Veterans

The People’s Protectors: On-Demand

Native American veterans reflect on their experiences in the military during the Vietnam War. Years later these veterans reflect on the agony of war and how their communities helped them carry their warrior legacy proudly. Even as they struggled with their relationship to the United States government from past oppression; the Dakota, Lakota, and Ojibwe warriors still felt compelled to honor their duty to their people as Akichita | Ogichidaag| Warriors, as protectors of the people. Funding provided by Vision Maker Media and The Mark and Mary Davis Foundation.

Watch On-Demand:

Speaking Grief Documentary & Resources On-Demand

Moving away from the idea that grief is a problem that needs to be “fixed,” Speaking Grief validates the experience of grievers and guides those wishing to support them. See the on-demand film and extensive resources for exploring the topic of grief.

Speaking Grief explores why the pain of losing a loved one can be so difficult to understand and discuss. The film interviews grieving families from across the U.S., whose losses range from stillbirth to suicide, to address common misconceptions about grief. Through candid personal stories and conversations with experts in the grief field, the film also presents ideas for how family and friends can better support each other through loss.

There is no “right” way to grieve. By sharing diverse representations of bereavement, Speaking Grief illustrates that grief is a universal, yet individual experience.

Watch the documentary on-demand: https://www.speakinggrief.org/documentary

Funding for Speaking Grief is provided by a grant from WPSU Penn State and The New York Life Foundation

Related Resources:

Speaking Grief Documentary:
- Available to view online: https://www.speakinggrief.org/documentary
- Speaking Grief also has a great “Resources” section: https://www.speakinggrief.org/get-better-at-grief
Sesame Street in Communities Tough Topics resources (for young children and families) Discussing Tough Topics including grief, trauma, health, offering comfort and more.
Sesame Street for Military Families: https://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org/
Institute for Nonviolence offers Grief Cafes: https://gandhiinstitute.org/workshops-trainings

American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories Podcast Series

American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories is a ten-part podcast series tracing the veteran experience through individual stories.

Each episode of the podcast revolves around the direct testimony of a single veteran – from a Coast Guard gunner’s mate who manned a landing craft at Omaha Beach on D-Day, to an Army cook in Iraq who became the first Black American woman held as a POW; from an Army nurse in Vietnam who struggled to do her part, to a satellite technician who served as a gay man during the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell era. This collection of riveting first person stories provides a compelling portrait of the veteran experience over multiple generations.

The series is hosted by Phil Klay, a Marine Corps veteran featured in the “American Veteran” television series and author of the National Book Award-winning collection of short stories, “Redeployment.” It was produced and released October-December 2021

LISTEN HERE: “American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories” drops on Tuesdays, October 19 – December 14. Published by PRX, the series is available free to listeners across all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Amazon Music, and on the American Veteran podcast site.

Scheduled Podcasts:

Episode 1 : “That Day” featuring Shoshana Johnson
Episode 2: “She Never Knew” featuring Frank DeVita
Episode 3: “My Boys” featuring Edie Meeks
Episode 4: “My Double Life” featuring Brandon Anderson
Episode 5: “It Was Just Too Exciting” featuring Edward Field
Episode 6: “The Reaper” featuring Nick Irving
Episode 7: “No, I’m Not Good” featuring Clifton Hicks
Episode 8: “The Shadow Side” featuring CJ Scarlet
Episode 9: “Get Me Airborne” featuring Harold Brown

Veterans Day on Connections Podcast

Listen to the conversation from Connections with Evan Dawson for two shows featuring on veterans for Veterans Day 2021. First hour: Transitioning back to civilian life and second hour remembering 1983 Beirut Bombing. Listen On-Demand to the Archive Below

Listen to the Archive: First hour when members of the military leave active duty, they may face challenges re-entering civilian life. We talk about Operation Green Light, a program geared at easing that transition. Our guests:

Jason Skinner, U.S. Army veteran, and director of Livingston County Veterans Services
Mike Eastman, Brigadier General (ret), and executive director of the ETS Sponsorship Program

Listen to the Archive: Then in our second hour, a 1983 bombing in Beirut took the lives of more than 240 U.S. service members, including local Marines. We sit down with a one of the survivors. Our guests:

Mike Zawacki, Beirut Marine veteran
Hicham Bou-Nassif, associate professor of government at Claremont McKenna College

American Veteran: Keep It Close On-Demand

American Veteran: Keep It Close is a docuseries from PBS that tells the stories of veterans and the special objects they carried during deployment and beyond. These objects, ranging from a puppy to a vial of lip gloss, have provided everyday comfort and hope to the veterans — and offer civilians a window into the veteran experience. Although the stories are unique to the individual veterans and their military service, the concept of mementos and the emotions they can generate are universal. The American Veteran: Keep it Close digital series is on PBS’ Voices YouTube channel. Learn more at the series website

Watch On-Demand: Playlist from PBS Voices YouTube Channel:

The Next Mission On-Demand

Three veterans set off on a road trip to discover their purpose in the civilian world.

Roadtrip Nation: The Next Mission, shares stories presented prove there’s no one way to handle transition—each veteran has a different background and set of challenges. But they all share a common hurdle: after spending their lives defined by their military identity, they wonder who they’ll be when the uniform is gone. Helen Chandler has been in or around the military her whole life—she was literally born in an Army helicopter. But now that she has retired from her military career, she’s struggling to find an identity that doesn’t revolve around being a soldier. Army veteran Sam Shockley had everything stripped from him in an instant when he lost his legs to an explosive device during a tour of Afghanistan. But after trudging through post-traumatic depression, he feels he’s finally ready to take hold of his life and find a passion that will push him forward. Bernard Edwards has already figured out what his passion is—helping his fellow veterans transition out of financial and mental woes. Now he’s ready to execute his vision, and seeks to connect with other altruistic veterans like himself. From interviews with fitness entrepreneur Derek Weida, to skincare line founder Nicole Baldwin, author and businessman Robert Kiyosaki, and many more, the road-trippers discover that the skills cultivated in the military aren’t relegated to the battlefield; they can be translated to any number of exciting jobs.

Watch Next Mission: On-Demand

More Roadtrip Nation Specials

Veterans Coming Home: Careers On-Demand

Watch On-Demand VETERANS COMING HOME: CAREERS showcases veterans finding new career paths and adapting to the civilian work world. From Local USA. Many discover that the skills they learned in the military can help them. Stories include the successes and stumbling blocks of a post-military career, and how a former Rear Admiral is using her leadership skills to save her community from rising waters.

Remembering Pearl Harbor Electronic Field Trip On-Demand

In the WYES and The National WWII Museum Electronic Field Trip geared to grades 5-8, REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR—HOW STUDENTS LIKE YOU EXPERIENCED THE DAY OF INFAMY, student reporters hear first hand from eyewitnesses who were 11-20 years of age during the time of the surprise attacks. Also sharing their stories are military survivors who were at Pearl Harbor during the attacks. These recollections will bring the experience to life and serve as an excellent primary source in teaching students.

Students Julia Bresnan from Hawaii and Eliana de Las Casas (2016 winner of “Chopped Teen” on the Food Network) report from The National WWII Museum in New Orleans as well as on location in Hawaii.

The video is is approximately 50 minutes in length. Additional Resources from WYES

Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage