The University of Texas Permian Basin is proud to announce that faculty members Dr. Rebecca Babcock, the Principal Investigator (PI), and Marlon Fick, the Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI), have been awarded a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant under the Dialogues on the Experience of War program. This grant supports critical discussions exploring the human experiences of war and military service through the lens of the humanities. Additionally, UTPB faculty members Clark Moreland and Maria Avalos will serve as discussion leaders for the project, facilitating meaningful conversations that promote understanding and connection.
The grant will support the two-year project titled “Mending Mental Gaps: Negotiating Combat Trauma via Visual/Textual Humanities,” which will grant veterans, active military, and the West Texas community the opportunity to engage in war-themed literature through organized discussion groups and, eventually, communitywide panel events.
The goal of the grant is to provide a setting and context for veterans to connect, build relationships, and share their experiences. The program aims to promote dialogue and reflection for veterans to develop a voice, while negotiating unseen wounds and addressing civilians understanding on how to support troops, a news release said.
The first group discussion will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, November 22, at the Heimmermann Center, UTPB Campus (2nd Floor, Mesa Building), featuring guest speaker Major (S) Thomas A. Denninghoff from the Virginia Military Institute. Local veterans and community members interested in becoming discussion leaders are encouraged to attend and participate in this meaningful conversation.
“Despite the numerous Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored programs addressing suicide prevention and efforts to encourage mental health counseling, veteran suicide rates have consistently risen over the past two decades. Addressing this problem at the community level gives veterans the chance to see that they are not alone in their fight,” Denninghoff said in the release.
Discussion themes will include honor, camaraderie, displacement, mental gaps during trauma, and the second shock of homecoming. The project will focus largely on the Vietnam War and those in Iraq and Afghanistan. With support from Student Veteran Services, Babcock and Fick are looking to recruit student veterans and veterans in the community to participate.
“Consisting of less than 1% of the general American populace, Veterans have unique perspectives on life and lessons that we can all learn from. We lose those perspectives and lessons if our communities can’t connect with their veterans and show them that they belong and that their experiences are valid and meaningful,” said Major Denninghoff.
Groups will be led by trained discussion leaders who will have the resources and skillsets to assist service members, veterans, and their family members interested in discussing, or even writing, about their military experiences.
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