American Homefront Project

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The American Homefront Project is reporting on military life and veterans issues. We're visiting bases to chronicle how American troops are working and living. We're meeting military families. We're talking with veterans -- in their homes, on their jobs, at school, at VA hospitals -- to learn about the challenges they face.

Support for the American Homefront Project comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as part of CPB's ongoing effort to expand coverage of local, regional, and national issues. Additional support comes from our partner public radio stations -- North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC, Texas Public Radio, KPBS-San Diego, St. Louis Public Radio, and WSHU-Fairfield, Conn.

Series

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4 Pieces

In commemoration of Veteran’s Day, the American Homefront Project collaborated with the PBS documentary series "American Veteran" to profile men and women who have served in the U.S. military.

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5 Pieces

In commemoration of Veteran’s Day 2021, the American Homefront Project collaborated with the PBS documentary series "American Veteran" to profile men and women who have served in the U.S. military.


Pieces

Caption: Shawn Campbell helps Justin Herris get back on the boat after a dive at the Circle of Heroes military memorial off the coast of Clearwater, Fla., Credit: Stephanie Colombini/American Homefront
A growing number of programs try to treat PTSD by getting veterans into nature, even deep under the sea. But there's little scientific evidence tha...

Bought by KPBS, WOUB, Texas Public Radio, WRST-FM Oshkosh, and Colorado Public Radio


  • Added: Sep 26, 2019
  • Length: 03:41
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Mark George (right), a chaplain at the Caldwell County Jail in Lockhart, Tx., shakes hands with VA clergy training instructor Larry Collins, while attendee Vernon Cooper looks on., Credit: Carson Frame/American Homefront
The Department of Veterans Affairs is training clergy members around the country to look for signs of psychological disorders and other issues amon...

Bought by WRST-FM Oshkosh, KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, WUSF, KPBS, WOUB and more


  • Added: Sep 23, 2019
  • Length: 03:54
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: A screenshot from a July 23 Facebook post shows mold on a mattress at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Other photos posted by airmen showed moldy shoes, walls, and uniforms., Credit: "Air Force amn/nco/snco" Facebook group
Mold has long been a problem at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. But when airmen started posting photos on Facebook, the Air Force stepped...

Bought by Texas Public Radio, WOUB, KPBS, North Country Public Radio, WUSF and more


  • Added: Aug 19, 2019
  • Length: 03:22
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: El Paso County, Col. resident Liz Rosenbaum spends about $70 per month on bottled drinking water rather than drink from her tap., Credit: Dan Boyce / American Homefront
The military is spending millions of dollars to clean up water contamination around bases throughout the country. But people living with the contam...

Bought by KPBS, WUSF, and Texas Public Radio


  • Added: Aug 09, 2019
  • Length: 03:59
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Observers watch an explosion during Operation Hardtack in 1958. 35 nuclear tests were conducted in the Pacific, exposing troops to radiation., Credit: Nevada National Security Site
The new certificate recognizes as many as 550,000 veterans who were exposed to nuclear weapons tests between 1945 and 1992. But the certificates le...

Bought by KRPS, KRZA, KPBS, KPCC, Texas Public Radio and more


  • Added: Aug 05, 2019
  • Length: 03:41
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Black and white Marines served side by side during the Vietnam War, as seen in this 1966 photo of a firefight with the Viet Cong. But racial tension was not uncommon throughout the armed services., Credit: U.S. Marine Corps
Camp Lejeune, N.C. was the first of several bases to experience racial violence during the Vietnam War. It led to major reforms in military racial ...

Bought by Texas Public Radio, KPBS, WUSF, Colorado Public Radio, and North Country Public Radio


  • Added: Jul 19, 2019
  • Length: 03:56
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Army veteran Mike Monthervil (left) uses an adaptive controller to play video games as his VA recreational therapist Jamie Kaplan watches., Credit: Stephanie Colombini/American Homefront
Some VA medical centers have realized that helping vets get back in the game can also help with their recovery.

Bought by Texas Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, and KPBS


  • Added: Jun 19, 2019
  • Length: 03:54
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Veterans and their families demolish a wooden foot bridge in Biscayne National Park., Credit: Niall Macaulay / American Homefront
Congress is considering legislation to encourage "outdoor therapy" for veterans with injuries or post-traumatic stress. Volunteer groups are alread...

Bought by KPBS, Colorado Public Radio, WUSF, Texas Public Radio, and KPCC


  • Added: Jun 07, 2019
  • Length: 03:55
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: 52 years after he died in a Vietnam plane crash, Raul Guerra's memorial service was held at Risher Mortuary in Montebello, Cal., Credit: Libby Denkmann/American Homefront
Raul Guerra was adopted, so his DNA couldn't be matched to blood relatives. Scientists instead turned to an emerging technique that linked his bone...

Bought by KMXT, KPBS, North Country Public Radio, Texas Public Radio, WUSF and more


  • Added: May 29, 2019
  • Length: 03:48
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Christopher and Andrea Cacho's wedding picture was among the many possessions damaged when the Army moved them from Kentucky to Virginia., Credit: Andrea Cacho
After years of complaints, the Pentagon is trying to reform the way it manages the moving process for military families. The current system is plag...

Bought by Texas Public Radio, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WUSF, WRST-FM Oshkosh, KPBS and more


  • Added: May 02, 2019
  • Length: 03:48
  • Purchases: 7