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Exploring the experiences of military veterans through unique objects that mattered to them while serving.
Sometimes the connections you make in war follow you home. USAF Staff Sergeant Amjad Kirrish had a bond with Harley, an orphaned puppy Kirrish credits with helping him stay emotionally grounded during deployment in Syria.
7 minutes
When Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne-Arapaho) was in the USMC in Vietnam, he had a pebble with him to stave off thirst. Though his canteen was always full, Pratt never shared his trick, thinking he might be made fun of -- but he shared his water.
5 minutes
During her 20-year career in the Army, Clara Driscoll served in many combat zones and collected many treasures to remind her of the ways people can connect with one another despite coming from very different backgrounds and circumstances.
5 minutes
Jeff Barillaro's fellow Army soldiers coped with the stresses of deployment by working out. But Barillaro, who goes by "Soldier Hard," wrote music. His goal now is to use music to help others and to reduce suicide rates among veterans.
7 minutes
Yolanda Mayo was a newlywed when she deployed to Iraq with the USMC. A stuffed bunny, sent by her husband, became a source of joy for her and her tentmates. He stands, says Mayo, "for love. He stands for why we serve. He stands for home."
5 minutes
In the 1970s and 80s, Captain Wade Ishimoto was Delta Force's intelligence Officer in the failed attempt to free 52 hostages in Tehran. He knew the plans were incomplete, but when the United States President tells you to go, "you go."
6 minutes
Lt. Colonel Andrea Peters struggled early in her Army career with hairstyle rules that ignored the needs of Black women. She feared that she'd be reprimanded for not following regulations or that her professionalism would be questioned.
7 minutes
Patricia Harris recalls her time in the Army as a period of horror, madness, and resilience. Stationed in Germany, she suffered sexual harassment on duty and domestic violence at home. Her only solace was in her red 1967 VW Beetle.
5 minutes
After a vehicle explosion while deployed in Afghanistan, Saul Monroy woke up in the hospital, disoriented and in despair. To his amazement, his watch was still ticking -- a sign that he had to keep going, too.
6 minutes
Being a USMC veteran is a big part of Janessa Goldbeck's identity. But when she signed up, there was one issue: signing up meant lying. Goldbeck was an out, queer woman and military policy was still officially "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
5 minutes
