ENLISTED is a documentary archive project. We film veterans from diverse backgrounds around the U.S. who compare their actual experiences during war and after returning home to what they understood and expected before enlisting. Veterans also detail circumstances that led to recruitment and/or enlisting, and what they would say to those considering service.
Through a web-based interactive site, young people can learn about the range of realities veterans face, to prepare themselves as fully as possible before making their decisions. The archive will also be illuminating to the general public, and serve as a resource for historians and students of the military and war.
Additionally, ENLISTED’s preserved histories promote governmental and military transparency, essential for a healthy democracy and just war policies. And our project allows veterans to be heard and understood, not just as representatives of the military, but also as men and women who have been through war.
ADVISORS: Drs. Neta C. Crawford and Catherine Lutz are co-founders and co-directors of the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs, and recipients of the 2022 US Peace Memorial Foundation’s US Peace Prize. Mary L. Dudziak is Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law, 2022-23 President’s Humanities Fellow and the author of War Time and other books. Erik N. Edstrom led over 350 missions as infantry platoon leader in Afghanistan as an Army Infantry captain. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for combat leadership.
