Building Empathy - Investigating the Experiences of a 21st Century Soldier

One of the most significant portions of the Veterans Empathy Project is the building of empathy itself among citizens that know little of war’s reality or its impact upon those who live the life of a solider.  This is reinforced within the mission statement created by the project’s director Dr. John Pettegrew: “This is an oral history of combat veterans’ experience in the post-September 11th wars. It is named the Veterans Empathy Project because it seeks to help bridge the huge gap of understanding in the United States today between civilians who never served in the military and the 100,000s of veterans who fought and killed and risked life and limb for their country.”  This lesson hopes to not only educate young people about the drama of war, but also build compassion for those who have endured the risk of looking one’s life in service of the United States of America.