Tomorrow, May 19, is Armed Forces Day, a holiday established in 1949 for U.S. citizens to come together in appreciation for all members of the military. One of the main missions of the CresCom Bank Center for Military and Veterans Studies at Coastal Carolina University is to encourage appreciation for veterans, says Rod Gragg, director of the center.

It does this through the "promotion, planning, execution of events that recognize the veterans in our midst, that connect veterans to the community at large," Gragg says. "It's really important to pass that along to a younger generation."

The center was established in 2009 and performs a variety of functions as part of its mission, including the collection and preservation of oral histories given by veterans across all modern eras. It does this through a partnership with the Library of Congress and via a television show called "Military Memoirs." The center has also facilitated the donation of World War II photographs from a private citizen to the MacArthur Memorial Museum.

"It's priceless and critically important to preserve these memories, because these veterans who served and sacrificed for us in different eras are leaving us every day," Gragg says.

In addition to oral histories, the center focuses on research and instruction of military history. Gragg teaches several courses at CCU on military history and the Civil War.

"The classroom is a key component of our mission at the center," he says.

Learn more about the center here, or contact Gragg at 843-234-3431 or rgragg@coastal.edu.