Transitioning back into civilian life after serving in the military can be difficult. Often, some of the challenges are caused by the misconceptions and myths about veterans perpetuated by civilians who have little knowledge of the experience of members of the armed forces. But journalism students from the University of Michigan hope to help combat some of those misconceptions with their new book "100 Questions and Answers About Veterans: A Guide for Civilians."
The book is composed of 100 questions that veterans said they wish civilians knew the answers to, according to the University of Michigan. Questions range from knowledge of basic military life, such as the meanings of Memorial Day and Veterans Day, to more personal questions such as why veterans often prefer people do not thank them for their service.
"Veterans are frequently misunderstood by well-meaning civilians who want to reach out, but who might not know just how," said Joe Grimm, the School of Journalism's editor in residence who led the class that researched and wrote the book. "This guide was created to help close that knowledge gap."
Though written by the journalism students, the questions and answers were reviewed by veterans of the Marines, Army, Air Force and Navy, including Director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Jeff Barnes, the University of Michigan reported.
The book is part of a larger series on cultural competence. Other guides by Grimm's "Bias Buster" class focused on Native Americans, Arab Americans, Muslim Americans and more. All seek to promote greater understanding by breaking down walls and encouraging communication between diverse groups.
"Given the similarities between vets and other groups of people who are frequently stereotyped, this would be a place we could do some work," Grimm told The Associated Press.
The book is now available for purchase on Amazon.com.