In recognition of Veterans Day, NHPR will air a special broadcast of After They Served, that explores the issues soldiers face when returning home from military service.
This Veterans Day special will air Friday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m.
No matter how they served or where or when, for veterans, returning to civilian life is a big transition. Eric Hodges is researching what it was like for African American veterans in his small Virginia community to return home.
And: Alicia DeFonzo’s grandfather was a big part of her life as a kid. He was charming and jovial and the absolute best storyteller. But his stories always left out the years he spent fighting in WWII. Late in his life, Alicia finally asked her grandfather to tell those stories and their conversations gave rise to her new book The Time Left Between Us.
Later in the show: After the Civil War, veterans and their families
were able to apply for a pension. But they had to prove they were eligible. Sharon Roger Hepburn’s book Private No More compiles almost 60 letters written by John Lovejoy Murray submitted as proof for a pension and kept in his government file since the Civil War. Murray, a Black soldier who died during the war, wrote home about the food, the pay, and racism in the ranks.
Plus: Community colleges can offer a particularly welcoming landing spot for veterans transitioning to civilian life. Steve Borden shares some of the ways his college is easing the transition.
NHPR will also air a special broadcast of The Moth Radio Hour Saturday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m.
After returning from active duty in the Middle East, a marine searches for new meaning; a 97 year old woman describes training young men for WWII combat as a WASP; a father being deployed to Iraq must find a way to explain it to his children; and a WWII soldier from Wisconsin serves with the segregated 93rd Infantry Division in the South Pacific. This special hour is hosted by The Moth's Producing Director, Sarah Austin Jenness. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic Public Media.
