A group of 20 veterans will band together 9 a.m. Saturday for “A Walk in my Boots” at the Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco. The program will provide veterans an opportunity to share their experiences.
However, rather than just talking about it to one another, the program will take a different approach. There, veterans, especially those who have been in combat, will have the chance to write. The group’s initial goal is to write for themselves first and then for others. In the future, the program coordinators hope to publish a book that combines some of the veterans’ writings.
Several volunteers, such as Martin Rodriguez, the director of the Military and Veterans Success Center, are helping to make the program possible. Rodriguez, who is also a veteran, said the program creates a comfortable space to discuss their time as veterans.
“I’ve written several things that have happened to me in Iraq,” Rodriguez said. “The more you write about it, [the more] it makes you more at ease with what happened. Eventually, you get to this point where you say, ‘You know what? It’s not that bad, I can talk about this with someone else.’”
Many veterans served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Sometimes, it is not easy to share their experiences. The program was initially inspired by a UT symposium for veterans almost a year ago. At the first meeting, a presenter asked attendees to write about anything at least once a week. By the third gathering, the presenter noticed veterans slowly open up about their experiences. Their writing went from journaling small occurrences, to revealing what they faced in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Similar to the symposium, the group meetings will allow veterans to write about anything they want. Their focus is not on perfecting grammar or learning a certain writing style. Instead, they are encouraged to write about their veteran lives through poetry or other genres.
“For incoming freshman veterans that really didn’t need to do a lot of writing in the military it is an excellent program,” Rodriguez said.
The program will be available at no cost for retired veterans who are enrolled at UTRGV.
Currently, officials have hopes to expand the program. They are scheduled to meet four Saturdays during the fall semester. The meetings are planned to not interfere with class schedules or daily lives. Rodriguez also said UTRGV will provide other benefits for the veterans such as a book loan program, access to a lab lounge, television and Scantrons. For example, the book service temporarily lends class textbooks at no cost.
Estero Llano Grande State Park is located at 154A Lakeview Dr. For more information, contact Rodriguez at martin.rodriguez@utrgv.edu.
