In 2001, I joined the US Army as a 19D Cavalry Scout. The next 4 years would turn my life upside down, as I would move to Germany, be deployed for a peacekeeping mission to Kosovo ('02-'03), and then spend a year in Iraq ('04-'05). This transformative experience drove me to try and understand what I had just gone through, so I enrolled in Political Science and Sociology at Colorado State University. College began to give me the tools to understand my experience, and the language to articulate what I had been feeling. The more I learned, the more I became passionate about trying to create a better world by non-militaristic means. I became involved in a number of activist movements, from anti-war movements to social justice movements. After completing my undergraduate degree, I began a Masters in Ethnic Studies at Colorado State. My MA thesis focused upon the newly emerging Tea Party, specifically their rhetoric around race, class, gender and sexuality. I then moved to Hawai'i to work on a PhD in Political Science. Here I returned to my passion in looking at topics around war, militarism, and social movements. I then moved back to Colorado State to teach in Political Science and Ethnic Studies. I then went to Budapest, Hungary for a postdoc at Central European University (CEU) in the International Relations Department. I then was a visiting professor with the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program in New York City, specifically working with students from CEU. I was recently a researcher & project consultant for the University of Dayton’s Human Rights Center working on their Legacies of War project which is examining transnational justice between the US and Vietnam. I am currently the Director of Adult Learner and Veteran Services at Colorado State University.

My most recent project, titled “Fight to Live, Live to Fight: Veteran Activism After War,” is an ethnographic study of war veterans who have come home to become social justice activists. As soldiers, these veterans were trained and formed in specific ways, for specific purposes, primarily to perpetuate violence. While every individual is affected by this training differently, there are similar themes and ideals that come to light, which tell us much about the military, western liberal democracy, the affects of war, and subjectivity.

This project highlights the links between civil society and militarism, as well as the connection between the Social Contract and what I am calling the Soldiers’ Contract. Similar to how Charles Mills describes the Racial Contract, and Carole Pateman describes the Sexual Contract, soldiers have a different relationship to the Social Contract, which is related to the other contracts and these intersections must be understood. Examinations of war are extensive however the part of the soldier is rarely theorized, and the relationship to society and the political have constantly shifted dependent upon the time and space being examined; for example, veteran activism today looks very different than veteran activism during the civil rights era. 

This subject formation has a somatic impact that has societal implications. Therefore, veterans are able to articulate these concepts and ideals differently than civilians because their lived experiences exemplify the ramifications of war and governmental policy. Thus putting my work at the nexus of political theory, American politics, international relations, and examinations of security and governance. This project was released as a book manuscript with SUNY in 2019.

My Research

My work looks to bridge theory and practice as it examines the activism of military veterans as they seek to combat the violence they see everyday throughout society. More specifically, I engage with veterans who have become activists, why they have done so, and the tactics of their activism. Furthermore, veterans are able to articulate concepts and ideals differently than civilians because their lived experiences exemplify the ramifications of war and American policy. Often, veterans feel the effects of US policy before society does, thus acting as the miner’s canary. Furthermore, and on a broader level, my work looks at different forms of militarism, specifically in line with the Critical Military Studies field.

Future Projects and in the works

I currently have a few projects on the horizon. I am working on a paper that explores my research project in Vietnam, where I followed a group of Vietnam Veterans who were returning to Vietnam and their time there.

There are a number of other projects that I am exploring many looking at intersections between popular culture and militarism, including but not limited to: sports, science fiction, and music.