Students Chronicle 'War Through Their Eyes'

Oshkosh, Wis., May 14, 2009 -- When Nate Wilhelms is asked about his Iraq war experience, he pulls out an old saying: "You go into war as a boy, but you come out as a man."

Wilhelms, a 24-year-old Iraq war veteran from Fond du Lac, Wis., joined the military at 17. Three years later, in 2005, he was deployed to Safwan, Iraq near the border of Kuwait, where his yearlong tour began with a tragedy.

Just one month after being deployed Wilhelms lost a friend and fellow soldier to a roadside bomb. "It hits you," he said of his friend's death. "Really, there's not a whole lot you could do. You still have to find some way to drive on."

Wilhelms returned to Wisconsin in August 2006 to attend the University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac, and later, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he is scheduled to graduate May 16 with a degree in history. He came to realize how his experiences in Iraq had matured him beyond the level of his fellow students.

"You come out more aged mentally and almost physically to a point. That's the way I felt," he said. "I'm going to my peers, and I'm seeing them still living with mom and dad and having fun at the bar, and it's like, 'Dude, seriously? You need to grow up.'"

Multimedia Project

Wilhelms' story is one of 16 featured in "War: Through Their Eyes," a student journalism project that includes an 80-page book, a series of podcasts and an art gallery exhibit.

"War: Through Their Eyes, From UW Oshkosh to the Middle East and Back" tells the stories of 16 UW Oshkosh students and alumni, most of whom are veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The exhibit opens May 15 at the Steinhilber Gallery at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, which has more than 12,000 students, and will run through September.

In the podcasts, which are available free on iTunes U, one Iraq war vet tells the story of watching a young Iraqi boy get cut down by crossfire and being reminded of his little brother safe at home in Wisconsin. Another explains the appreciation he now has for the things most take for granted, like a hot shower.

'It Brings It Home'

Wilhelms said he participated in "War: Through Their Eyes" project for personal reasons. "I feel it's important for the public to hear the stories from the soldiers' perspective because it puts another angle onto this war," he said. "It brings it home."

Wilhelms' story and those of the other soldiers and Marines were gathered by UW Oshkosh journalism students in the space of about three weeks.

Chancellor Richard Wells of UW Oshkosh applauded the student reporters' efforts. "The project opens people's eyes to the fact that these soldiers are people," Wells said. "You're given that perspective of a multi-faceted human being that also happens to be a soldier."

Grace Lim, a journalism instructor at UW Oshkosh and editor of "War: Through their Eyes," is equally proud of her students' work. She had contacted her students before class began in February.

"I sent my students an e-mail giving them the heads-up about the project they were about to undertake," she said. "The No. 1 thing I asked for was this: unwavering commitment, and my students came through in spades."

The 14 journalism students interviewed the 13 soldiers and three Marines, podcast the interviews and wrote the stories that are compiled in a book that is available through University Books & More at UW Oshkosh and on the store's Web site.

'See What They See'

"I wanted to know who these young men and women are," she said. "I want to feel what they felt, see what they saw and hear what they heard. To do that, I needed a book filled with the soldiers' stories, I needed a series of podcasts so I can hear their voices, and I needed a trove of photographs so I can see their faces."

Each interview was recorded and edited by the student reporters, all of whom were new to the technology needed to create the podcasts. "We're learning all this new technology on the fly," explained Chris Schattl, a student reporter. "It's like you learn something and then the next day you're doing it."

'Exploring the Human Condition'

Student photographer Amber Patrick was also caught up in fast-paced nature of the project. Patrick, a junior majoring in graphic communications and photography, used her Nikon to capture the soldiers and Marines at home and at school. For one assignment, she tagged a group of ROTC cadets into the woods on a wintry Wisconsin day.

"I was ecstatic to be a part of the project," Patrick said. "My mind was reeling with all of the possibilities of what we could do to add some artistic flavor to the project."

The different pieces of the "War: Through Their Eyes" project will be brought together at the May 15 gallery event, which will include images and excerpts from the book. Attendees will also be able to listen to the podcasts.

"The people responsible for "War: Through Their Eyes" have created a powerful experience," said Emmet Sandberg, coordinator of the Steinhilber Art Gallery at Reeve Memorial Union. "Everyone has a story to tell. The stories included in this project offer the viewer another means for exploring the human condition and connect the university community to the world at large."

'Living It Every Day'

Jandrin, who served two tours in Iraq from 2004 to 2006, welcomed the chance to tell his stories. "This is a great project to help civilians understand what it's like to see what we saw through our stories," said Jandrin, 25, who is a junior majoring in athletic training.

Cody Anderson echoed Jandrin's views. "This was a great opportunity to tell complete stories to a willing audience," said Anderson, who was a U.S. Army squad team leader, deployed to Iraq from 2005-2007. He is now a second-year cadet in the ROTC program at UW Oshkosh, majoring in history. "It's great to share what I experienced."