LITERATURE 

AND MEDICINE

National Endowment for the Humanities

SUPPORTING VETERANS

NAVY UDTSEAL MUSEUM

AQUILA 

THEATRE 

ANCIENT 

GREEKS/

MODERN LIVES

OPERATION 

OPPORTUNITY

MISSOURI 

WARRIORWRITERS 

PROJECT

100 FACES 

OF WAR 

EXPERIENCE
Greetings,

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is a federal grant-making agency that awards 

competitive grants to institutions and individuals for humanities-focused projects. NEH grantees 

are from cultural institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public 

television and radio stations. NEH-funded projects vary from seminars for teachers and scholarly 

publications to digital apps and documentary films.

This report highlights six NEH-funded projects designed to support veterans and their 

communities through the humanities. The projects featured in this report demonstrate the 

diversity of the agency’s work and the many strategies for supporting veteran communities 

throughout the country. These projects engage veterans, their families, and caregivers in 

conversations about how literature, philosophy, drama, art, and history relate to their experiences. 

These are just a few examples of how NEH funding fuels innovation, increases communication, 

and strengthens communities. Some initiatives, like Aquila Theatre Ancient Greeks/Modern 

Lives, use public venues to create safe spaces for veterans to process their experiences through 

performance, literature, and discussion. Other projects, like the Missouri Warrior-Writers Project, 

record veterans’ stories so they become part of our nation’s history and literature. 

I am proud to say that the content of this report was produced entirely by student interns at the 

NEH. The layout, graphics, and design of the pages you are about to read are the product of a 

student practicum at the Washington, DC campus of Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging 

Arts. Because of the students’ hard work, the NEH was able to compile these reports without 

the use of taxpayer funds. I hope that you will share this report with your staff, constituents, and 

colleagues.

Sincerely,

Courtney Chapin

NEH White House Liaison and Director of Congressional Affairs
TABLE OF CONTENTS

LITERATURE AND MEDICINE 

Humanities at the Heart of 

Healthcare

MISSOURI WARRIOR-WRITERS 

PROJECT

AQUILA THEATRE

Ancient Greeks/Modern Lives

OPERATION OPPORTUNITY

The Warrior-Scholar Project

NAVY UDT-SEAL MUSEUM

100 FACES OF WAR 

EXPERIENCE

CONCLUSION 

& Projects in Progress

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Building communities 

through the humanities.

United States Marine Corps Cadet
51% in Communication

improvement

1

Introduction

Doctors, nurses, administrators, and staff at 

Veterans Affairs Hospitals face unique pressures 

and challenges. To help them find an outlet and a 

community of support within the hospital, the Maine 

Humanities Council, with funding provided by the 

NEH, created Literature & Medicine: Humanities at 

the Heart of Healthcare, a reading and discussion 

group now active in 20 VA hospitals across the 

country.

How It Works

Participants from every level of a VA hospital’s staff 

meet on a weekly basis to discuss a work they have 

read and share how it relates to their experiences 

caring for veterans. Members of the group are 

able to discuss the successes, challenges, and 

general thoughts about their role in patients’ lives. 

The creators of the program developed a special 

anthology, Echoes of War: A Literature & Medicine 

Anthology, which includes poems, essays, and short 

stories collected by Literature & Medicine that raise 

issues relevant to health care professionals who care 

for veterans. Through NEH’s Office of Federal/State 

Partnership, 14 other state humanities councils have 

implemented Literature & Medicine in VA hospitals. 

LITERATURE & MEDICINE

HUMANITIES AT THE HEART OF HEALTHCARE

across the country. The participants 

surveyed in VA hospitals across the 

country in 2011 reported:

(Outcomes from surveys by Dr. Bruce Clary of 

Muskie School of Public Service)

in Empathy for Patients

in Interpersonal Relations

in Cultural Awareness

in Job Satisfaction

52%

improvement

82%

increase

61%

increase

59%

increase

2,000+

participants
I have learned so much about human frailty 

and how we deal with it in our structured 

environment. I believe that this is important 

to everyone. I would like to see more of this 

throughout our industry.

– Health Care Professional

This has helped me see medical issues 

through other people’s eyes; it has 

broadened my thinking and horizons.. – Nurse

“

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“

”

”

”

Our discussions have significantly reordered 

how I think about medicine. I live with the 

experience of the protagonist in one of William 

Carlos Williams’ Doctor Stories, a physician who 

acted without listening. I do not want to be like 

him. I am learning to sit quietly and listen.

– Doctor Participant
State Humanities 

Councils

The NEH funds 56 

humanities councils 

located in all U.S. states 

and jurisdictions. The 

councils support local 

humanities programs 

and events—like book 

festivals, film screenings, 

discussions, and traveling 

exhibits—and many 

provide grants to local 

organizations, scholars, 

and citizens to create 

humanities programs and 

products.

The state humanities 

councils receive the 

majority of their funding 

from the NEH through 

the Office of Federal/

State Partnership. They 

supplement this funding 

with support from private 

donations, foundations, 

corporations, and, in some 

cases, state government. 

Stories about the work of 

state humanities councils 

are located at http://

www.neh.gov/divisions/

fedstate.
LITERATURE AND MEDICINE AT VETERANS 

AFFAIRS HOSPITALS ACROSS THE US

VT: VA Medical & Regional Office 

Center, White River Junction

NY: VA NY Harbor 

Healthcare System, 

Manhattan

NY: Northport VA Medical 

Center, Northport

MD: VA Medical Health 

Care System, Baltimore

NC: Durham VA Medical 

Center, Durham

MA: Northampton VA 

Medical Center, Leeds

ME: Togus VA 

Medical Center

NJ: VA Health System NJ, 

Lyons/East Orange

MD: VA Medical Health 

Care System, Perry Point

SC: Ralph H. Johnson VA 

Medical Center, Charleston

IL: Edward Hines Jr 

VA Hospital, Chicago

SD: Black Hills VA Medical 

Center, Fort Meade

SD: Sioux Falls VA Medical 

Center, Sioux Falls

MO: St. Louis VA 

Medical Center

MO: Kansas City VA 

Medical Center

CA: VA Central California 

Heathcare System, Fresno

CA: VA Northern California 

Health Care System, 

Sacramento

NV: VA Sierra Nevada Health 

Care System, Reno

CA: VA Palo Alto Health 

Care System, Palo Alto

AZ: Carl T. Hayden 

VA Hospital, Phoenix
MISSOURI WARRIOR- 2 WRITERS PROJECT

Introduction

The Missouri Warrior-Writers Project provides an outlet 

for active military members, returning combat veterans, 

and their families to express themselves through creative 

writing. The project, which is funded by the Missouri 

Humanities Council (one of NEH’s 56 state councils), 

published an anthology entitled Proud to Be: Writing by 

American Warriors featuring exemplary submissions from 

veterans and their families and friends. The anthology 

demonstrates the writers’ creativity and provides the public 

with unique perspectives on war and its effects on members 

of the armed forces throughout the last century.

How It Works

Organized by the Missouri Humanities Council in 

conjunction with the Southeast Missouri State University 

Press and the Warriors Arts Alliance, the Warrior-Writers 

Project engaged writers, poets, journalists, and authors to 

lead creative writing workshops for veterans at Jefferson 

Barracks VA Medical Center. The goal for these still-ongoing 

workshops is to provide advice, feedback, and instruction 

to military personnel so that they can better process and 

express their experiences as combat veterans. The WarriorWriters Project showcased 74 of the top submissions in the 

compilation Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors and 

is currently collecting submissions for a second anthology.

shared through VA workshops since 

August 2011

were featured in the first 

anthology

of Proud to Be: Writing by American 

Warriors were sold in just 16 days 

following publication on Veterans Day 

2012. A second printing was ordered 

shortly after

74

contributions

728

stories

1,000

editions
Proud to Be: Writing by 

American Warriors

The anthology is the first in 

an annual series published 

by Southeast Missouri State 

University Press in cooperation 

with the Missouri Humanities 

Council’s Veterans Projects 

and the Warriors Arts Alliance. 

The Missouri Humanities 

Council plans to expand the 

partnership to include additional 

organizations that are both 

concerned and supportive 

of American veterans. The 

anthology can be purchased 

from Southeast Missouri State 

University Press, Barnes & Noble, 

and Amazon. Proceeds from 

book sales help fund veterans’ 

writing and publishing programs. 

The Council is currently 

producing a second volume.

What I want to leave behind is the unknown truth 

of me, a human as human as any other. I want to 

leave behind hope with the stories of how close I 

came to dying, how I endured, how I prevailed in 

all the unvarnished, inelegant beauty of it. I want 

to reassure you about me. – Vietnam War Veteran

Words give us the 

strength to look at 

suffering objectively, so 

we may set it aside and 

out of us. Words become 

a focus and writing 

becomes something 

physical you can tear up 

and burn. Words help 

others to feel what you 

are feeling, so they can 

understand and be 

closer to you. They help 

you feel less alone. 

– Veteran

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Introduction

Ancient Greeks/Modern Lives gives veterans 

and military family members the opportunity to 

share their stories and explore catharsis through 

performances and discussions of ancient Greek 

drama. Aquila Theatre’s use of drama as a 

medium for veterans to process their experiences 

demonstrates how the NEH supports innovative 

work that complements therapy and medical 

treatments.

How It Works

Aquila Theatre (New York) created Ancient Greeks/

Modern Lives, which toured 100 public libraries, 

community centers, and art venues around the 

country performing ancient Greek plays and holding 

town-hall style discussions for veterans, their 

families, and the general public. Ancient Greeks/

Modern Lives created safe spaces for veterans 

and their families to feel comfortable sharing their 

experiences and reflections on being a soldier. 

Greek drama specifically provides a touchstone 

because Euripides and Sophocles were combat 

veterans writing about the experiences of soldiers 

for audiences of ancient Greek warriors. In 2011, the 

NEH welcomed Ancient Greeks/Modern Lives to the 

White House to commemorate Veterans Day.

AQUILA THEATRE 3 ANCIENT GREEKS / MODERN LIVES

nationwide have hosted Ancient Greeks/

Modern Lives programming

in sixty-one Public Lectures

in forty Acting Workshops

to the program’s interactive website 

103

locations

2,809

audience

members

920

audience

members

678,029

visits

788,894 have been reached by the project

Americans
If you want to understand 

catharsis, watch veterans 

watch a Greek play.

– Peter Meineck, Program Director

“

”

What they all say is that the 

technology of warfare changes, 

but that the stories describe 

the same basic experiences. We 

have talked about things like the 

death of a comrade, incompetent 

leadership, warriors returning 

from war...They are amazed at 

how familiar it sounds.

– Program Host

“

”

Number of Events by State 

New York 50

California 24

Ohio 20

Kansas 13

Michigan 12

Colorado 10

Arizona 8

Florida 8

Washington, DC 7

Pennsylvania 7

Utah 7

Wyoming 7

Missouri 6

Louisiana 5

Virginia 5

North Carolina 4

Indiana 3

Maine 3

Mississippi 3

Nebraska 3

Nevada 3

Georgia 2

Illinois 2

Oregon 2

Wisconsin 2

West Virginia 2

South Carolina 1

Tennessee 1

Texas 1

What has 

always helped 

me come back 

home is theater. 

– Iraq War Veteran & 

Aquila Performer

I didn’t even know I had a 

story for a long, long, long, 

long time. I think that is 

why it is important to get 

people talking...it [Greek 

drama] brings up a mirror 

of truth and creates an 

arena for trust. 

– Vietnam Veteran & Aquila Performer

“

”

“

”
Introduction

Created by Operation Opportunity and funded with 

a grant from the NEH, the Warrior-Scholar Project is 

an intensive two-week workshop hosted at America’s 

top universities to ease veterans’ transitions from 

active duty to higher education.

How It Works

The Warrior-Scholar Project focuses on sharpening 

and expanding the skills veterans learn as part of 

the military while simultaneously reintroducing 

them to the skills necessary to be successful in 

the classroom and on college campuses. Enrolled 

veterans participate in courses and discussions led 

by prominent professors, administrators, and current 

student-veterans. Topics include academic reading 

and writing as well as overcoming and embracing the 

challenges that are inevitably confronted by veterans 

returning to an academic environment. The classes 

are taught by some of Yale’s top professors, including 

John Lewis Gaddis, Donald Kagan, and Charles 

Hill. Not only do the Warrior-Scholars participate in 

college-level seminars, but they also engage in more 

casual discussions on what to expect at the start of 

the semester.

OPERATION OPPORTUNITY 4 THE WARRIOR-SCHOLAR PROJECT

attended the first cycle, a one 

week course in 2012

from Yale University, Jesse Reising ’11, Nick 

Rugoff ’11 and Christopher Howell ’13, 

developed the Warrior-Scholar project

was the range of military experience of 

participants in the first session

9

veterans

3

students

4-30

years

will attend a full two-week course 

from June 2-16, 2013 24

veterans
The Warrior-Scholar Project has 

been the most valuable educational 

experience of my lifetime.

– Veteran Student

A crash-course on how to survive in 

college was really helpful for me.

– Veteran Student

“

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”

”

Who Can Attend?

Any veteran of the armed forces 

who is attending or plans to attend 

a four-year university is welcome to 

apply. Applications can be found on 

Operation Opportunity’s website.

Volunteers

The Warrior-Scholar Project accepts 

volunteers, and any inquiries can be 

directed to their staff at 

info@operationopportunity.org.

Plans for Expansion 

The Warrior-Scholar Project 

plans to expand to more college 

campuses in the near future, and 

has already selected a director for 

their expansion to Harvard in 2014.

The sights and sounds of Yale and 

the Warrior-Scholar Project are a 

distant echo, but the memories 

and the lessons learned ring loud 

and clear every day.

– Veteran Student

These veterans are remarkable people who have 

valuable skills and talents and remarkable life 

experiences, as well as extraordinary character 

and maturity ... Their time in college should 

help prepare them to make great contributions 

in civilian life — even their achievements in the 

military will help them contribute significantly 

to their institutions of higher education. 

– Founder of Operation Opportunity

“

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cataloged, including photographic 

prints, negatives, slides and digital 

images in the Museum’s extensive 

photographic images collection

2,974

images

NAVY UDT-SEAL MUSEUM

Introduction

A grant from the NEH’s Division of Preservation 

and Access allowed the Navy UDT-SEAL 

Museum to preserve their collection of historic 

Naval Special Warfare artifacts by purchasing 

proper archival-grade preservation, restoration, 

and exhibition supplies. The Museum houses 

artifacts that tell the stories of Navy SEALS and 

the special operations they enacted throughout 

history.

How It Works

Located in Fort Pierce, Florida, the Navy UDTSEAL Museum is the only museum specifically 

focused on preserving the history of the Navy 

SEALs and their predecessors (including the 

Underwater Demolition Teams, Naval Combat 

Demolition Units, Office of Strategic Services 

Maritime Units and Amphibious Scouts and 

Raiders). The Preservation Assistance Grant 

from the NEH allowed the Museum to assure 

the upkeep of historic, archived materials. The 

Museum’s primary goal is to educate the public 

about the SEALs’ history, so the preservation 

and archiving of the Museum’s extensive 

collection allows for its public programs to 

sustain and expand.

5

housed in the Museum’s collection, including 

personal papers, photographs, manuscripts, maps, 

charts, books, & other ephemera associated with the 

training, missions, & lives of Naval Special Warfare 

operators & commanders since World War II

contained in the Museum’s archive including 

personal papers, memoirs, personnel records, 

mission debriefings, compiled team histories, 

manuscripts and institutional records

visited the Museum last year

7,600

artifacts

2,309

items

69,000

people
NEH Preservation and Access 

Grants

The grant awarded to the Navy 

UDT-SEAL Museum is an on-going 

grant program in NEH’s Division 

of Preservation and Access. This 

division’s grants provide for general 

upkeep and accessibility of historical 

artifacts for cultural institutions like 

museums and libraries.

Similar to the Navy UDT-SEAL 

Museum, the Richard I. Bong Veteran 

Historical Center was awarded an 

NEH Preservation Assistance grant 

to preserve its historical artifacts. 

The Center’s collection consists of 

more than 8,500 archival materials, 

audiotapes, and historic artifacts—

including uniforms, weapons, and 

memorabilia—associated with WWII.

The impact on the collection from the NEH Grant 

has been very significant. I was able to use the 

grant to order much needed archival supplies 

to properly house parts of the collection. We are 

forever grateful to NEH for our grant and their 

ongoing efforts to help improve museums as 

good stewards. – Museum Representative

Five years ago, we were losing SEALs at a rapid 

rate in Afghanistan. I wondered how all those 

men, and all the other Frogman and SEALs were 

being memorialized after their funerals. I found 

out that nowhere in the world is there a memorial 

to their sacrifice. Now there is, right here in Fort 

Pierce where the tradition began. 

– David Godshall, Vero Beach

Museum Mission Statement: Our continuing 

mission is to preserve the history of the 

US Navy SEALs and their predecessors, 

including the Underwater Demolition 

Teams, Naval Combat Demolition Units, 

Office of Strategic Services Maritime Units 

and Amphibious Scouts and Raiders.

“

“

”

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Introduction

The 100 Faces of War Experience is partially 

funded by the NEH’s state council in 

Massachusetts, Mass Humanities, and focuses 

on interpreting members of the military’s 

experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan through 

portraiture and short personal narratives.

How It Works

Artist Matthew Mitchell, a civilian who 

wanted to better connect with veterans, 

commissioned 100 paintings of different 

members of the armed forces and their 

families to describe their experiences in Iraq 

and Afghanistan. The project is ongoing—

currently, Mitchell has completed 58 of the 

100 paintings, all of which travel across the 

country as part of an exhibit. The exhibit 

appeared at the National Portrait Gallery 

in D.C., the Rayburn House Office Building 

in D.C., the Massachusetts State House in 

Boston, MA, as well as a number of other 

galleries, universities and cultural institutions. 

The 100th portrait will be unveiled in 2014.

100 FACES OF WAR 6 EXPERIENCE

have venues that hosted exhibitions of the “100 

Faces of War Experience” — Connecticut, 

DC, Ohio, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New 

Hampshire, and New York

of veterans and their families 

have been completed so far

to the exhibition at the Springfield Armory 

Museum and National Historic Site

58

portraits

7

states

4,533

visitors
When I think 

Smithsonian, I 

think George 

Washington, not 

Rick Yarosh. I see 

pride. I see someone 

who has overcome 

something, and I can 

tell [people] they 

can get through 

something.

 – Rick Yarosh, Veteran

Through telling the stories and showing the 

pictures, [the Luceys] showed more faith in 

art, in the power of what I was doing – a very 

simple thing of painting – than I think I had.

– Matthew Mitchell on his painting of Veteran Jeff Lucey

Continuing to Add New 

Portraits

Applications to be portrayed in 

the exhibit are available online at 

www.100facesofwarexperience.

org/apply. 

The goal of this artwork is to 

represent the full spectrum of 

roles and backgrounds, including 

at least one person from each of 

the 50 states.

“

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”

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Projects In Progress

This report features only a small selection 

of the NEH-funded initiatives that serve 

veterans and their communities. NEH 

funding often contributes to the early 

developmental stages of a project. Journey 

to Normal: Women of War Come Home and 

Beyond Post-Traumatic Stress: Homefront 

Struggles with the Wars on Terror are 

long-term projects nearing completion. 

Both represent the NEH’s commitment 

to funding projects that bring the 

experiences of veterans to the attention of 

larger audiences.

7 CONCLUSION

Journey to Normal: Women of War Come Home 

Julie Hera DeStefano is directing a documentary film that will share the 

experiences of female veterans by exploring the psychology of their service, 

their reintegration into civilian life, and their personal stories. Slated for 

release in fall 2013, Journey to Normal turns the story over to the women 

themselves, using personal narratives to illustrate female veterans’ common 

experiences. In addition to the film, NEH funding also made possible an 

interactive website featuring a searchable database of interviews with female 

veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Conclusion

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recognizes that the 

humanities can play an important role in the lives of veterans, their families, 

and caregivers. The programs featured in this report prove that engagement 

with the humanities positively supports veterans and their communities in 

processing difficult experiences. Additionally, the humanities are necessary to 

preserve the stories of today’s veterans for future generations. Projects like the 

Missouri Humanities Council’s Warrior-Writers Project give veterans a way to 

achieve catharsis while also creating a historical record. Increasing dialogue 

between civilians and veterans through the humanities strengthens communities 

nationwide.

The projects showcased in this report are examples of how private organizations 

and individuals can develop engaging humanities programs for veterans and 

create communities of support with relatively low levels of funding. Not only 

can your constituents become involved in many of the programs included in this 

report, but they can also create new, local versions of these programs. Please 

connect your constituents with the NEH or any of the organizations featured here 

to bring these educational opportunities to your community. The NEH is proud to 

support a diverse set of cultural centers and organizations, including NEH-funded 

state humanities councils, in an endeavor to engage veterans in the humanities.

Beyond Post-Traumatic Stress: 

Homefront Struggles with the 

Wars on Terror

Anthropologists Jean Scandlyn and Sarah 

Hautzinger are researching and writing a 

book that takes a two-pronged approach to 

addressing the effects conflict has on veterans 

and their communities. The first part of the 

book focuses on the homecoming experience 

and how PTSD has become commonplace 

among veterans. The second portion explores 

the roles of people within the community, 

including spouses and caregivers. They also 

analyze how communities react to returning 

combat veterans and war in general. More than 

twenty student researchers from Colorado 

College and University of Colorado Denver 

(Scandlyn and Hautzinger’s home institutions) 

have participated in research for the project.

Design Credit — Daphne Kiplinger

The graphic design layout of this and the other 3 reports issued to Congress on the impact of NEH funding was 

designed by Daphne Kiplinger, a graduate student at Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts in DC.

Photo Credits

Literature and Medicine: Photos courtesy of Literature and Medicine

Missouri Warrior-Writers Project: Veteran holding flag: Photo Credit Lance Cpl. Phillip R. Clark; Men in uniform: 

Photo courtesy of NYCMarines

Proud to Be anthology cover: Photo Courtesy of the Missouri Warrior-Writers Project

Ancient Greeks/Modern Lives: Photography by Richard Termine

The Warrior-Scholar Project: Credit: Kimberly Pasko, Office of Public Affairs and Communications, Yale University

Navy UDT-SEAL Museum: Photos courtesy of the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum

100 Faces of War Experience: Photography and Portraits by Matthew Mitchell

Journey to Normal: Women of War Come Home: Photos from the documentary film trailer on YouTube
About the NEH

The National Endowment for the Humanities 

(NEH) is an independent federal agency 

created in 1965. It is one of the largest 

funders of humanities programs in the 

United States. 

Because democracy demands wisdom, 

NEH serves and strengthens our republic 

by promoting excellence in the humanities 

and conveying the lessons of history to all 

Americans. The Endowment accomplishes 

this mission by awarding grants for toprated proposals examined by panels of 

independent, external reviewers.