One thing we definitely have found as our veterans are just generally slowing down--or passing away--is that those veterans who did eight or nine visits a year a few years ago are doing maybe one or two now. In some cases our number of veterans within the Memory Project are staying flat, for lack of a better term, or growing a bit. The frequency that they go on visits is obviously decreasing a little.
We've found more and more in recent events that children of veterans are coming to these events, representing their fathers, bringing their medals, talking about what they were told growing up and up to maybe a year or two ago when that veteran passed away. They're also bringing the medals to the table to have them scanned and digitized and they're having those stories recorded. We have quite a number of World War I veterans' stories recorded from the kids and grandkids who have spoken for them. We're seeing a really important passion from the kids, the grandkids, and the great-grandkids, but especially the children, people who are in their fifties and sixties, to carry on that tradition because they know how important it is.
The key in terms of keeping those stories alive, I think, is going to be in the technology. It's going to be in the opportunity to capture not only the textual and photograph elements of that story, but to also record their stories and to listen to a veteran speak. Recently I was on our digital archive and listening to First World War veterans speaking, whom we had recorded, who have obviously passed away. To hear the grainy voice of a First World War veteran, a combat veteran, is a remarkable experience for me as a history person, but obviously for students, to help them understand the important contribution the veterans made in the First World War.
So I think technology, engaging the next generations from their families, and also doing what we can to get teachers to keep that memory alive is important. And Mr. MacDonell has found that as well.