D. Alexis Hart and Roger Thompson offer rich academic inquiry into the idea of "the veteran" as well as into ways that veteran culture has been fostered or challenged in writing classrooms, in writing centers, and in college communities more generally. For good reasons, the rise of veterans studies has occurred within the discipline of writing studies, with its interdisciplinary approach to scholarship, pedagogy, and community outreach. Writing faculty are often a point of first contact with veteran students, and writing classrooms are by their nature the site of disclosures, providing opportunities to make connections and hear narratives that debunk the myth of the stereotypical combat veteran of popular culture. Presenting a more nuanced approach to understanding "the veteran" leads not only to more useful research, but also to more wide-ranging and significant scholarship and community engagement. Such an approach recognizes veterans as assets to the college campus, encourages institutions to customize their veterans programs and courses, and leads to more thoughtful engagement with veterans in the writing classroom.
