Illinois' top librarian and archivist is launching a new program to get veterans to record their war stories for future generations, as reported by WBBM 780.
Some of the most interesting history is in the details.
That's the premise of Secretary of State Jesse White, who is asking veterans to take part in the Illinois Veterans' History Project.
White remembered his own paratrooper training.
"Jumpmaster said, 'Southern jumpers die more often than Northern jumpers.'
We were kind of at a loss for that, and so one of the gentlemen from the South asked, 'Sarge, could you tell me, what do you mean by the Southern jumpers die more often than the Northern jumpers?' He said, 'When you exit the aircraft, you put your feet together, your knees together, hands on your reserve, and you count one-thousand, two-thousand, three-thousand, four-thousand, then you push your risers outward to make sure your canopy is fully inflated.
"'What the Southern jumpers do, they count one thousand-one, you all. One thousand-two, you all...."
Details can be found on White's office website.
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