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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Afghan War, 2001-2021; Operation Inherent Resolve; Kosovo, 1999; Peacekeeping forces--Bosnia and Hercegovina; Iraq War, 2003-2011
  • Dates of Service: 1996
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: US Army Special Operations Command; 7th Special Forces Group; 5th Special Forces Group; US Special Operations Command; Stabilisation Force (SFOR); Kosovo Force (KFOR)
  • Battles & Campaigns: Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF); Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF); Operation Inherent Resolve
  • Location of Service: Germany; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Columbia; Peru; Bahrain; Qatar; Lebanon; Jordan; Iraq; Syria; Afghanistan; Kuwait; Kosovo; Bosnia and Hercegovina
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/129637

View full service history

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • James Michael O'Brien Collection

Names

  • O'Brien, James Michael
  • Wittmer, Cole

State of Residence at Time of Collection Donation

  • Florida

Headings

  • -  O'Brien, James Michael
  • -  Peacekeeping forces -- Bosnia and Hercegovina -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Kosovo, 1999 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Operation Inherent Resolve -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Peacekeeping forces--Bosnia and Hercegovina

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: US Army Special Operations Command; 7th Special Forces Group; 5th Special Forces Group; US Special Operations Command; Stabilisation Force (SFOR)
    • Location of Service: Germany; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Columbia; Peru; Bahrain; Qatar; Lebanon; Jordan; Iraq; Syria; Afghanistan; Kuwait; Kosovo; Bosnia and Hercegovina
    • Highest Rank: Colonel
    • Dates of Service: 1996
    • Entrance into Service: Commissioned
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Kosovo, 1999

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: Kosovo Force (KFOR)
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Afghan War, 2001-2021

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Battles & Campaigns: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Iraq War, 2003-2011

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Battles & Campaigns: Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Operation Inherent Resolve

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Battles & Campaigns: Operation Inherent Resolve
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: Flash Drive [ item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2025-04-26)
  • Photograph: Digital File [10 items] -- Photograph (collected 1999-2015)
  • Computer File: Flash Drive [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 1999-2025)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/129637

Online Format

  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

O'Brien, James Michael, and Cole Wittmer. James Michael O'Brien Collection. 1996. Personal Narrative. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.129637/.

APA citation style:

O'Brien, J. M. & Wittmer, C. (1996) James Michael O'Brien Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.129637/.

MLA citation style:

O'Brien, James Michael, and Cole Wittmer. James Michael O'Brien Collection. 1996. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/afc2001001.129637/>.