#4 Andrew Carroll: Discovering the Humanity in History

Shanate Jones, a Freedom Writer and Tech Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, shares her story about serving in the military and how she used writing to cope during combat. Then Erin presents her riveting conversation with author, historian, and world traveler Andrew Carroll. Andy admits he hated history as a kid, but the turning point in his life occurred when his family's home was burned to the ground along with all of their photos, letters, and heirlooms. This tragedy, together with a World War II letter written by his cousin, sparked a lifelong mission to find and preserve personal histories from veterans, active-duty troops, and their families. In this episode, Andy tells captivating stories from soldiers and civilians dating all the way back to the American Revolution. In his work and his service, Andy focuses on drawing out the humanity in history in hopes of inspiring people from all backgrounds to discover their family history and write their own stories for future generations. Links and Resources: Books by Andrew Carroll: https://amzn.to/2XvQczv Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AndyCarrollUSA Trailer for Andrew's Play, “If All the Sky Were Paper”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwaWHUdzLCI Chapman University's Center for American War Letters www.WarLetters.us Read Captain Zoltan Krompecher's complete letter to his daughters on the Freedom Writers Foundation Blog: https://bit.ly/2K8ujRh Read Anna Miller's full letter about her experience on 9/11 on the Freedom Writers Foundation Blog: https://bit.ly/2HL3G6H Bring a Freedom Writer to Your School or Organization: http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/index.php/programs/outreach Andrew Carroll's Bio: Andrew Carroll is an author, historian, and playwright, and the editor of several New York Times bestsellers, including War Letters and Behind the Lines. His most recent book is the critically acclaimed My Fellow Soldiers: General John Pershing and the Americans Who Helped Win the Great War. Andrew also edited, on a pro bono basis, Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families, and the book inspired the Emmy award-winning documentary “Operation Homecoming.” Both the book and the film have been used at military hospitals and medical centers to help servicemembers with post traumatic stress, and Andrew’s work has provided counseling for thousands of troops and veterans. Andrew is also the director of the Center for American War Letters at Chapman University (www.WarLetters.us). The Center’s mission is to honor and remember veterans, active-duty troops, and their families by preserving their wartime correspondences. Andrew has traveled to all 50 states and more than 40 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and he has collected, to date, more than 100,000 previously unpublished letters and emails sent during every conflict in U.S. history, from the American Revolution up through the present day. Andrew wrote a play based on these letters and his travels to find them called “If All the Sky Were Paper,” which has starred Oscar-winning and nominated actors including Annette Bening, Laura Dern, Common, Jason Hall, and Mary Steenburgen. Andrew lives in Washington, DC and Orange, CA.