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I mitt reportage De som avvek och en som gick in berättar krigsvägraren William Males, desertören Steve David Kinnaman och veteranen Bill Ray i porträttform om hur de på olika sätt undkom kriget som rasade i Vietnam mellan åren 1955-1975. En vägrade i initialt skede att delta i kriget. En var halvvägs till Vietnam innan han avvek. Den tredje upplevde krigets fasor och överlevde. Gemensamt för dem alla är att Sverige blev deras andra hem från 1960-talet och framåt, en fristad undan kriget och hemlandet USAs politiska förföljelser. Utifrån ett dussin intervjuer, arkivmaterial, facklitteratur, gamla tidningsdokument, fotografier, ljudsnuttar, filmer och digitala källor har jag skrivit reportaget i tre självständiga porträtt. Tillsammans med nytagna porträttbilder av intervjupersonerna och privata fotografier från deras ungdomstid, flyktväg, krigsminnen och familjer har jag försökt skapa en så levande bild av deras liv som möjligt.

In the midst of increasing multiracial identification and diversity in the United States, I examine whether White and Black military veterans hold different attitudes toward interracial marriage than those held by their coethnics in the general population. Using the General Social Survey, I examine the likelihood of military members opposing marriage between a close relative and a partner of a race different from the respondent’s own, and whether their views are significantly different from their non-military coethnic counterparts. I use binary logistic regressions to assess whether opposition toward interracial marriage varies by military status and race. Results indicate that Whites are more opposed to interracial marriage than Blacks, and Whites with military service are more likely to oppose than their non-military counterparts. However, there was no difference among Blacks. In addition, age mediates the relationship between veteran status and attitudes among Whites, with younger people showing less opposition.

Increasing numbers of student veterans in the United States are transitioning into a higher education culture that reflects major differences from the military culture. Higher education leaders need to understand what these students require and what will help them transition smoothly into higher education. The purpose of this quantitative case study was to understand why freshman student veterans stop attending community college temporarily or permanently. Schlossberg's transition model that includes the 4 concepts of situation, self, support, and strategies was used as a conceptual framework. The research questions focused on perceptions of student veterans and faculty/staff related to challenges faced by student veterans during their freshman year of college, as well as the support that student veterans need to succeed with their transition into higher education. Data were collected interviewing 8 freshman student veterans and 5 faculty/staff members at a local community college to address the research questions. Qualitative data analysis was used to identify categories and common themes in interview data. The findings from this study showed 3 themes: (a) mismatched environment, (b) leaders/mentors/friendships, and (c) veteran community and connections. The study findings may help reduce the number of student veterans who temporarily or permanently withdraw from community college and thus increase the institutional completion rates. Based on the findings, a 3-day professional development/training program was created that incorporates both online learning and face-to-face engagement. The project outcomes may lead to positive social change by increasing responsiveness to student veterans and removing barriers when transitioning into a higher education culture.

There are few data available regarding the relationship between physical activity and veteran status in those with combined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obesity. COPD is a common illness and a leading cause of death in the United States. Veterans represent a distinct subpopulation in the United States and are more likely to have COPD, which is a disease with a high rate of comorbidities such as obesity. Physical activity can improve outcomes for those with COPD and obesity. However, recommendations for physical activity for those with COPD and obesity are vague. This study, based on the self-determination theory, sought to explore the relationship between average weekly physical activity and veteran status while controlling for age, sex, race, ethnicity, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), education level, and annual household income in those with comorbid COPD and obesity. Also, the relationship between not meeting, meeting, and exceeding physical activity recommendations and veteran status, while accounting for variation in for age, sex, race, ethnicity, smoking status, BMI, education level, and annual household income, was explored. A case-control study was done to answer the research questions using multiple regression and ordinal regression analyses, respectively, using data from 1,430 participants from the 2015 BRFSS. Veteran status was not significantly associated with physical activity nor was it significantly associated with falling below, at, or above recommended physical activity amounts. However, it was found that increased BMI was associated with decreased physical activity. The results from this study can be used to inform policies, refine recommendations, and guide interventions for those with COPD and obesity.

The merits of veteran affirmative action placement and review of performance by management were the rationale of this study. The mismatch theory was applied to explain when an individual receives a favor from affirmative action but is unable to keep pace with others performing in the same role. This quantitative quasi-experimental study was used to examine what differences exist between managerial perceptions of job-related performance and employee designations. A series of hypothetical scenarios were administered to respondents using vignettes that describe the actions taken by employees regarding an unfair labor practice. A paired t test was conducted in this quantitative research to assess if there were differences in the scores of the hypothetical characters specifically as it pertained to their veteran designations. From a 107 person sample and an inclusion criteria of federal government managers who manage attorneys hired with and without veteran-related affirmative action assistance, an analysis included conducting a test for 24 different pairs that compared the characters' aggregate scores and specific performance measures. The test showed that there were no real differences in the ratings of the employees after disclosing their veteran status to the raters. This study indicated greater insights on whether management can identify actual differences in employee performance or if the 2 designations themselves, veteran and nonveteran, are the driving forces of their comprehension and subsequent action. Positive social change may emanate from this study because the insights revealed offer a greater context for the effectiveness of affirmative action programs like veteran preference and if greater controls and/or training needed to be implemented to fortify their effectiveness.

This dissertation examines the lives of Japanese disabled war veterans and the activism of the Japanese Disabled Veterans Association (JDVA: Nippon Shôigunjin kai) in the early postwar period, beginning immediately following the Allied Occupation in the summer of 1945 and ending in 1963, when the National Diet passed the "Act on Special Aid to the Wounded and Sick Retired Soldiers" (Senshôbyôsha Tokubetsu Engo-hô). Established in 1952, the JDVA would play a leading role in securing welfare for Japanese disabled war veterans.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) could be used to discriminate between Vietnam veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and those with other mental disorders. Scores on the 13 validity and clinical scales of the MMPI were used as predictor variables in two discriminant analyses. The first of these was performed in replication of studies in which cases of substance-abuse disorder were eliminated from the non-PTSD comparison group. Substance- abuse cases were included in the second discrimination. The results indicated that while the MMPI can be used to discriminate PTSD from non-PTSD veterans, this discrimination is weakened by the presence of cases with substance abuse disorders in the non-PTSD comparison group.

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The present study examined predictors of couple therapy dropout in the VA medical centers using six different dropout criteria. The most accurate dropout definitions included using a statistical modeling procedure to determine whether the client's rate of change at the final session was greater than average of change for all clients; clients who were still demonstrating gains greater than the average rate of change at the final session were considered to have terminated prematurely. A total of 177 couples (354 individuals) who sought therapy in the VA medical centers in Charleston, SC and San Diego, CA were examined. With a few exceptions, demographic variables generally did not predict dropout. A couple's relationship adjustment and response to conflict were significant predictors of dropout. The content of therapy sessions predicted dropout only when dropout was defined, at least in part, by client's rate of change at the final session, suggesting that such methods of defining premature termination are the most sensitive to the therapy process. Therapists' characteristics, including gender and level of experience, did not predict dropout across all six definitions of dropout.