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Jennifer Dane: Watching War and Violence Through A Screen, Crossing the Military-Civilian Divide
12023-04-10T16:00:59+00:00Madison Cholewaa93e66da2f25c2983f6186bae54dc39738997d4b12Jennifer Dane, "Crossing the Military Civilian Divide," interviewed by Dr. Jason A. Higgins, Jan. 20, 2023, Washington D.C.. "Crossing the Military-Civilian Divide" project is part of a 4-VA Collaborative research project by Dr. Jason A. Higgins, postdoctoral fellow in digital humanities, and Andre Taylor, oral historian at the College of William and Mary. Special thanks to our three research assistants Leena Alsayab, Madison Cholewa, and Gabrielle Wells, who are undergraduate students and recent graduates of Virginia Tech.full2023-04-10T16:01:18+00:00Madison Cholewaa93e66da2f25c2983f6186bae54dc39738997d4b
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1media/Jennifer Dane 04 Alcove Set Up 1 hoizontal.jpg2023-04-03T15:33:11+00:00"Am I On The Right Side of History?"12Experiencing War through a Computer Screenimage_header2026-01-26T00:43:40+00:00 Working in a Threat Vulnerability Cell for Latin America, Jennifer Dane first witnessed war violence through a computer screen. Though she was physically removed from the reality of war violence, Dane experienced vicarious trauma after witnessing humans killed. She began humanize the targets, imagining their lives and experiences. She opened up about the psychological aftermath of witnessing death from afar, especially in cases of "collateral damage" or civilians killed in a war zone. It was during this time that Dane began to question the morality of the Global War on Terrorism.
When facing trauma, veterans struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, suicidal ideations, and moral conflict. But Dane's oral history also reminds us that veterans need not experience combat directly to struggle with mental health during and after military service.
"I always remember them saying is 'One person's terrorist, is another person's freedom fighter,' and just thinking like, 'Am I on the right side of history on this?'"