Boots on the Ground: Soldiers, Families, and the Growth of Ft. Hood, a Veterans Oral History Project

The poster displays the development of the Ft. Hood Veterans' Oral History Project at Texas A&M University Central Texas. The purpose of the project is to document the experiences of soldiers and their families, stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas since its inception in 1942. Through oral history interviews, we hope to preserve and share the voices of the veterans and the story of the greater Ft. Hood community. The goal is to develop a robust archive of recordings, videos, and transcriptions, and to make it available to scholars and accessible to the public.

Many groups participate in this effort, including active duty soldiers, retired soldiers, and community leaders. Students enrolled in graduate research seminars conduct the interviews, and students and faculty work together to transcribe and organize them. The student interviewers receive instruction in the history and theoretical foundations of Oral History. They also complete the "Protecting Human Research Participants" course offered online by the National Institutes of Health Office of Extramural Research. Graduate student researchers and faculty members analyze the material and contribute to our understanding of the history of the Ft. Hood veterans' experiences and the impact of Ft. Hood on the history of Bell County, Texas.

This poster conveys the process of developing the Ft. Hood Veterans' Oral History Project at Texas A&M University Central Texas, and of fostering the connection between the university, the Ft. Hood veterans' community, the area civilian community, and our understanding of the history of Ft. Hood in Bell County, Texas. The poster illustrates the project's efforts to capture the voices of the Ft. Hood veterans, their families, and the larger Ft. Hood community to more fully tell the story of this place.