A team of scholars from the University of Central Florida (UCF) has secured a $290,000 contract from the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to preserve the stories of veterans interred at the Florida National Cemetery. This initiative aims to engage students in honoring and documenting the contributions of veterans for future generations.
UCF is one of three universities selected to implement the NCA’s Veterans Legacy Program. The project, spearheaded by Amelia Lyons, associate professor of history and director of graduate programs, will involve students in research and writing focused on veterans’ graves and monuments. The initiative will also include collaborations with local schools to develop interactive curricula for K-12 students and organize field trips to the cemetery located in Bushnell, the county seat of Sumter County.
Engagement with students of all ages is a central aspect of the project, promoting community involvement with the sacrifices made by veterans. Lyons emphasizes the educational value of this initiative, stating, “This experience with primary research — from identifying the subject and stories to analyzing the sources to produce a narrative — is like no other.” She believes that immersing students in the lives of these soldiers instills a greater understanding of what it means to study history.
The project has already garnered enthusiasm from students. Graduate student Luke Bohmer highlighted the importance of firsthand research, saying, “It is vital to go to where the history is… This is more humanizing and palpable than any statistic could ever be.” Undergraduate student Janelle Malagon expressed her appreciation for the program, noting her long-standing interest in military history and the unique opportunity to learn individual soldiers’ stories.
In addition to research and writing, the UCF team plans to create a corresponding website exhibit. This collaborative effort includes digital historian Scot French, computer research specialist Amy Giroux, and graduate student assistants. They will utilize software to virtually map the research and employ UCF’s RICHES Mosaic Interface to establish a digital archive. The project will also feature an augmented-reality app allowing visitors to access student-authored biographies of veterans.
The Florida National Cemetery serves as a significant site, one of 135 overseen by the VA. UCF researchers have started integrating this project into their graduate and undergraduate courses, with students conducting extensive research on the veterans whose graves will be featured. Lyons’ Modern Europe and the First World War class, along with Professor Barbara Gannon‘s War and Society classes, are already actively engaged in this endeavor.
Students like Kristina Himschoot, who comes from a family with a military background, see the project as increasingly meaningful. She remarked, “The VLP is becoming more important to me every time I learn something new about it.” Another student, Anson Shurr, shared how visiting the graves in person enhances his personal connection with the veterans. “Seeing their graves, epitaph and all, is personal enough… It really hits home,” he noted.
This initiative is particularly timely as it coincides with the centennial of the United States’ entry into World War I, noted by UCF student and U.S. Army veteran Kenneth Holliday. “There is no better time to recognize the service of these veterans,” he stated, emphasizing the relevance of the project.
Graduate students in Professor Caroline Cheong‘s Seminar in Historic Preservation course will assist in identifying graves and photographing sites for both the website and the app. Meanwhile, French’s class on Viewing American History in the 20th Century is creating interactive digital materials for the project. Additionally, John Sacher, associate professor of history, is collaborating with public schools to integrate the results into K-12 curricula applicable across the United States.
As a kickoff event planned for May, the UCF team will bring local middle- and high school students to the cemetery, where they will interact with UCF researchers. Holliday envisions this as a chance for students to establish a personal connection with the history of veterans, moving beyond major battles to recognize the average individuals who served.
Gannon, also the coordinator of UCF’s Veterans History Project, stated that the university’s commitment to engaging with veterans and history made the funding announcement unsurprising. The other institutions awarded contracts by the NCA are San Francisco State University and Black Hills State University.
Ronald Walters, interim undersecretary for memorial affairs, expressed that these contracts illustrate the NCA’s commitment to enhancing memorialization and providing lasting tributes to veterans. This project marks the beginning of numerous initiatives aimed at engaging educators, students, researchers, and the general public through the Veterans Legacy Program. For further details, visit the Veterans Legacy Program page on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ website.
