News

 

Picture2EKU Stories: “Serving Those Who Served“

It all started at EKU, with Dr. Travis Martin, ’09 ’11 ’20, veteran and now director of the Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies. Just over a decade ago while working on a master’s in English, Martin began researching the ways veterans use … Read.–

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Picture1Working Nation: “Understanding Veterans Through College-level Studies“

“It’s a growing, budding community. I believe that our next step is to become self-replicating to a point where we can help other schools start their programs,” says EKU’s Martin. “I’m hopeful that in a couple of decades this idea will spread even further” … Read.

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Picture1WMST: “Interview with Travis Martin, author of War & Homecoming“

Join Dan Manley and Dr. Travis Martin for an extended discussion about ways to support returning service members the new book War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation … Listen.–

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Picture2EKU Stories: “Professor Explores Veteran Identity in New Book“

Weaving together lessons learned over two decades of personal and professional experiences in the world of veterans affairs, Dr. Travis Martin’s book, “War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation,” is a critical examination of what it means to be a veteran … Read.–

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EKU LogoEastern Standard: “Interview with Travis Martin, author of War & Homecoming“

A new book is coming in late July from Eastern Kentucky University professor Travis Martin, an Iraq War veteran who founded the nation’s first program in Veterans Studies at EKU. ‘War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation’ explores … Listen.–

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Picture1USA Today: “Study could be ‘missing link’ to better care for thousands of Gulf War veterans battling a mysterious illness“

For decades, through legislative inaction and misdiagnoses, a generation of veterans were gaslighted into thinking it was all in their heads … One can only hope, at some point, we learn from our mistakes and give future generations of veterans the benefit of the doubt … Read more.–

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Picture2EKU Stories: “Faculty Honored for Excellence in Teaching and Leadership”

It was noted that Martin draws upon the most recent research to innovate his courses and his innovations have influenced other faculty members. One nominee wrote, “With the … Read more.

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2Veterans Radio: “Veterans Studies Degree Programs”

Dr. Eric Fretz, a Faculty Lecturer at the University of Michigan, discusses the degree programs for Veteran Studies with Jim Craig, Ernest (Luke McClees), Travis L. Martin, and Bruce Pencek … Listen.

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wtvqWTVQ: “Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Restore Veterans’ Education Benefits”

Bipartisan efforts between Congressman Andy Barr and Congressman Mike Levin will ensure veterans who served during the early days of the Global War on Terror will have access to the benefits they have earned … Read more.

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EKU LogoWEKU: “Veterans Studies Students Set Sights on Careers in Mental Health”

In 2010, while Dr. Travis Martin was working on his first graduate degree, he asked his supervisor why there wasn’t a program that focused on veterans  … Read more.

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Picture2EKU Stories: “Colonels Create Community with Art”

Finding the balance between productivity and self-care is sometimes difficult for first-year college students. Taking a few minutes away from the demands … Read more.

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Picture2Veterans in Academics: “Dr. Travis Martin Interview”

In the inaugural episode of the Veterans in Academics podcast Dr. Travis Martin discusses the relationship between his military service and academia as well as founding  … Listen.

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EKU LogoEastern Standard: “The Story of Veterans Studies at EKU”

In Today’s Interview, Dr. Travis Martin, creator and Director of the new Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, talks about how unique  … Read more.

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Picture2EKU-eCast: “Veterans Studies & First-Year Courses with Dr. Travis Martin”

On this week’s e-Cast we sit down with Dr. Travis Martin who serves in dual roles as the Director of the Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies and as an administrator  … Listen.

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––Picture2Ohio Valley Resource: “Older Veterans Face New Fight As Coronavirus Surges In Region”

On Monday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear delivered his daily briefing on coronavirus, which is surging across the Ohio Valley. Eleven … Read more.

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Picture2EKU Stories: “Student-conducted veteran interviews now accessible through EKU’s Berge Oral History Center”

More than 250 veteran interviews are now available to the public through Eastern Kentucky University’s William H. Berge Oral History Center. This collection will continue to grow  … Read more.

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EKU LogoEastern Standard: “The Story of Veterans Studies at EKU”

A conversation with Travis Martin, co-founder of EKU’s Veterans Studies Program. The first of its kind in the nation, the program aims to foster understanding among veterans and civilians … Read more.

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EKU LogoEKU Stories: “Martin Named to Alpha Lambda Delta National Council”

Travis Martin, First-Year Courses Administrator at Eastern Kentucky University, has been selected as Professional Member-at-Large in the Alpha Lambda Delta National Council … Read more.

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EKU LogoEKU Stories: “Colonels Create Series Kicks Off.”

College is an exciting time in students’ lives, but it comes with many demands. First-year students may struggle to balance their classes, activities, and personal lives as they adjust to their new surroundings … Read more.

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VA VantageVAntage Point: “Wordcommandos: Encouraging Veterans to write and submit their works”

Robert Morgan Fisher is a writer, musician and teacher whose father served as a naval flight officer. For the last year, he’s been leading a writing group at VA’s West Los Angeles campus … Read more.

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1New York Times: “Warrior Voices: Veterans Learn to Write the Words They Could Not Speak”

The traditional therapies and approaches to PTSD are not getting the job done,” he says. “Vets are looking for alternative ways to heal, and they are latching onto writing as a way to do …Read more.

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1Stars & Stripes: “Participants Share Experiences at Military Arts Symposium”

Clayton Murwin learned what his two true passions in life were at an early age: art and supporting the military in a labor of love …Read more.

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1NPR: “I’m not going to avoid memories of what I did in Iraq”

Some casualties of war are the minds of soldiers thrown into combat. Travis Martin is such a case. As an 18 year-old, the Somerset, Kentucky native found himself driving heavy trucks in Iraq …Read more.

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1University of Kentucky: “Poetry to Heal PTSD: Travis Martin”

We often hear about veterans that can’t shake traumatic experiences and memories of war, but what about those who find ways to cope? Travis Martin, a PhD candidate …Read more.

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1New York Times: “A Million Strong: Helping Them Through”

THE class was humanities, the book under discussion Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” Suddenly an alarm blared and 20 students, some calm and some not, filed out of the makeshift classroom …Read more.

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1Inside Higher Ed: “Front Line Instructors”

When student veterans open up to Lydia Wilkes, associate instructor of writing at Indiana University at Bloomington, she’s sometimes overcome by the “sense [that] this is a profoundly human moment that I’m going to …Read More.

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1University of Kentucky: “Learning How to Heal”

When UK English doctoral student Travis Martin returned from military service in 2006, he found himself dealing with avoidance issues and concerns about assimilating into life after deployment …Read More.

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1Eastern Kentucky University: “EKU VETS Recognized As National Program of the Year”

Eastern Kentucky University’s Veterans Education and Transition Support (VETS) organization was honored as national Program of the Year by the Student Veterans of America (SVA) for …Read more.

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1NCTE: “Higher Education: Working With Veterans”

Professor Alexis Hart of Allegheny College and Professor Mike Edwards of Washington State talk about the most recent CCCC conference …Read more.

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1University of Kentucky: “War Stories – Travis Martin”

As a society, we are fascinated by war stories. Movies, television, video games and literature all do their part in capturing something that is so fundamental to human nature, yet so incredibly hard to imagine …Read more.

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1American Legion: “To Shed One’s Sickness”

English writer D.H. Lawrence is quoted as saying that “one sheds one’s sickness in books.” It’s an adage that has stood the test of time, as generations of writers have taken pen to pad – or fingertips to keyboards – to relieve their ailments …Read more.

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1Eastern Kentucky University: “Recent Graduate Receives Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grant”

Recent Eastern Kentucky University graduate Travis Martin was one of 14 individuals nationwide to receive a Literacy Grant from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi …Read more.

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1Conquer Worry: “Helping Vets Find Post Traumatic Growth – Travis Martin Interview”

In this episode we interview Travis Martin, President of Military Experience & the Arts. This is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization whose primary mission is to work with veterans …Read more.

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1USA Today: “Kudos”

In Fall 2010, Eastern Kentucky U began offering a veteran-only “transition to college” course. Last semester, student veterans attending the class plus other student veterans were given the opportunity to discuss their military experiences through poetry, prose, and artwork …Read more.

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1Tears of a Warrior: “Living Stories”

It came in the mail, a book from a professor at Eastern Kentucky University, The Journal of Military Experience. Most publications I get from universities are on topics that deal with academia …Read more.

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1Red Bull Rising: “Editor’s Advice to Mil-Writers: Be Flexible, Be Engaged”

In terms of military writing, November 2012 exploded with the publication of multiple anthologies focused on themes of war, peace, service, and remembrance …Read more.

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1Richmond Register: “EKU Vets Chronicle Military Experience”

RICHMOND — “When we arrived, the smell of rotting flesh filled the air. I was told to pull the first guard shift around the mass-grave site. During one of my patrols …Read more.

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1Somerset Community College: “Somerset Native Makes a Difference for Kentucky Veterans Through Writing”

Somerset native Travis Martin is all too familiar with the challenges faced by veterans who choose to further their education after serving our country …Read more.

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Travis L. Martin, PhD, is founding director of the Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. He has established several nationally recognized programs to support returning veterans in higher education and the non-profit sector. A scholar of American literature, psychoanalytic trauma theory, and social theory, Dr. Martin presents frequently at conferences and universities. He has published dozens of research articles and creative short works on veterans’ issues. A former sergeant in the U.S. Army, he served during two deployments in the Iraq War (2003-04 & 2005). His book War and Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation was published with the University Press of Kentucky in 2022. He resides in Richmond, KY.