A 麻豆原创 team of scholars has been awarded a $290,000 contract from the National Cemetery Administration, an agency of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to archive the stories of veterans buried in the Florida National Cemetery for a new generation of students. 麻豆原创 is one of three universities selected to launch the NCA鈥檚 Veterans Legacy Program.
The project, led by Amelia Lyons, associate professor of history and director of graduate programs, will engage 麻豆原创 students in research and writing about veterans鈥� graves and monuments. In addition, 麻豆原创 faculty and students will collaborate with Central Florida schools to produce interactive curriculums for K-12 students and organize a field trip to the cemetery in Bushnell, which is the county seat of Sumter County.
Involving students of all ages in the project will engage the community with the service and sacrifice of veterans, and will give undergraduate and graduate students a real-life lesson in professionalization, Lyons says.
鈥淭his experience with primary research 鈥� from identifying the subject and stories, to analyzing the sources to produce a narrative and becoming a published author 鈥� is like no other,鈥� Lyons says.
鈥淟earning about the lives and stories of these soldiers is also teaching our students what a historian does,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t makes history real for them.鈥�
Luke Bohmer, a history graduate student, recently participated in a field research day at the cemetery. 鈥淚t is vital to go to where the history is, whether it’s a cemetery or an archive. This is more humanizing and palpable than any statistic could ever be,鈥� he says.
Janelle Malagon, an undergraduate, says that she has 鈥渁lways had an interest in military history, and the VLP was a great hands-on experience where I had the unique opportunity to learn the stories of individual soldiers throughout American history.鈥�
The corresponding website exhibit created by the research team 鈥� including Scot French, digital historian; Amy Giroux, a computer research specialist in ; and graduate student assistants 鈥� will use software to map the research virtually, and 麻豆原创鈥檚 RICHES Mosaic Interface to create a digital archive.
The public will also be able to participate in the project through an interactive element at the cemetery. Giroux will lead the team in the creation of an augmented-reality app, which will include student-authored biographies of veterans for visitors.
Students are already aware of the impact the program will have. Malagon says the digital components will allow relatives to learn something about their veteran in a way that would not have been possible without the technology available today.
The Florida National Cemetery is one of 135 cemeteries overseen by the VA. Team members recently visited the site to begin their research.
麻豆原创 researchers have already begun integrating assignments for the project into their graduate and undergraduate courses.
Students, including those in Lyons鈥� Modern Europe and the First World War class and Professor Barbara Gannon鈥檚 War and Society classes, are conducting research, searching for any documented history on the veterans whose graves will be selected.
Undergraduate students are excited to participate in the project.
Kristina Himschoot comes from a family with deep military roots.聽 Her parents met in the U.S. Air Force, and both her grandparents served.
鈥淭he VLP is becoming more important to me every time I learn something new about it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have the utmost respect for this project.鈥�
Anson Shurr expects he’ll draw a deeper, more personal connection with veterans through his research.
鈥淪eeing their graves in person, epitaph and all, is personal enough. But once you realize that in many cases they lived in the same town or street as you, or you see a surname you know, it really hits home,鈥� he says. He was particularly struck by the fact that people his own age put their lives and dreams on hold to fight in a war.
Kenneth Holliday, who is both a student and U.S. Army veteran, says that because April 6 marks the 100th anniversary of the nation鈥檚 entry into World War I, the research is especially timely.
鈥漌e are in the centennial of World War I. There is no better time to recognize the service of these veterans,鈥� Holliday says.
Graduate students in Professor Caroline Cheong鈥檚 Seminar in Historic Preservation course are helping to identify the graves and monuments to be included and are photographing the sites for both the webpage and the app.
French, associate professor and director of public history, is having students in his Viewing American History in the 20th Century class create interactive digital materials for use on the website. John Sacher, associate professor of history and liaison with public schools, is integrating the results of the project into K-12 curriculum that will be available for use in schools across the U.S.
In May, the 麻豆原创 team and local middle- and high-school students will travel to the cemetery as a kickoff event for the program. 麻豆原创 student researchers will interact with younger students at the cemetery, providing what Holliday sees as 鈥渁 much more personal connection on an individual level. Instead of remembering the major battles and the big names of military and political leaders, the students and local residents can remember that at the heart of the conflict were average people that all of us can probably relate to in some way.鈥�
Gannon, who is also coordinator of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Veterans History Project, says that because the university engages with veterans and rich history in creating extensive interactive exhibits and web-based tools, the funding doesn鈥檛 come as a surprise.
Other schools selected by the VA鈥檚 National Cemetery Administration for the project are San Francisco State University and Black Hills State University.
鈥淭he award of these three contracts signifies the VA National Cemetery Administration鈥檚 dedication and commitment to providing enhanced memorialization and lasting tributes that commemorate the service and sacrifice of veterans,鈥� says Ronald Walters, interim undersecretary for memorial affairs.
The contracts are the first of many planned initiatives to engage educators, students, researchers and the general public through the Veterans Legacy Program. For more information, visit the on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ website.