Sean Moore in Iraq

For Moore, writing about his time in Iraq and sharing his work with others has proven cathartic.

“This is an outlet for the burdens of war we still carry,” says Moore. “But as important as it is for veterans to share our experiences, it is just as vital for other people to hear them.”

The community will have an opportunity to listen to those firsthand accounts of war during “Honoring the Service,” a Veterans Day reading at ACC’s Riverside Campus (1020 Grove Blvd., Building G, Room 8100). The event begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 11, and will feature student veterans as well as author Larry Heinemann, who has written a number of works related to the Vietnam War.

“This will be a moving experience for the veterans as well as the audience,” says Lyman Grant, dean of Arts & Humanities. “The readings will undoubtedly give people a new perspective on the reality our troops face.”

Moore agrees. “It’s not all bullets and bombs. People need to know we’re human – not killing machines.”

Dr. Christine Leche with some of her military students in Afghanistan.

The veterans in ACC’s English courses have an empathetic instructor. Dr. Christine Leche has spent nearly 20 years teaching U.S. military men and women in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Spain, Kosovo, Honduras, and more.

“There’s a sense of trust with an instructor who has been in that environment,” says Leche. “Equally important is the camaraderie they feel with their fellow students. ACC’s writing courses for veterans offer them common ground with others in the class who speak the same language and have endured similar psychological and emotional experiences.”

Despite that common ground, the veterans express diversity in their writing.

“I enjoy hearing stories from the other side of the world – and even from the same conflict I went through,” says Moore. “Someone who was operating 20 miles away from me could have had a completely different experience.”

For all the veterans, sharing their work isn’t about forgetting their time at war – it’s about processing it and moving forward. Moore plans to continue on to graduate school and eventually design land vehicles for the Department of Defense.

“At times, it is hard to go back and talk about things that happened,” acknowledges Moore. “However, not all of my experiences from the war are bad. Some of the best memories I have are from the middle of nowhere Iraq, and I would not trade them for the world.”

“Honoring the Service” is part of ACC’s Big Read, a national program that encourages reading in the community and on college campuses. For more information on Big Read events, see austincc.edu/bigread.