University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
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Q & A with Grace Lim, journalism instructor and editor of the War: Through Their Eyes student journalism project

 

1. What is War: Through Their Eyes?
War: Through Their Eyes is a multimedia project about 16 students and alumni of UW Oshkosh who have fought in the Iraq War or are waiting for the call to go abroad. These stories are told in several ways. First, students in my Spring 2009 Writing for the Media class podcasted the audio and video interviews, which are  available to anyone via iTunes U. That's one component of this project. The other component are the stories themselves. These stories are gleaned from multiple in-person, e-mail and phone interviews with the military men and women. And these stories are compiled in a book that will be published in May and will be sold at the University Books & More bookstore on campus and online. The third component are the photographs. Amber Patrick, a student majoring in graphic communications and photography, shot the photos of the soldiers and Marines. She photographed them in a studio, in class, at home, basically, anywhere she felt would best tell their stories. For one shoot, she tramped in the woods, in freezing conditions, documenting the ROTC cadets' field exercises.
2. How did this idea come about?
I've been carrying around this idea for several years, really, since the Iraq War began in 2003. Since I teach future journalists, I talk about the media coverage of the war. To me, as each year passes, the war becomes less relevant. 

A couple of semesters ago I was discussing the Iraq War in one of my large lecture classes. I talked about the media coverage, the politics, etc. I glossed over the numbers -- 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, 40,000 troops in Afghanistan - really, what did those numbers mean, to me here in Oshkosh, Wisconsin?

It took a student to remind me that behind every number is a person with a name, a face and a voice.
This student pretty much told me that I didn't know what I'm talking about.

I thought, "Who is this young whippersnapper?"

She said, "The media only covers a part of the story. They never talk about the good that the military is doing over there."

I asked, "How would you know what the military is doing in Iraq?"

She replied, "Well, I was there."

That student is Nicole Middleton. She is a journalism student and Iraq War vet.

Nicole put the Iraq War, which is being fought halfway around the world, front and center, here, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 

Now that I know I have students who sit in my class who've seen the war in a way you and I will most likely never see, I want to know who these young men and women are. I want to feel what they felt, see what they saw and hear what they heard.

In other words, I needed a book filled with the soldiers' stories, I need a series of podcasts so I can hear their voices, and I need a trove of photographs so I can see their faces.
3. How did you take this idea and make it into something real in your classroom?
The first thing I did was walk in Shawn McAfee's office in the IRC (Instructional Resources Center), which is part of the University's Media Services. I told her what I wanted to do. She signed on board to do the project design and book layout. And, to top that off, she was the one who told me about Amber, our student photographer. Then I went next door to Sean Ruppert's office. Sean is the manager of the Presentations Lab, which is also under the Media Services umbrella. There, Sean said he could take care of all my podcasting needs. Next up. Brian Ledwell, who is the multimedia developer in the IDEA Lab, also under Media Services. Brian said he could create a wiki page and a Web site for the project. Then I got Wayne Abler, coodinator of the Instructional Television Services, to shoot our videos. Once I had the production and technology aspects in place, all I had to do was to get my students on board. A week before class began, I sent my students an e-mail giving them the heads-up about the project they were about to undertake. The No. 1 thing I asked for was this: Unwavering commitment. 
4. What do you hope to accomplish with this project?
My goals are two-fold.
First, as a journalism instructor, I want my students to do good meaningful journalism. Simply, I want them to learn by doing. I want them to learn the ins and out of being a reporter, the art of asking questions, and the art of listening. I told them that they will do the reporting, writing, editing, producing and publishing. And, believe me, they will learn about deadlines.

Fast-forward to seven weeks later. My students came through in spades. The students interviewed these soldiers and Marines, and they came back with amazing stories. One Iraq War vet talks about how he now appreciates mundane things such as a hot shower; another talks about how he couldn't tell his mother that he had enlisted for a second tour because he had already broken her heart once with the first. Another recounts how he and his squad pass time on long missions, playing word games and singing cheesy rock songs. And still another shares his first thoughts when he saw an Iraqi boy get cut down by crossfire. He thought of his little brother who was safe, back home in Wisconsin.

Now, as a journalist, I want to do good meaningful journalism. As journalists, part of our job is to give a name, a face and a voice to those whose names we don't know, whose faces we don't see, whose voices we don't hear. I've heard plenty of talking heads talk about the war, people who've never stepped on Iraqi soil, who've never felt real gut-wrenching fear on a daily basis.

The Iraq War is truly my students' war. They were too young for the Vietnam or the Korean wars; even the Persian Gulf War in 1990, they were just mere babes.

The Iraq War is their war. These are stories that needed to be told.