More than a century after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, the stories of American veterans who served during that pivotal period offer fascinating insights into the era.

To preserve and share history as it happened, from the perspective of those who lived it, the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project (VHP) collects these stories and the stories of the veterans who followed.

Many of the veterans’ personal stories have been lost over time, but the program encourages veterans to document their experiences through first-hand oral histories, photographs or written accounts. The stories are then made available so that current and future generations can better understand what the veterans experienced during their service.

Over time, new submissions from veterans who served in World War I have become increasingly rare, but occasionally something special is discovered, such as two submissions from Sherie Lockett: collections from her grandfathers, both African American and World War I veterans.

Jessie Calvin Lockett’s collection contains 34 original letters and offers a unique insight into his experiences as a dock worker in France, loading and unloading cargo ships.

The collection of Sherie Lockett’s grandfather Arthur Singleton includes a unique find: a 105-year-old diary.

When Singleton joined the Army in 1918, he was assigned to the 803rd Engineer Infantry Brigade, a separate unit tasked with building and repairing infrastructure.

Singleton’s diary is VHP’s first written account of a black soldier who served in World War I. The entries detail his time in service, from training at Camp Grant to the harsh conditions en route to Europe aboard the USS Mannequin. He describes his arrival in Scotland, his journey to France for further training, and his deployment to the front on November 11, 1918, the day the Armistice went into effect.

His combat tour lasted only six hours, but his time in Europe extended beyond the armistice. His post-combat journals describe camping at Menil-La-Tour, being promoted to platoon sergeant, retrieving American property from the trenches, and visiting Paris.

He also candidly recounts instances of racism at the hands of his American comrades abroad—such as being denied access to his base’s mess hall and being harassed out of a field of operations—and recounts how his unit was assigned “background work” while white engineer units received credit for digging trenches on the front lines.

Thanks to the donation of her granddaughter, who made her letters and diaries available for the project, VHP is able to share Jessie Lockett and Singleton’s experiences and perspectives as black soldiers during World War I. While the program requires first-hand submissions, the stories of veterans who served long ago and have already died can still be included through similar donations of diaries or recorded videos.

To read more veteran stories and learn more about how you or a loved one can contribute to the program, visit loc.gov/vets.