Military Personnel Project
The Military Personnel Project focuses on Americans' military service from the mid-20th century to the present. We are looking at the changing demographics of military personnel, our nation’s support and treatment of service people, and the impact the military has had on people’s lives. To answer these questions, we interviewed men and women who have served in any branch of the armed forces and in any war with U.S. involvement since World War II, and people who have been involved at home, such as family members of military personnel, veterans' rights activists, and medical, religious, and educational professionals who provide services to veterans.
We have asked about people's experiences with military service; the effect of this service on families; the support that local communities and the nation have given to military personnel and their families; and about veterans’ re-integration into civilian society. We are also interested learning about the lives of the increasing number of women and people of the LGBT community who have been enlisting in the regular forces, Reserves, and National Guard since 1973.
Why Military Personnel
Our project as a whole is particularly interested in exploring issues from the vantage point of Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois. The U of I has historically been a leader in ensuring higher education for veterans with disabilities and so we thought that special insight could be gained from this topic given it's history.
For veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, reintegration has been complicated not only by the long-term economic recession but also by combat-related injuries including post-traumatic stress disorder that affect many service people today.
With this project, we hope to raise awareness about the experiences of service members across several generations as well as veterans’ efforts to educate civilian society about their situation and needs.
The Team
The project is coordinated by Uni High social studies teacher, Janet Morford and led by Uni High seniors Sunjay Koshy and Leif Hague. Look at our Team Members page for more about the team.
Contact Us
If you want to learn more about our project, please contact Janet Morford.