Knights HistoryCast

In the sixth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we’ve reached the climax. At this point in the series, you have heard seven teachers, ranging from 2nd grade to 11th grade, profoundly reflect on their experience at the Institute—from their Veteran bios, to their mini-tours, to their lesson plans, to even how rewarding it has been to collaborate with other educators in the pursuit to memorialize Veterans and improve their craft. All the momentum we’ve built up in the past five episodes has led us to this pivotal moment—the “meta” field trip on Day 8 out of 10 of the Institute.

This experience differed from when the teachers initially explored St. Augustine National Cemetery because they have been engaging with their mini-tours, lesson plans, and, more importantly, their Veterans. So, when they participated in these field trip activities, for example, rubbing the headstones, they connected with their Veteran and their work in a completely surreal and transformative way that would not have been possible if they hadn’t been vehemently putting in that work from before. Therefore, this “meta” field trip took all the separate components the teachers have been working on for over a week and converged them into this holistic, all-encompassing experience.

Just as impactful of this “meta” field trip is the pedagogical element to it—it’s why the label “meta” is put in front of “field trip.” The teachers occupied a dual role in this enterprise—rather than being just passive receivers of the action, they were also challenged by the UCF VLP team to actively engage with the pedagogy behind constructing such an experience for students. Lastly, to add another layer of uniqueness to this episode, Sebastian recorded the field trip LIVE, allowing you as the listeners to get an authentic capture of what was going on—from the content that was being given to the genuine comradery that was displayed by the teachers, to even the beautiful soundscapes you hear when you’re at a national cemetery. Sebastian also narrates throughout the episode to provide better context to a dynamic and metamorphic event at the zenith of the Institute.

This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured UCF VLP Team Members Dr. Amelia Lyons, Dr. Amy Giroux, Dr. Barbara Gannon, Sarah Boye, Jim Stoddard, and Harrison Smith. This episode also featured the 2023 UCF VLP Institute K12 Teachers Cohort.

Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay) and “Glossy” by Coma-Media (Pixabay)

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the fifth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” the “after-hours” edition continued as Sebastian Garcia spoke with two other teachers, Anne Makay (11th-grade U.S. history teacher at Clearwater High School) and Sgt. Maj. Ray Fullard (JROTC Instructor at Edgewater High School) at the hotel after the Day 7 program of the Institute.

Anne Makay’s fascinating candor throughout the conversation further revealed with remarkable clarity the indelible impact and significance the Institute had on the K12 teachers for their profession and in memorializing Veterans. She shared her takeaways on learning how to teach Veterans history, its relevance, and how this Institute has given her tremendous confidence to do so. Sgt. Maj. Ray Fullard’s experience as a Marine and participation in this Institute undoubtedly transformed the episode, as it was a completely different and unique perspective not heard of previously. Conflating their distinctive views ultimately provided greater insights as to why the work being done by UCF VLP matters.

This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Anne Makay and Sgt. Major Ray Fullard.

Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the fourth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” Sebastian spoke with three K12 teachers: Sharon Forand, Ryan Dane Rasmussen, and Alexis Wood. Sharon is an ELA and Social Studies teacher at Enterprise Elementary, Ryan is a high school teacher at Freedom High School, and Alexis is a fourth-grade teacher (all subjects) at Azalea Park Elementary.

In the first “after-hours” conversation of the series (recorded at the hotel once the day’s itinerary was over), the three teachers went into great detail about their overall experience at the Institute, specifically with their Veterans. Given that the teachers had just finished Day 7 out of 10 of the Institute, which included a workshop titled “Mapping Memories: Outlining your Biography,” they could clearly articulate the progress they have made with their Veteran bio. Also, being at the Institute for a week, these three teachers emphatically expressed its impact—both professionally and personally.

This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Sharon Forand, Ryan Dane Rasmussen, and Alexis Wood.

Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the third episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” Sebastian Garcia had his first conversation with the K12 teachers. The teachers he spoke with were Lisa Bostick and Kristen Reilly, both second-grade teachers at Union Park Elementary and Clay Springs Elementary, respectively. Several key themes get talked about in conversation for the first time in this episode, such as the three deliverables the teachers worked on during the Institute—the Veteran biography, a themed mini-tour of St. Augustine National Cemetery, and a lesson plan that integrates the Veteran experience within the context of American and local history. More importantly, however, these teachers represented the youngest grade levels of the Institute—second grade—and thus had a unique perspective and approach from their peers. Lisa and Kristen explained the delicacy of implementing Veteran history teaching materials for a young audience. However, they also stressed why it’s ultimately worth pursuing.

This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Lisa Bostick and Kristen Reilly.

Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the second episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” Jim Stoddard, a reoccurring guest on KHC (Ep. 27 and Ep. 28), hosted the conversation with Dr. Heather P. Venable, an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. Given her successful career in researching and teaching military and Veterans’ history, Dr. Venable was invited to give a special presentation on Day 6 out of 10 of the Institute titled “My Intellectual Journey Trying to Understand My Veteran Dad’s Experience.”

Dr. Venable is one of Jim’s Ph.D. dissertation committee advisors. Their shared personal connection and professional interest in military and Veterans history produced an incredibly dynamic conversation that ranged from Dr. Venable’s special presentation to her 2019 book (How The Few Became The Proud: Crafting the Marine Corps Mystique: 1874-1914) to the complexity of teaching military history to currently serving members of the Armed Forces, and to their personal experiences in converging both worlds—military and academia.

This episode was directed, produced, written, and edited by Sebastian Garcia, hosted by Jim Stoddard, and featured Dr. Heather P. Venable.

Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the first episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” Sebastian Garcia spoke with Allison Simpson, Command Historian of the Florida National Guard, about the historic St. Francis Barracks, which hosted The 2023 UCF VLP Institute. Currently, the Florida National Guard headquarters, the characteristic coquina building, has an extensive and rich history that extends back to when the Spanish occupied St. Augustine in the 1500s. Alison also talked about the history of the Florida National Guard—extensive in its own right. The St. Francis Barracks is also adjacent to the St. Augustine National Cemetery, where all the Veterans of this Institute are interred. Hosting the Institute at such a historic military landmark was essential in establishing the appropriate attitude for the K12 teachers—and subsequently for the opening of this podcast series.

This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia and featured Alison Simpson.

Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

Welcome to The 2023 UCF Veterans Legacy Program (VLP) Institute Podcast Series, a limited narrative podcast series directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia. The series focuses on a 10-day educational workshop created by UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program to honor and memorialize Veterans through powerful pedagogical teaching methods given to K-12 teachers across the state of Florida to ensure that the legacy of Veterans can be appreciated and shared for generations to come.

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute was hosted at the historic St. Francis Barracks (headquarters of the Florida National Guard) and the adjacent St. Augustine National Cemetery (SANC). The Institute was incredibly versatile in profile and content. The UCF VLP Team comprised UCF History Professors and graduate and undergraduate students. The subjects of the participating K-12 teachers ranged from history to English Language Arts to Civics to JROTC to Physical Education. A myriad of activities, from interactive workshops to informative lectures to special presentations given by acclaimed veteran history researchers to field trip activities at SANC, remarkably fulfills the UCF VLP and broader Veteran Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration (NCA) mission to honor Veterans in perpetuity in innovative and engaging ways.

Sebastian Garcia joined the Institute on Day 6 out of the 10 Institute. At this point, the K12 teachers had been at the Institute for almost a week, and the conversations Sebastian had with the teachers reflected that impetus. But before we get to those conversations, in this prologue, Sebastian does an extensive “historiography” (literature review) to provide context so that anyone can understand how and why this Institute came to be and how it was a product of tremendous collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA). Situating the Institute in this historical context undoubtedly reveals its significance with sharp clarity.

This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia.

Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Bugatti” by prazkhanal (Pixabay), “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay), “Suspense Intro” by SegreQuadrado (Pixabay)

Sound Effects: “Birds chirping” and “Shotgun” by Pixabay

UCF VLP WEBSITE: https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu

UCF VLP K-12 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/k12.php

Veteran Biographies: https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies.php

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

References:

https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/about.php

https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/index.php

https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/history/timeline/timeline-1862.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/history/timeline/index.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/history/timeline/timeline-1867.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/alexandriava.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/Dates_of_Establishment_1.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/Facts_About_NCA.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/NCA_History_and_Development_1.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/NCA_History_and_Development_2.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/facts/NCA_History_and_Development_3.asp

https://www.cem.va.gov/legacy/

https://www.cem.va.gov/legacy/colleges.asp

https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1867?amount=750000

https://www.nps.gov/frla/learn/historyculture/memorials.htm

https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-to-help-k-12-teachers-create-veteran-focused-classroom-projects/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQzXXjW5FLI&t=7s (INAUGARAL UCF VLP TRIP IN 2017)

Tom Howard, Chief of Staff for the NCA, “Veterans Legacy Program memorializes service, stories” (July 27, 2016). https://news.va.gov/29367/veterans-legacy-program-memorializes-service-stories/

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the final installment of “Operación Pedro Pan: The Voices and Stories of Cuba’s Child Exodus—A Knights HistoryCast Mini-Series,” the Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Dr. Cecilia Rodríguez-Milanés, a Professor of English with a specialty in Latinx Literature at the University of Central Florida, and Dr. Lisa Nalbone, a Professor of Spanish and Coordinator of the Latin American Studies BA Program at the University of Central Florida. Both of these women were the coordinators of the esteemed, conspicuous, beautiful, and powerful “Operación Pedro Pan: Honoring the Cultural, Historical Legacy of Cuba’s Child Exodus” Two-Day Program that Florida Humanities, UCF’s Department of English and Department of Modern Languages and Literatures sponsored (see https://cah.ucf.edu/pedro-pan/ for more details on sponsors and the program in general).

Sebastian wanted the “brains” behind this event to be highlighted in this mini-series as well, so their conversation focused on the responsibilities and expectations that come with creating and organizing an event like this, why it matters, and so much more.

If you could not attend the event, listen to the previous episodes of this mini-series (ep. 35-37) to get a more intimate perspective from the panelists involved with this event. Also, WATCH a live recording of the event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQbQYS0NzIQ (Day 1) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xHEtLE1Kek (Day 2).

In Part 3 of “Operación Pedro Pan: The Voices and Stories of Cuba’s Child Exodus—A Knights HistoryCast Mini-Series,” the Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with former U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, who served in the U.S. Senate from 2005-2009. Mel Martinez was the first Cuban-American to serve in a presidential cabinet (President George W. Bush, from 2001-2003) and the first-ever Cuban-American to serve in the United States Senate. Before his career in Washington D.C., Mel Martinez was the Mayor of Orange County (Orlando, Florida) from 1998-2001. As if the résumé was not already astounding, Mel Martinez arrived in the United States at the age of 15 via Operación Pedro Pan.

Like other Pedro Pans, Senator Mel Martinez is a testament to the success and power of Operación Pedro Pan (and of immigration more broadly). One of the most prestigious and acclaimed guests this podcast has ever seen, he walks us through his life, his story, and how this historic event forever shaped him.

In Part 2 of “Operación Pedro Pan: The Voices and Stories of Cuba’s Child Exodus—A Knights HistoryCast Mini-Series,” the Department of History’s Sebastian Garcia talked with Barbara Palacios Wessels, a Pedro Pan, who arrived in the United States from Cuba via Operación Pedro Pan (Operation Peter Pan) on September 27, 1962, with her two younger siblings. Barbara was also a panelist from Day 1, Panel 2, which featured “community experts (survivors) that shared their personal perspectives to aid our understanding of the profound impact of Pedro Pan on their lives” at the esteemed, conspicuous, and powerful “Operación Pedro Pan: Honoring the Cultural, Historical Legacy of Cuba’s Child Exodus” Two-Day Program that Florida Humanities, UCF’s Department of English and Department of Modern Languages and Literatures sponsored (see https://cah.ucf.edu/pedro-pan/ for more details on sponsors and the program in general).

In one of the most personal, emotional, riveting, and powerful Knights HistoryCast episodes ever, Barbara recounts her life, her story, and how she is a part of the history of Operación Pedro Pan forever.