Iraq War Veteran – Interview
· What do I want to discover?
I want further insight into what an Iraq war vet is and some of the struggles these vets have faced when coming back home to the US. I want to understand the situation from their standpoint rather than what the media and other sources say.
· How do I plan on discovering it? (This is called your research methods or methodology)
I plan on discovering this by interviewing war vets through other public blogging and chat rooms. Although it may be difficult for these Iraq war vets to be open about a personal situation to a stranger, I believe that they want the public to know the reality of the stuation.
· Who am I going to talk to/observe/survey? (These people are called your subjects or participants)
I plan on talking to those who have suffered an injury from the war or have known others personally who have gone through a traumatic arrival home.
· How am I going to be able gain access to these groups or individuals?
I will find public websites that offer chat rooms or other blogging that allows open communication; such as http://www.angelfire.com/ok/VetWives/Homepage.html and http://www.kellnet.com/veterans/
· What are my biases about this topic?
My biases from what I have researched are that most all arrivals home for Iraq war vets are negative and the United States is unwelcoming. Also that the government has been unable to compensate the Iraq war vets through benefits that were guaranteed. Also, I feel as though there is not enough support in general from our US government.
· How can I make sure my biases are not reflected in my research methods?
I can make sure my biases are not reflected by asking open ended questions that won’t persuade the person one way or another. I will be able to get a true perspective of an Iraq war vet.
· What do I expect to discover?
I expect to discover that a lot of information I have found to be true. However, I hope to get a few too contradict what I have researched
Possible questions to ask during my interview:
- What has your experience been like when arriving back into the United States and trying to adapt back into the everyday American life?
- What is your standpoint in general on the abundance of Iraq war vets coming back into the US?
- What is your take on the relationship between the US government and Iraq war vets?
- What is your opinion on the current health care issue in the US? Is this or has this affected you or anyone you know of who is a war vet?
- In general, what is your stance on the war in Iraq?
- What are the benefits of being an Iraq war vet or Iraq war solider?
- Have your original plans changed after your arrival back into the US? If so, how?
- What are some benefits or compensations that you’ve received or haven’t received upon returning back home?
- What are your expectations or hesitations about the future of Iraq war vets or on the war in Iraq?
Hi Haley. Good work here. I hope you get a lot of response from the blogs and chat rooms. You might explain who you are and what project you are working on before submitting questions. Also, I noticed Nick is chiming in on your blog. I wonder if you might interview him and see if he knows others who might be interested in taking your questionnaire or being interviewed. I also might see if the city you are in has a local war veterans group that would provide access to soldiers who might be willing to be interviewed.
I wonder what genre you think your exact form of primary research will be conducted in. You say you plan to interview people over the blogs. I can see live chat rooms as a place to conduct interviews, but I wonder if blogs will require questionnaires. What are your thoughts here?
Laurie
haley- I think these are very effective questions. You have assesed your own baises and are prepared to be looking out for them. I think by asking these questions in combination with being aware of your own biases you will have a sucessful essay. I like that you are using blogs from actual soldiers to get there personal opinion about how they feel in regards to the situtaion of being a returning vet and the care and benefits they get.