SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - State officials say thousands of Illinois veterans have contributed stories to a project that is working to preserve historical details about military members.

The Illinois Veterans History Project was created in 2005 by Secretary of State Jesse White. An Army veteran himself, White wanted to collect accounts of people who had been to war.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that the effort has collected historical accounts from 6,500 veterans. They include World War I veterans to people who have been in current conflicts. Organizers hope to add even more voices.

The collection is available online and lists details about when and where a veteran served as well as details about their units. Veterans can include videos and written personal stories.

"We're asking people to come forward to let us know what they experienced while they were in the military so we can make this a part of history," said White, who is also the state's chief archivist. "People will be able to go to our website, pull up the stories and hear about the experiences of these veterans."

Among those who have contributed is 92-year-old Clyde Brubaker.

The Litchfield resident flew dozens of missions over Europe in World War II.

"Our planes were often hit," he said. "On one mission, my plane had 20-some holes in it. That wasn't unusual. As long as it didn't hit a vital part of the aircraft or crew member, it wasn't a big deal."

Online: Illinois Veterans History Project: http://bit.ly/1bbBEvz.