Throughout the two week institute, participants engaged in a number of professional development opportunities, workshops on oral history, curriculum development, discussions of readings and digitized collections, lectures from our expert guests, panels, and guided tours. Below are a few of the institute’s highlights.
Week 1 Highlights
Our keynote speaker during the first week was Richard Brookshire, co-founder of the Black Veterans Project. The week culminated with Dr. Higgins interviewing Richard Brookshire live and in front of the participants. The attendees also engaged in a question and answer session at the end of the interview. The full interview is accessible below.
Workshops, Panels, and Discussions
During the first week of the institute at Virginia Tech, we hosted a series of workshops on oral history methods, discussions of literature, poetry, and digital collections. Visiting scholars and veterans gave presentations, participated in panel conversations, and engaged the participants in discussions that were always insightful and often impassioned.
At the end of the first week, Dr. Higgins surprised all the participants, team members, and visiting scholars with a unique challenge coin, symbolizing their commitment to teaching, to amplifying the voices of veterans and to bridging the divide between civilians and veterans.
Week 2 Highlights
Arlington National Cemetery and the Military Women’s Memorial
During our first day in Washington D.C., we visited Arlington National Cemetery. Our visiting scholar, Dr. Kara Dixon Vuic joined us at the Military Women’s Memorial and gave a presentation on the history of women in the military. She provided insights into her experiences completing oral history interviews with nurses for her dissertation and first book, Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War. She also engaged the participants in a discussion of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial and the advocacy of women veterans like Linda Van Devanter.
In the afternoon, the group toured Arlington National Cemetery and engaged in a discussion with Dr. Jim Dubinksy on remembrance, family military legacies, and bonds among veterans from different generations. At the Tomb of the Civil War Unknowns, Dr. Jason Higgins gave a talk on the experiences of African American soldiers during the Civil War and erasure of their memory after Reconstruction.
Library of Congress and the Veterans History Project
Kerry Ward, Liaison Specialist, for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, gave the institute a private tour of the Jefferson Building (mostly before the crowds of tourists arrived). She gave a fascinating overview of the history of the building and showcased some featured collections, including the musical instruments, rare books, exhibits, and more. VHP staff Owen Rogers also provided instruction on how to participate in the Veterans History Project. Below is a gallery of images from the Library of Congress.
Kerry Ward giving a tour of the private music room.
John Ketwig at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Best-selling author and Vietnam veteran, John Ketwig met with the institute at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and gave a powerful talk, recounting his harrowing experiences in Vietnam and his decades-long journey of healing after the war. He moved the crowd, sharing the painful memories of grieving the death of his infant who was born with birth defects related to Agent Orange. He discussed the reasons why he joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace. Ketwig is the author of two books: …And a Hard Rain Fell: A G.I.’s True Story of the War in Vietnam, and Vietnam Reconsidered: The War, The Times, and Why They Matter.
