​VETERANS UNPACK THEIR EXPERIENCES AT NDSU

American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman famously quipped, “War is hell.” That also seems to be the thrust of the majority of wartime film and literature that has been passed down to us over history.

The individuals who become soldiers are never quite the same people when they return from combat. Things like taking the life of another person and witness the deaths of civilians, innocents, or friends take their toll and it is quite the adjustment from seeing those harrowing sights to living a ‘normal’ life. It is this disconnect in communication between civilians back home and local veterans that ‘Project Unpack’ seeks to remedy.

“Project Unpack is a National Endowment for the Humanities-funded project that is part of their Humanities in the Public Square initiative, focused on the value of the humanities in civic life,” says Christina Weber, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at North Dakota State University, who wrote the grant last summer in collaboration with a number of people in the faculty and community.

Other contributors toward the project are: Angela Smith, Assistant Professor of Public History; Alison Graham-Bertolini, Assistant Professor of English; and Michael Strand, Professor of Visual Arts, who are also working along with local artist and veteran Josh Zeis and Chris Deery, a veteran who works on several veteran issues in the Fargo-Moorhead community.

The aim of Project Unpack is to increase dialogue in the community regarded the challenges faced by veterans and their families, with especial focus on reintegration into civilian life. “We also want to focus on the value of storytelling in a multifaceted way,” says Weber.

For that reason, the program’s kick-off event on May 13th in the NDSU Concert Hall will feature as speaker celebrated writer Tim O’Brien, best known for the short story collection ‘The Things They Carried,’ which follows a platoon in the Vietnam War and the various moral and emotional burdens that soldiers carry through war back home. O’Brien will be speaking about these burdens as well as his writing at the event and conducting a book signing afterwards.

This is far from the only event planned for Project Unpack. In June they are planning a memoir-writing workshop, and in July there will be a craft workshop designed by Michael Strand and Josh Zeis, as well as working on recording and collecting oral histories from those who wish to contribute.

The main focus of these events throughout is squarely on veterans and their families but in the fall Project Unpack will bring aspects of these events to the community at large as well as plan additional projects.

“We hope it will highlight the broad range of experiences that veterans go through at war and upon their return home,” says Weber. She hopes that by creating a space for veterans and their families to discuss these issues, they will find more support and understanding in the community.

It is true that it is hard for a (largely) peaceful community to fully understand the full scope of the veteran’s experience, with Hollywood often watering it down or hamming it up for entertainment purposes. Weber said that the very naming of the project is because, “Unpacking our stories and experiences is an ongoing and evolving process. She sincerely hopes that the program will last beyond the one year of the grant, and perhaps with the support of the community it will.

These events are free and open to the public, regardless of whether you are or know a veteran. You can find more information about the program at unpackstories.org.

IF YOU GO

Oral history process and discussion

Thursday, May 5, 7-8:30 p.m.

Rose Room, 2nd floor, NDSU Memorial Union

Tim O’Brien kickoff event

Friday, May 13, 7-9 p.m.

NDSU Festival Concert Hall, Fargo