My seventh great grandfather, Colonel Matthew Patten, emigrated from County Londonderry, Ireland, to Augusta County, Virginia, during the Revolutionary War to help colonists fight a common enemy—the British. My ancestors and I served during every American war (and police action) since then, many of us as “career” Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen. I was an Eisenhower baby and Kennedy kid who grew up proud to be a Navy brat. I eagerly asked not what my country could do for me, rather, what I could do for it, but by the time I was a teenager, I was an anomaly.
When my dad returned from his third tour of duty in Viet Nam, my mother, sister and I watched in horror as he was pelted with tomatoes and expletives disembarking the plane and making his way across the tarmac to us. By the time my generation came home from Desert Storm, Decisive Endeavor, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, American civilians—whatever their attitude toward war and/or politicians—had learned to appreciate their military protectors. Better homecomings, however, do not exorcise demons.
Whether veterans are greeted with vitriol or cheers, many of us need help dealing with our memories and internal conflicts. Because writing, art and performance are wonderful forms of therapy for all manner of trauma, Warrior Writers groups have been formed all over the country. One of my former Defense Information School classmates facilitates such a group in Chicago. An IPFW classmate and fellow OIF veteran, because there is no local group, contributes her poetry to an “at large” Warrior Writers blog. With nearly 500 veterans and military members at IPFW and Ivy Tech, Shepherd’s House just a mile away on Tennessee Avenue, the Air National Guard on Ferguson Road, the Army National Guard on Cook Road, the USMCR hall in New Haven, five VFW and ten American Legion posts in town, Fort Wayne is long overdue its own Warrior Writers project!
A group of upperclassmen and graduate students from Dr. Mary Ann Cain's "Creativity and Community" course will offer a variety of workshops in the coming months for veterans who are (or want to be) writers, artists, actors, singers, or dancers. Some of the works created will be performed or exhibited publicly; others will be published electronically and/or in an anthology. Please revisit this site, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook to stay informed about the schedule. We hope you'll join us as Warrior Writers, support us by attending our exhibits, and/or help underwrite our production costs with donations of venue, supplies, or cold hard cash.
Thanks for stopping by!