Faculty from the colleges’ English, philosophy, and theater departments trained eight graduate students to facilitate the dialogues. Clinical psychologists Dr. Rachel Keener and Dr. Dana Timmermans, who work with veterans and serve in the Air Force Reserve, helped the discussion leaders understand mental health issues in the veteran community, the challenges of reintegration into civilian society, and culturally-sensitive communication strategies. Looking back on the experience, Keener noted that the program achieved many of the same goals as the therapy groups she has led for veterans; however, grounding the conversation in humanities sources provides additional security for participants. “It’s a safer context for people to talk because it’s not necessarily their own story,” said Keener. “It’s a powerful format for veterans to come together, to make connections where they’ve felt disconnected, and to begin to talk about their stories again.” As one veteran participant reflected, “it was the first time I have been able to open up about my experiences since I have been there.”

The program also forged connections with the surrounding community through public events, including multiple film screenings and a production of the play Mother Courage and Her Children. The play was performed seven times, nearly filling the theater’s 144 seats each time. The majority of audience members surveyed agreed that “what I learned today made me think differently about war.” CSUSB recognized this successful public outreach by awarding the program an additional grant, which supported five more reading and discussion groups hosted at the Moreno Valley Public Library. And on campus, From Ancient Greece has increased attention to veterans’ experiences: faculty have incorporated elements from the project into three large, core courses and Andersen has created a new graduate seminar on “Memoirs and Films of War.”