Internship in Public History: Veterans History Project UCF 2022

 Week 10: Formatting Questions Question for First Responders This is week in the Veterans History Project I refocused my goals to coming up with questions for a potential interview with a first responder. If you can recall, weeks ago I mentioned my direct involvement and heart for the clean up of Fort Myers, FL after Hurricane Ian. The uniqueness of the role of first responders in our society and natural disasters is unique because of the fact that they have been predisposed to situations and have been trained to react, giving them a completely unique perspective compared to the average civilian. The story day we are planning for this members in our community will be veterans as well, giving them two different perspectives that create a hybrid, almost rare outlook on preparation and natural disaster. Bellow are some of the questions I've come up with myself that stand out to me. It must be noted that in our interviews, we will treat our interviewee like a normal interviewee and ask...

 Week 9: The First Interview Baby's First Steps This week on the Veteran's History Project I took a very big step and completed my first interview. I was quite nervous going into it as I didn't know what to expect and I had no prior experiences to interviewing, but I'm quite pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I prepared my interview all week, researching as much as I could to prepare my questions for my interviewee, but there was truly nothing that could give me the advantage I wanted. I knew that going into it, so I said a silent prayer and remained confident until the end. Looking back, I truly had nothing to worry about. Once I found my groove, I thrived. A good interview is one that gets the needed information out of the subject. A great one is one that gets the anted information out of the subject; I did exactly that. I was able to ask my subject about the time she experienced a typhoon of the coast of Australia and the experiences she had on a flagship o...

 Week 8: Refocus Formatting Interviews & Refocusing This week on the Veterans History Project I have had the duty of refocusing on existing interviews and revisiting questions for consideration. I've been assigned the task of inventing a new question series in the aftermath of both COVID-19 and now Hurricane Ian. Veterans pose a unique take on the individual response to tragedy and pandemic with their time in service and existing conditions during their time in service. The questions I am instructed to create pertain to this idea; How has a veteran's service changed or ordered their actions in response to a societal crisis? What changed in perspective? What stayed the same? Its important to register not only the memory of a Veteran, but also how that memory has shaped the individual.   USS La Salle (LPD-3, AFG-3) The USS La Salle (LPD-3), awarded August 3, 1963, is the second ship of the Veteran we previously discussed prior to the destruction of Hurricane I...

 Week Seven: Hurricane Ian Hurricane Ian: Southwest Florida Fort Myers Beach, before and after Hurricane Ian. This week in the Veterans History Project things took an unexpected turn. Hurricane Ian made landfall to Florida on Wednesday to my hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. Expecting the outer circle of a category 3 hurricane, Southwest Florida was surprised when it was hit directly by a category 4 (almost 5) hurricane on Wednesday, November 28th. Notable locations such as the historic Fort Myers Beach and Downtown Fort Myers suffered from deadly flooding with multiple locations underwater and completely erased by the high tides and winds.   Following the aftermath of the unforeseen flooding and storm surge, local officials declared that this is the worst storm Southwest Florida had seen in a lifetime. After photos began to role into my messages, I decided I needed to head home to do what I could. Filling my truck with water, canned items, and gas, I drove home to wh...