Student Reflections 2008 - 2009

Talking to a veteran about their war experience is not only very personal and exciting, but also gives the interviewer a one-on-one conversation with someone who’s actually experienced war. From this project I learned that there’s more to war than just fighting; there are other struggles that will change your life forever…At first I was a little disappointed we didn’t get a veteran who had seen combat, but afterwards I realized how it didn’t make a difference.

More importantly I’ve learned to give the older people of our community a little more respect, because you never know what sacrifices they’ve made for our country.

I have learned how the reality of war is harsher than it is portrayed by the media.

I definitely see soldiers in a different way now. I have more respect for them and all the veterans before them.

This Witness to War project is the best project I have ever completed and bet it is for many other people…you hear these stories and your imagination goes crazy while learning new things.

Overall, it was a good experience to have listened to Helen’s story, and the most important thing I learned from her was that war isn’t all about the men in combat, people like Helen in the offices were just as important.

Our veteran’s tales of his experience in Vietnam will always stay with me because it taught me so much. Before the project I didn’t know any more about war than what I had read in textbooks. This project opened my eyes to the many different kinds of veterans; from the ones who never go to war, to the ones almost killed on the battlefield.

This project was definitely a memorable one and one that I learned a lot from. I hope that others got as much out of it as I did and, even though it was a long and strenuous project, it was worth it.

Through the interviewing process, I have learned that you don’t have to go to battle to be a war hero.

This project made me realize that you didn’t need to shoot someone to be involved in a war, and that sometimes being less involved is more impacting.

Once we started asking him about some of his darkest moments he opened right up into tears. Afterwards he said that he was really glad to have finally told his story again from hiding it up for so long. This taught me that just listening, you can get a lot out of a person.

Though we don’t often hear about them, men like Gordon played a large role in the American success of World War Two. Gordon taught me that war is not all horror stories and I now further consider war on a individual level.

The Witness to War project was a life-changing experience to me in many ways…One thing I learned was that you should fight for what you believe in.

I could tell by the look in his eyes while interviewing him, memories were coming back into his mind.

So even though I didn’t put 100% of my effort into this project, I know I learned a lot from it.

This project helped me better my everyday skills; such as time management, partner work, and interviewing skills.

The Witness to War project has taught me more than I ever thought it would. When I first read the rubrics for this project I laughed and thought how stupid it was. But, now that it’s all over, I have a new found respect for war veterans and how much they really give to our country and our freedom.

…hearing the interview over and over is what made his words seem more real to me than just a story.

Once you hear the details of what happens on the frontlines of a battlefield, it shows you how bad war really is, and why all countries should try to avoid going to war, and settle their problems in more civil ways.

I will never forget this project.

I had always been a procrastinator. When this project was handed to me I bought a calendar, hung it on my wall and wrote the due dates for everything. Also, I learned numerous other skills like, interviewing skills, how to make a transcript, how to work on a team, the importance of format, how to make a PowerPoint, public speaking skills, and writing skills.

Most of all, I learned that war is hell!

I never realized how much of my uncle’s life he had never shared with me, and probably never would have if not for this project.

I had never done a project that had this many parts, due over such a long period of time, and that was so independent. But, after all the freak-outs and hours of work, I’m glad this project was assigned.

This was an experience that was unforgettable, and also helped me learn about the military and historical events in a new and unique way.

I’m sure some people found the Witness to War project very inspiring, educational, and a more truthful look at what really went on during past wars. However, I didn’t feel that way at all. I enjoyed listening to my veteran’s stories about Vietnam, but to be blunt, I found the whole thing stressful and borderline miserable.

Going in I thought this project was just going to be a drag. I was all wrong.

The reason I learned so much from this project was because of all the effort I put in to complete it. I’m very proud of myself for how hard I worked.

I was astounded by my partner’s abilities in areas I lack; such as concentration, motivation, consistency, as well as her exertion of an astounding amount of effort. Because she filled in good qualities that I was not an expert at, we were a great pair. She was able to motivate me to possess these qualities as well, which is probably the most important lesson I learned.

I truly hope that I will never have to transcribe a full conversation again!

I do not think I have ever worked harder on a project before…I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I learned better ways to go about doing a project like this, such as choosing a better partner rather than a friend, and if you want something done correctly, you might just have to do it yourself. You were very wise in saying that partners that are friends may become enemies, because we came close.

Many veterans who fought in wars said that the hardest part was waiting around and the nervousness of waiting for something to happen. After hearing about some of the veteran’s extreme situations during war, I have become so much more appreciative of soldiers and their dedication to their service...I am thankful that I got this experience and I think it’s important that each veteran’s story be told.

I used to think war was just about fighting with guns and such, but this opened up a whole new area of learning for me.

Some of the stories were hard to hear just because being related to my veteran made them seem more real and it was almost like I was living some of her experiences with her…I learned how emotionally scarring war can be.

I think more projects like this should be offered to high school kids because it allows us to interact with others and history itself...If more projects presented themselves like this in history classes, or even other classes, I think that the idea of learning and projects would take on a whole new meaning.

If I had to do it again, I would have done it alone because I felt used and disappointed in the outcome, partly because of my partner’s carelessness.

This project was long and difficult mainly because of the workload that needed to be put into it. From the scheduling and pre-interview to the actual interview and the word-for-word written transcript, there was a large workload. Through all that, I think if this project has taught me anything it has taught me to be patient.

His (veteran) life choices have taught me to want to work harder in life and make something of myself. It has opened my eyes to the possibilities in life of what you can do to make other lives better.

I honestly did enjoy finding out things about another person and learning about myself along the way.

Our veteran was worried that she was not interesting enough for us and that we should look for other people in case we were bored with her story. In my opinion, she could not have been further from the truth. She was a truly fantastic person…With this project; you make them feel like their small part was a key moment. In a small way, it was. It was key to them, and now they were sharing that moment with the rest of the world.

I learned the Vietnam War is very similar to the war in Iraq today. I learned a lot!

To have to type a word-for-word transcript of every second of a 45-minute interview should not be legal…I am really not concerned about the grade, mainly because I got such a great amount of personal knowledge out of it that it wouldn’t matter either way. Although I believe that anyone who completes that transcript deserves an “A.”

Interviewing Greg allowed us to get inside the mind of a soldier…the project taught me many mental affects that war has on soldiers, and has given me a better understanding of soldiers’ emotional experiences.

This mentioning of the Iraq war got me more interested in knowing what was actually going on in the Iraq war. I realized I was beginning to forget about the war, and the soldiers risking their lives for us. So, I began to read the news about the war more and I researched the Iraqi war and what was actually going on there. This project made me understand and become more aware of today’s war.

If I were to sum up this whole project in just a couple of words, I would call it a learning experience. In some ways it was extremely difficult and stressful, but in others it was fun and I learned a lot.