For Veterans Back From War, Writing Proves to Be a Balm

For Veterans Back From War, Writing Proves to Be a Balm
By WENDY CARLSON
Published: May 8, 2009
The explosion directly in front of me made no sound. A cloud of smoke darker and thicker and bigger than I had ever seen bloomed like the life span of a giant oak tree condensed into a few milliseconds.


Then, the earth shook and a sonic blast knocked me back a few steps. I stared at the cloud of smoke, mesmerized.

From “Go Now, You Are Forgiven,” by Dario DiBattista Jr.

DANBURY

WHEN Dario DiBattista Jr., now 25, enrolled at Central Connecticut State University three years ago, after two tours of duty in Iraq, he had no intention of writing a memoir about his experiences as a Marine reservist in Iraq.

“He was floundering, and writing gave him direction as well as vindication,” said Mary Collins, his writing professor. Mr. DiBattista said he found that writing was also a catharsis, a “way to put the past behind.” A senior, he has been accepted into Johns Hopkins University’s graduate writing program this fall, and has been blogging his memoir, “Go Now, You Are Forgiven.”

More returning soldiers, facing a weak job market and lured by a new, generous G.I. Bill, are enrolling in colleges and universities, and those institutions are seeking to expand their support services and establish veterans’ centers, according to Paul Susen, chief academic and student affairs officer for the state’s community college system. In the next two years, Dr. Susen said, the veteran enrollment is expected to double to 10 percent from 5 percent.

Universities and colleges are trying to meet their needs by setting up a variety of services for the veterans, many of whom face challenges making the transition from the combat zone to the classroom. At many colleges, officials are finding that writing programs have helped ease the transition. Some have started weekly writing seminars for veterans. Others have hosted writing conferences or focused on the war in writing projects.

Gregg Taylor, a former Army reservist majoring in history at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, said that the hardest thing about going to war is coming home.

“One day you’re carrying a rifle over your shoulder, and the next day you’re sipping a Slurpee” with college classmates, he said. Mr. Taylor, 30, who lives off campus, said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, which had affected his grades. “I just hated school,” he said. After he started working with a writing specialist he found through the university, his grades began to improve, and so did his attitude.
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For Veterans Back From War, Writing Proves to Be a Balm