Nan Darbous Marthaller (Faulkner University)
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Alice Sylvester (Independent Scholar)
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Veterans Studies is a growing field of research that addresses the significant impact of military personnel transitioning from active duty to civilian life. This session invites papers that explore any aspect of military service in literature, including those that reflect the conference theme of “Send in the Clowns” or humor. Outside the trauma of military existence is the rich sense of community that exists in the humorous aspects of providing service to one’s country. These stories and experiences have provided mass media laughs in periodicals like Reader’s Digestand in television shows like Gomer Pyle and Mash. No tragedy is complete without inferences of comedy. This session invites papers that explore the many facets of military experience exhibited in literature, theater, film, and poetry written about or by military veterans.
A significant justification for this session is the opportunity to submit completed papers to the Journal of Veterans Studies, “an open-access, peer-reviewed journal…whose goals are to sustain research in veteran’s studies, facilitate interdisciplinary research collaborations, and narrow gaps between cultures, institutions, experiences, knowledge, and understanding.”
This topic is especially relevant because the session occurs during the Veterans Day national holiday in a region that proudly features Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma, Marine Corps Base Miramar, Naval Air Station North Island, and a host of National Guard units statewide.