Why Military Veterans Are Turning to Archaeology | National Geographic

Most people think of archaeology as telling us about the past. What we're trying to do is actually use archaeology to improve people's lives in the present. In this particular program, we're aiming that specifically at military veterans and trying to use archaeology as a tool to build these really cohesive teams that can help them get through some of the stresses of transitioning back to civilian life and some of the problems that they face.

I did five active duty and currently in the reserves. My favorite find was a bottle, maybe some type of model, but it had an anchor on it. So I guess being in the Navy and, you know, the correspondence with the anchor, it was like, "Hey, this is pretty cool." We got funding to bring about a dozen veterans out onto the site to dig. Well, Dig Ventures was training us, providing the real expertise in archaeology that they have, and we're gonna take a number of different photographs from different angles because we're trying to photograph and record different elements of the structure.

So right now we're standing in New Lebanon, New York, on Mount Lebanon, which is the largest and most important of all the Shaker settlements in the United States. So this is the print shop. What the veterans and I have brought to our work is this sense of team. I mean, they can shift dirt; this stretch is so much further along than I would have expected by this time, just because of how hard they work and their attitude, and this sort of can-do-ness that they bring to what we're doing.

This was really my first dig and experience in archaeology, and making the right choices in life. So far, I really enjoy it, but that one's good because you've got the scale in so good by digging and concentrating and arranging something. Focusing on the goal too can also reduce your stress as well. They start a little bit square, a little cleaner out here.

Some antiques— you see some of the various glass I've found; there's colors, something I found interesting. I did just over ten years in the Marine Corps. My stress level since coming here has been very low—actually getting out, some physical exertion, and just hanging out with fellow vets at night has been very helpful, just shooting the breeze and talking about our experiences and learning about each other. So I feel like this is a very good experience for military veterans. Honestly, it's given me a sense of more purpose, allowing me to connect with new people and just getting out there and being productive.

The idea was developed by the British in 2011. What that's done for us is actually give us a couple of peer-reviewed research papers that show that this project works. This is where we really see a lot of those personal conversations happen, where people can really feel comfortable talking to someone else who's been in similar circumstances. It can kind of open up and say what they want to say.

I've talked to a lot of guys here; they've even said that once they get there and dig or they're out here surveying or even cleaning the finds, they're all just at peace, and that's really a great thing to hear. From this program, we have multiple sites through the year, and that's what we intend to offer every year going forward, so that we can allow as many vets as possible to have this experience.

I was a little apprehensive at first, but I'm glad I found this group of people. If the possibility of me performing this in another site and all the locations down the road comes up, I'm gonna jump on it and try to get as many people involved as I can.