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Brian O’Hare cracked open his newly published book, “Surrender” behind the podium at the National Veterans Resource Center and began to read an excerpt about his connection with a man in his battalion.

“I felt I had a responsibility to turn my Marines better than I found them, more open to the possibility of the world,” O’Hare said. “At the very least, I wanted their eyes to be open, to be curious. That was my collateral duty.”

Syracuse University Press hosted past winners of the Veteran’s Writing Award Monday, and they each shed light on their experiences in the military. The event, which aimed to amplify voices of unrecognized military authors, featured Dewaine Farria, Brian O’Hare, Thomas Bardenwerper and Phil Klay, who were the 2019 feature, 2021 winner, Veterans Writing Award Honorable Mention and 2014 National Book Award for Fiction winner, respectively.

O’Hare’s said he aimed to dispel the false narrative and stereotypes the media has created about who and what the military represents.

The military is far more nuanced and diverse than what mainstream mass media portrays, he said. He said he tried to reshape that problematic narrative by creating honest, raw characters in his writing.

“I am consciously working against (stereotypes) to humanize (the stories) because I think the Hollywood side is bullsh*t and it’s not what it’s about,” O’Hare said. “For me, it’s about love, and the love they have for these guys and how they helped transform me and how I see the world. They got me out of my bubble.”

The other speakers shared similar goals and experiences behind their literary work. Klay said the American people don’t understand the military or the true reality of war. His first book, “Redeployment,” unpacked the mental and physical effects soldiers experienced on the frontlines of the war in Iraq.

“I started writing my first book because I felt like there was something about the wars that wasn’t being discussed,” Klay said. “I don’t even know what it was, but writing it was the only way I could articulate that.”

But Bardenwerper emphasized that just sharing an individual’s experience cannot do justice to the layers and complexity that is serving in the military.

“I’m not telling the stories of all veterans,” Bardenwerper said. “I’m telling the story that came to me, my head and my heart. Only I’m able to tell that story.”

In his book, “Mona Passage: A Novel,” Bardenwerper sought to unite the diverse identities he experienced in the military. He emphasized that during his time in the forces, he shared space with people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and all walks of life.

Regardless of their differences, Bardenwerper said he related to his fellow soldiers through pride and commitment to their country and a passion to protect its citizens.

Ferria echoed similar sentiments, explaining that through his writing, he sought to not only humanize the people in uniforms serving the nation, but also to hold the military accountable for its less desirable attributes, such as how it approaches masculinity. In his book, “Revolutions of All Colors,” Ferria aims to represent male characters with “feminine” attributes to represent a community in the military that doesn’t follow the rigid rules of masculinity.

The authors said it was their mission to share their perspective through their fictitious stories.

O’Hare said he strives to end the friction between the American public and the military. By using his own experience as both a veteran and American, he said he hopes his writing can create discourse to eventually end this friction.

“The flag is loaded. Being a patriot is loaded,” O’Hare said. “The personal responsibility I feel is in my writing and my stories is to express optimism and hopelessness about the potential I see about being in America and being an American.”

Published on November 7, 2022 at 11:21 pm