War Comes Home: The Legacy

Cal Humanities is a non-profit that promotes the humanities in California in order to help create “a state of open mind.”

Through our work, we inspire Californians to learn more, dig deeper, and start conversations that matter among our dramatically diverse people.

War Comes Home, our current thematic initiative, aims to raise awareness of and promote greater understanding of our veterans and explore the impact of war on our communities. Through hundreds of events throughout California, we are working to bring communities together with veterans and their families, writers, and historians for thoughtful reflection and lively discussion in the aftermath of more than 12 years of war.

Cal Humanities has partnered with the California History-Social Science Project—the state’s K-16 collaborative dedicated to providing the highest quality history instruction—to improve how California’s teachers teach and their students learn about veterans' experiences and the issues facing those returning home from war.

Experience the humanities through these video interviews about a range of topics with veterans and those who work with veterans.

In Summer 2014 Cal Humanities interviewed veterans, scholars, advocates, and caretakers about what it means to come home from war. Our goal was to create a series of interviews that reflects the diversity of experience and perspective of veterans of different eras, backgrounds, and conflicts and help to build bridges of understanding between those who have served and those who have not.

Many joined our statewide read of best-selling novelist Karl Marlantes’ book, What It Is Like to Go to War (Grove/Atlantic 2011). In fall of 2014, hundreds of events promoting thoughtful reflection and lively discussion at libraries, campuses, schools, and community organizations were held throughout California.

The California History-Social Science Project (CHSSP) is a statewide network of scholars and K-12 teachers, headquartered in the Department of History at the University of California, Davis.

The War Photography of Army Veteran, Jeremiah Ridgeway was on display in the Gavilan Library November 2014.

While deployed, Ridgeway's unit saw fierce combat in the mountains of Nuristan Province. His unit's deployment was captured in the pages of Jake Tapper's 2012 release The Outpost. During the harsh 15-month deployment Ridgeway captured over 10,000 images. He broke three different cameras in the process.

After returning to Fort Drum, NY in July 2007, Ridgeway submitted a number of photos to National Geographic. He was later published and became the subject of an Emmy nominated interview produced by National Geographic.