On Wednesday, December 3 SCE&G announced a $125,000 donation to the USS YORKTOWN Foundation to fund the preservation of veteran war stories and oral histories by the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. The donation will enable the museum to expand its already popular video series titled “War Stories” and purchase the equipment needed to record video archives that will help bring the museum to life.
Patriots Point’s video archiving projects will be produced inside a recently built studio aboard the USS YORKTOWN. They will be presented through touch-screen kiosks on museum tour routes, social media and educational symposiums.
“The ability to capture and preserve stories is very important because these men and women, especially those who served in World War II and the Korean War, won’t be around forever,” said Patriots Point Executive Director Mac Burdette. “We need to ensure that their experiences are saved for future generations to see, hear and respect.”
“Only by detailing and preserving these very personal stories of courage and sacrifice of these American servicemen and women critical to our country’s history can we maintain the foundation for future liberty and freedom,” said Keller Kissam, President of Retail Operations for SCE&G. “It is not only an honor, but something we deem a responsibility for our company on behalf of our employees.”
According to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, by September 2017, there will only be 500,000 World War II veterans still living. More than 16 million Americans served in the war.