UTA vets lend voices to oral history project

UT Arlington is launching an oral history project recording the experiences of veterans who are UTA graduates. The new digital humanities project has been dubbed “Maverick Veterans’ Voices.”

During the 33rd Military Science Hall of Honor ceremony Sunday, six alumni were interviewed. In addition to recollections of military life, they were asked specific questions about their time as undergraduates at UTA. Family members of those who served were also asked to participate.

“There isn’t a lot of attention given to veterans’ family members as a primary source of documentation,” said Kimberly van Noort, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and architect of the oral history project. “But if we can get a soldier’s wife, widow, or adult children to talk to us about the challenges they’ve faced, then this can really be something special.”

The research of Alexa Smith-Osborne, associate professor of Social Work, and a self-described “army brat,” focuses on soldiers and veterans’ mental health issues.

“As a society, in addition to making informed policy decisions affecting military and veterans, we can help support these military families by paying attention and providing them with outlets and opportunities to be heard like Maverick Veterans’ Voices,” Smith-Osborne said.

UTA veterans and their families are encouraged to participate. For more information about the Maverick Veterans’ Voices Project, contact Dr. van Noort via e-mail at vannoort@uta.edu.