{"id":117186,"date":"2026-02-24T13:17:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T18:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/?p=117186"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:40:57","slug":"a-volunteers-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/a-volunteers-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"A Volunteer&#8217;s Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kb-image117186_da0718-9a.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image117186_da0718-9a .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:847px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image117186_da0718-9a.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image117186_da0718-9a .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image117186_da0718-9a figure{max-width:847px;}.kb-image117186_da0718-9a .image-is-svg, .kb-image117186_da0718-9a .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image117186_da0718-9a .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image117186_da0718-9a\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/new.express.adobe.com\/webpage\/B6djmcT1D7GFU\" class=\"kb-advanced-image-link\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"842\" height=\"531\" src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/02\/Voluntary-Service-Scrapbook.webp\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/02\/Voluntary-Service-Scrapbook.webp\" alt=\"Voluntary Services Scrapbook\" class=\"lazyload kb-img wp-image-117587\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27842%27%20height%3D%27531%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20842%20531%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27842%27%20height%3D%27531%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/02\/Voluntary-Service-Scrapbook.webp?resize=300,189 300w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/02\/Voluntary-Service-Scrapbook.webp?resize=600,378 600w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/02\/Voluntary-Service-Scrapbook.webp?resize=768,484 768w, https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/02\/Voluntary-Service-Scrapbook.webp 842w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 842px) 100vw, 842px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the earliest days of the Nation, volunteers have supported Service members, Veterans and their families. From Revolutionary War camp followers, to the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War and the American Red Cross of WWI, volunteers have mobilized nationwide relief efforts and provided the framework for the first Veterans hospitals system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This <a href=\"https:\/\/new.express.adobe.com\/webpage\/B6djmcT1D7GFU\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/new.express.adobe.com\/webpage\/B6djmcT1D7GFU\" rel=\"noopener\">exhibit<\/a> explores that legacy through the scrapbook of Frances Bailie, a VA volunteer in the early 1950s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the earliest days of the Nation, volunteers have supported Service members, Veterans and their families. From Revolutionary War camp followers, to the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War and the American Red Cross of WWI, volunteers have mobilized nationwide relief efforts and provided the framework for the first Veterans hospitals system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":117188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[28,105,94],"class_list":["post-117186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibits","tag-veterans-administration","tag-veterans-benefits-administration","tag-veterans-health-administration"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/a-volunteers-perspective\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"A Volunteer&#8217;s Perspective","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/a-volunteers-perspective\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/a-volunteers-perspective\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/02\/VA.Voluntary.Service.Scrapbook.011_269981-scaled-e1771955147961.jpg?w=300","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/02\/VA.Voluntary.Service.Scrapbook.011_269981-scaled-e1771955147961.jpg"},"articleSection":"Exhibits and Story Maps","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"jasminebrown12"}],"creator":["jasminebrown12"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA History","logo":""},"keywords":["veterans administration","veterans benefits administration","veterans health administration"],"dateCreated":"2026-02-24T18:17:53Z","datePublished":"2026-02-24T18:17:53Z","dateModified":"2026-04-20T20:40:57Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"A Volunteer&#8217;s Perspective\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/a-volunteers-perspective\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/a-volunteers-perspective\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/VA.Voluntary.Service.Scrapbook.011_269981-scaled-e1771955147961.jpg?w=300\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/department.va.gov\\\/history\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/VA.Voluntary.Service.Scrapbook.011_269981-scaled-e1771955147961.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Exhibits and Story Maps\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"jasminebrown12\"}],\"creator\":[\"jasminebrown12\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"VA History\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"veterans administration\",\"veterans benefits administration\",\"veterans health administration\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-02-24T18:17:53Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-24T18:17:53Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-20T20:40:57Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/department.va.gov\/p.js"},"meta_box":{"external_links":"0","endorsement":"0","subheading":"","featured_image_alt_text":"VA Voluntary Service Scrapbook","byline":"Ashley Pruett, VA History Office Work Study Program, Kurt Senn, VA Curator Issac Wolter, Collections Curator, Katie Rories, Historian, Veterans Health Administration","author_title":"","external_source":"","external_source_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/258"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117186"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117589,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117186\/revisions\/117589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}