with videography experience.

Otherwise, all three stories will be available online at the Library of Congress Veterans History Archives website in the next few months, she said.

Going forward, the museum is hoping to get in contact with more Central Coast veterans, including those involved in WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Gulf War and modern conflicts, Twisselman added.

If you or someone you know qualifies, you can submit their information through the 'Contact Us' form on CCVMM"s website: www.vetmuseum.org.

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