Bringing War Home: Exhibits at USU Eastern Share Personal Stories Behind Military Service

The Utah State University Eastern Library & Learning Commons is hosting two exhibits sharing the stories, memories, and objects of those whose lives have been shaped by war.

Through Sept. 30, the Library & Learning Commons is hosting the traveling exhibit “Bringing War Home: Object Stories, Memory, and Modern War,” alongside USU graduate student A.J. Arriola’s companion exhibit, “Paint in the Desert: Memory, Identity, and Commemoration on the T-Walls of the Global War on Terror.”

Rather than focusing solely on battles and dates, the exhibits explore the human side of military service and its lasting impact on service members, families, and communities.

“Bringing War Home” was developed through a National Endowment for the Humanities-sponsored program led by USU faculty members Susan R. Grayzel and Molly Boeka Cannon. The exhibit includes meaningful objects and the personal stories surrounding them.

“The ‘Bringing War Home’ project invites the community, military and civilian alike, to connect with the history of war,” said Aimee Lauritsen of the Library & Learning Commons.

Arriola’s exhibit continues that personal approach through photographs, uniforms, and memorabilia from several wars. A replica T-Wall, modeled after concrete barriers used at military installations during the Global War on Terror, serves as a backdrop for photographs showing how soldiers transformed these barriers with artwork, messages, and personal expression. Visitors can add their own names to the replica.

“The T-Wall display stood out to me personally,” Lauritsen said. “I feel it is hard to truly understand what our soldiers go through personally on a daily basis.”

Visitors are also encouraged to view the Carbon College WWII Memorial Roll in LLC Room 108. Dedicated in April 1946, the memorial honors 39 young men associated with Carbon High School and Carbon College who lost their lives during World War II. The Library & Learning Commons continues searching for information about those named to help preserve their individual stories.

Together, the exhibits and memorial remind visitors that behind every uniform, photograph, object, and name is an individual story worth preserving.

The exhibits will remain on display through Sept. 30. LLC hours are:

• 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
• 4-9 p.m. Sunday.