Veterans Voices is a collaboration between WYSO and Wright State University's Veteran and Military Center (VMC). The project was originally part of Veterans Coming Home, a national public media initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and now receives funding from Ohio Humanities.
The series features stories of Miami Valley veterans who served in a variety of conflicts and branches of service and focuses on the veterans’ stories of re-entry into civilian life. The stories are reported by student veterans attending Wright State University trained in WYSO's Community Voices model. This unique veteran-to-veteran storytelling project is designed to let Miami Valley veterans describe their own experiences, in their own voices.
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Vietnam Veteran Finds Comfort in Horses, Helps Others Vets Cope
Adrian Hill and Will Davis
Vietnam veteran, William Goforth, knows firsthand the challenge of returning to civilian life after a difficult deployment. He found comfort in horses, and now finds purpose in sharing his discovery with Post-9/11 veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
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Dogs Help Veterans Cope With PTSD
Allison M. Loy and Will Davis
Approximately 300,000 Post-9/11 veterans are identified as having post-traumatic stress disorder in this country but it’s estimated that only 1 in 3 asks for help. For those who do, different kinds of therapy can help to manage the after effects of trauma. Many veterans find comfort from pets.
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Military Sexual Assault Survivors Find Healing In Therapy, Education and Service
Allison M. Loy and Will Davis
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, one in four women in the military report being sexually assaulted during their service. The numbers are even higher when unreported cases are considered. Life after Military Sexual Trauma, known as MST, can be challenging, but healing can come from finding ways to help others.
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Montgomery County's Veterans Treatment Court Offers Opportunity For A Second Chance
Allison M. Loy and Will Davis
For veterans, reintegration back into civilian life after military service can be traumatic. Many vets make this transition successfully, but for others it’s very difficult, and some even commit crimes as a result of service-related trauma. Rather than let these men and women get lost in the criminal justice system, the Veterans Treatment Court was created – and courts like these are happening more around the country.
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From the Air Force to Ice Cream: One Year Later
Anne Moore and Will Davis
Bobby Walker was involuntarily separated from the Air Force, and so he decided to pursue a dream and start a business. This is a follow-up to the story, "From Air Force to Ice Cream, Navigating a Transition out of the Service," which aired on December 10, 2014. The first story can be found at http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/wyso_veterans_voices/12/.
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Reservists Often Struggle to Explain Service to Civilians
Cody Stevens and Will Davis
There are over twenty-eight thousand military Reservists in Ohio, yet the Reserves are a service option that often causes confusion to civilians. Two reservists speak about this problem.
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Different Generations of Veterans on Learning to Share their Stories
Jeremy Dobbins and Will Davis
Jeremy Dobbins served four years as an infantry rifleman in Afghanistan, and when he got out in 2012 he found it difficult to talk to people about his military experience. But when he was ready, he chose to tell his stories to an old family friend from Springfield named Charlie Dyke. Jeremy had joined the Marine Corps at age 17. Charlie enlisted during World War II shortly after his 18th birthday. Both men returned to Springfield after their service ended to raise families and begin new lives.
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From the Air Force to Ice Cream, Navigating a Transition out of the Service
Allison M. Loy and Will Davis
US Air Force Lieutenant Bobby Walker created Fronana, a dairy-free ice cream made out of bananas. In August of 2014 Bobby found out he is being involuntarily separated from the Air Force because his career field is over manned. Walker is using Fronana as a way to transition to civilian life.
