Researching Unaccounted-For World War II Losses: The USS Frederick C. Davis Project

Tuesday April 23, 2024
5 p.m.
in Art North 512B

The USS Frederick C. Davis was the last American naval ship to be sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic
during World War II. This presentation highlights research about the ship to not only detail its loss,
but to identify "unaccounted-for" personnel on board. The research supports the work of the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in identifying missing personnel since World War II,
and ultimately in informing family members about their lost loved ones.

Nathan Ellstrand is a postdoctoral Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Research Partner
Fellow at San Diego State University. He holds a PhD in History from Loyola University Chicago.
Nathan studies twentieth century transnational political and religious history between the United
States and Latin America. His recently finished dissertation is titled, “Reclaiming The Patria:
Sinarquismo in the United States, 1936- 1966," which he plans on converting into a book.

Nathan Ellstrand is not an employee of DPAA, he supports DPAA through a partnership. The views presented are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of DPAA, DoD or its Components.

Sponsored by the Center for War and Society and the Center for Public and Oral History.

The Future of American Power: Latin America, the Middle East, and Beyond

A Public Lecture by Stephen Kinzer

Tuesday, February 27, 2024
6:30-8 p.m.
Storm Hall West, SHW-11

Stephen Kinzer is the award-winning journalist and author of books including “Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala” (with Stephen Schlesinger), “Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua,” “Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds,” “Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq,” “All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror,” “Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America’s Future,” “The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War,” “The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt,” Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire.”

A former New York Times foreign correspondent and bureau chief, Kinzer is currently a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, and writes a world affairs column for The Boston Globe.

Presented by International Security and Conflict Resolution (ISCOR) and the School of Journalism and Media Studies.

Co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters Dean’s Lecture Fund, the Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies, and the Center for War and Society.

Supported by the Department of Political Science, the Department of History, and the Center for Latin American Studies.

 

Film Screening: "What I Want You to Know"

Tuesday, November 14, 2023
7-7:45 p.m. EST/ 4-4:45 p.m. PST

The documentary “What I Want You to Know” is a heartbroken love letter from 13 Iraq and Afghan veterans to the American public. With searing candor, they share stories from their deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan – and the moral injury that came from being asked to betray their sense of what is right, resulting in a sense of alienation upon return home and high levels of suicide. Their call to action is that we all be better citizens, and actually insist that our government not deploy citizen soldiers into unnecessary wars. 

In honor of America’s current and past service members this Veterans Day, please join the Quincy Institute for a discussion about this important new film, featuring:

Capt. Tommy Furlong
Tommy Furlong is an Executive Producer of "What I Want You to Know" who served as an Infantry Officer with 3rd Battalion 6th Marine Regiment from 2008-2011. He deployed in 2010 to Afghanistan as a Rifle Platoon Commander, Weapons Platoon Commander and Fire Support Team Leader.

Catie Foertsch
Catie Foertsch is the Director and a Producer of "What I Want You to Know." A former journalist and veteran commercial filmmaker who lives in greater Boston, this is her first feature-length documentary film.

Gregory Daddis
Gregory A. Daddis is director of the Center of War and Society at San Diego State University, where he holds the USS Midway Chair in Modern U.S. Military History. He served 26 years in the U.S. Army before entering academia.

View the trailer of the documentary on the Quincy Institute website. The full-length documentary will be available to view online for free following the panel discussion. 

 

Why Iraq Still Matters

Thursday, November 9, 2023
12:30 - 1:45 p.m.
SDSU Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union

It has been twenty years since the American invasion and occupation of Iraq. To mark this year’s Veterans Day, join us for a conversation with nationally-regarded scholars, and a veteran on the enduring and global consequences of that war and why it still matters today.

Featuring:

Zainab Saleh
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Haverford College

Steven Simon
Professor of Practice in Middle East Studies, University of Washington

Frank Sobchak
Chair of Irregular Warfare Studies, Modern Warfare Institute, West Point

Sponsored by J. Fred and Susan Oliver

 

Distinguished Speaker Series: Beyond the American Lens: The Legacy of War, Transgenerational Trauma, Reconciliation, and Healing

Thursday, November 2, 2023
11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
National University (9388 Lightwave Ave, San Diego, CA 92123)

Featuring: Le Ly Hayslip in coversation with SDSU Professor Gregory Daddis

San Diego World Affairs Council is pleased to partner with National University to engage the public on this timely topic, as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. This program will be structured as a guided conversation between Daddis and Hayslip, including ample time for participant questions and answers. 

Cost: Free for San Diego World Affairs Council Members | $10 for Nonmembers

 

Gregory A. Daddis featured in C-SPAN2's American History TV "Lectures in History" Series

Daddis presented a lecture titled “The Red Scare at Home and Abroad” for his fall course Comics and Cold War America (HIST-580) on American History TV. The Center for Comics Studies was highlighted.

National Edward R. Murrow Award

Gregory A. Daddis' NEH grant-funded "Third Squad: After Afghanistan" podcast won the RTDNA 2022 National Edward R. Murrow Award for a Podcast in Small Digital News Organization. 

View the full list of awardees at RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards 2022. 

 

Fulbright Seminar Series

The Fulbright Seminar Series in War and Society explores how societies go to war, experience war, and interpret war and its consequences.

Tuesdays, 5:00-6:30 p.m. at Pembroke College

“The Meaning of War” 
25 April | Location: Mary Hyde Eccles Room

How do we define war and its meaning in society, both past and present?

Sir Hew Strachan FBA, FRSE
Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College at the University of Oxford

“The Culture of War”
2 May  | Location: Harold Lee Room

How does war influence a nation’s popular and political cultures?

Susan L. Carruthers
Professor of U.S./International History at the University of Warwick

“The Limits of War”
9 May | Location: Harold Lee Room

Why does war seemingly not always deliver what it promises?

Patrick Porter
Professor of International Security and Strategy at the University of Birmingham

“The Consequences of War”
16 May  | Location: Harold Lee Room

What are the lasting social, cultural, and political effects of war?

Andrew Preston
Professor of American History at Cambridge University

For more information, contact Professor Gregory A. Daddis, Pembroke College, at [email protected].

Discussion and Book Signing

Meet international bestselling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as she presents her new novel, Dust Child.  Vietnamese actress and audiobook narrator Quyên Ngô will also perform.

Tuesday, March 21 | 6 p.m.
Location: Point Loma Assembly (3035 Talbot Street, San Diego, CA 92106)

Register for this sepcial event.

Dust Child is “a suspenseful and moving saga about family secrets, hidden trauma, and the overriding power of forgiveness, set during the war and in present-day Việt Nam.”

Sponsored by La Playa Books and the Center for War and Society

Intimate Partner Violence in the Military Webinar

United States: December 1, 2022 2pm PST, 3pm AZ/Mountain, 5pm EST
Okinawa: December 2, 2022 7am Japan
Register for the Zoom link.

In 2018, DOD reported 16,912 incidents of spouse and intimate partner abuse amongst military populations. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the rates may be even higher.

Featuring distinguished panelists:

Ronet Bachman, Ph.D.
Dr. Bachman conducted research comparing the crime reporting of IPV to robberies in the military versus civilian households. Dr. Bachman worked as a statistician at the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. She is now a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. She is coauthor of Statistical Methods for Criminology and Criminal Justice and coeditor of Explaining Criminals and Crime: Essays in Contemporary Criminal Theory. In addition, she is the author of Death and Violence on the Reservation and coauthor of Stress, Culture, and Aggression; Murder American Style; and Violence: The Enduring Problem, along with numerous articles and papers that examine the epidemiology and etiology of violence, with particular emphasis on women, the elderly, and minority populations as well as research examining desistance from crime.

Patricia Becker, Ph.D.
Dr. Becker is an Assistant Professor of Criminology at The College of New Jersey. Dr. Becker conducted research comparing the crime reporting of IPV to robberies in the military versus civilian households. She attended graduate school at the University of Delaware where she received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Criminology, Her research interests are broadly focused on understanding the various dimensions of crime and victimization. Specifically, Dr, Becker's research explores the role and importance of families in the reentry process of justice-involved individuals, how social and structural dynamics produce and reproduce oppression and harm, and the importance of conceptual framing and measurement of sexual violence and how it impacts prevention efforts.

Xander Franklin
Xander Franklin is a Deputy District Attorney with the 18th District Attorney's Office, and a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. He works to prosecute misdemeanor and petty offenses, including acts of domestic violence, occurring within Douglas County, Colorado. He also oversees training, equipment, and deployment of reserve airmen in the 302nd Security Forces Squadron. Prior to law school he served five years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force leading frontline law enforcement responses on military installations. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an M.A. in Homeland Security Studies from American Military University. Outside of the military, he has worked in association with the Denver Domestic Violence Fatality Review, the Denver Domestic Violence Coordination Council, and Women & Children First, a domestic violence shelter.

Maximo Carbonell
Mr. Carbonell is a Prevention Specialist for the 4th Marine Regiment of the Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan. As a Prevention Specialist for the Embedded Preventive Behavioral Health Capability (EPBHC), he assesses current policies and programs to makes recommendations, collaborates with all available resources on prevention of substance misuse, suicide related behaviors, harassment, sexual assault, violence and other harmful behaviors. Mr. Carbonell is a Retired Navy Chief with 20 years of active duty service. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from University of Maryland Global Campus; a M.B.A. from University of Maryland Global Campus; and a Graduate of the United States Navy Drug and Alcohol Counselor school.

Conversations and Collaboration for real solutions, alliance and support.
For more information, contact [email protected].

 

Publishing 101: A Free Publishing Workshop

Thursday, Nov. 10 | 2-3 p.m. | AL-109

Gain valuable insight on publishing your work with an expert on academic and trade publishing.

You have completed your dissertation, drafted your article, or prepared your book proposal. How do you identify the right publisher and venue for your work? What is the best way to approach an editor? What questions should you ask, and what questions should you be prepared to answer?

Join Debbie Gershenowitz, executive editor at the University of North Carolina Press, at this workshop where she will share tips for authors ranging from conceptualizing an idea for publication to promoting your published work.

RSVP to Melissa Bacci [email protected].

 

Why Vietnam Still Matters

Thursday, Nov. 10 | 12:30-1:45 p.m. | SDSU Conrad Prebys, Aztec Student Union

More than fifty years on, the American war in Vietnam still resonates — politically, socially, culturally. In honor of Veterans Day, this panel of nationally-regarded scholars will discuss the enduring and global consequences of that war and why it still matters today.

Featuring:

• Beth Bailey, Foundation Distinguished Professor, University of Kansas Texas Christian University
• Robert Brigham, Shirley Ecker Boskey Professor of History and International Relations, Vassar
• Kara Dixon Vuic, LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Professor of War, Conflict, and Society in 20th- Century America, Texas Christian University
• David Kieran, Colonel Richard R. Hallock Distinguished Chair in Military History, Columbus State University

Sponsored by J. Fred and Susan Oliver

 

International Fellowships Information Session

Tuesday, Sept. 6 | 2-4 p.m. | Finch Conference Room, AL-600

RSVP: [email protected]

Meet Patricia Scroggs, Director of Diplomatic Fellowships at Howard University, who administers the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program and the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program.

About the Fellowship

The Rangel and Pickering Fellowships are U.S. Department of State programs administered by Howard University that prepare individuals for careers as Foreign Service Officers in the U.S. Department of State.

They provide benefits of up to $106,000 over two years for graduate school, internships, and professional development. When fellows complete the program, they are offered employment with the State Department Foreign Service as U.S. diplomats, embarking on a uniquely rewarding career of international service.

The program welcomes students and college graduates with any major and encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the State Department, women, and those with financial need. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship, a GPA of at least 3.2 and intention to start graduate school in fall 2023.

 

 

New Documentary Podcast Debuts in Fall 2021

Learn about the wartime and homecoming experiences of a group of United States Marines who served during the most violent phase of the Afghanistan War. “Third Squad” is a new 10-episode documentary podcast series produced by Airloom Media and Elliott Woods for iHeart Media with the support of the Center for War and Society. Episodes will be available on all major streaming platforms starting in late 2021.

A link to the podcast will be made available here.

Save the date for a public launch event for “Third Squad” on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at the USS Midway in San Diego. Please check this website for details.

Funding for “Third Squad” comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman’s Grant.

Read the "SDSU NewsCenter" article aboout the podcast.

 

 

 

 

SDSU’s Center for Military History [Renamed the Center for War and Society in October 2020] Welcomes New Director/USS Midway Chair in Modern U.S. Military History

June 25, 2020

Gregory Daddis joins the San Diego State University College of Arts and Letters history department this fall as the new director of the Center for Military History (CMH) and as the first USS Midway Chair in Modern U.S. Military History.

The appointment follows a nearly year-long, national search. In June 2019, during a joint news conference aboard the USS Midway, the USS Midway foundation announced a $3 million, five-year pledge to create and fund the endowed chair position in U.S. military history at SDSU.

With this appointment, SDSU is the only public university on the West Coast with an interdisciplinary program in modern U.S. military history.

“Military history literacy is vital to informed public discussions of international relations, diplomacy, foreign policies, and ultimately freedom in America and abroad,” said Mac McLaughlin, President and CEO of the USS Midway Museum. “This pioneering academic program will place service in uniform — and by extension service to community — in a context that educates and inspires future generations.

“Our foundation’s partnership with SDSU is one measure of the museum’s commitment to investing in education at every level,” he added.

Daddis will help leverage the shared vision of both SDSU and the USS Midway Museum by broadening the scope of important scholarly research, interdisciplinary teaching approaches, and impactful public engagement related to military history.

He aspires to help build an academic and professional forum for SDSU faculty and students, Southern California community leaders, and national policymakers to engage in vital questions on peace, conflict, and security.

Daddis, who grew up in New Jersey and later attended West Point, holds an M.A. in history from Villanova University and a Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as Chief of the American History Division in the Department of History at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for five years, and his most recent post was at Chapman University, where he was the director of the nationally recognized War and Society graduate program.

Following graduation from West Point, Daddis was commissioned as an armor officer in the U.S. Army He served 26 years before retiring as a colonel. Daddis served in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, as well as in Korea, and in numerous posts across the United States.

“As a military historian, having served in uniform has challenged me to think about the possibilities and, more importantly, the limits of U.S. military power abroad,” Daddis said.

“For me, it’s important that we teach with an eye toward instilling practical knowledge and skills in our students.”

Daddis specializes in the history of the Vietnam Wars and the Cold War era and has authored four books, including, most recently, "Withdrawal: Reassessing America’s Final Years in Vietnam "with Oxford University Press. He has also published several op-ed pieces on current military affairs in such publications as "The" "New York Times" "The Washington Post" the "Los Angeles Times" and "The" "National Interest" magazine. His latest book, scheduled for publication by Cambridge University Press in fall 2020, is titled "Pulp Vietnam: War and Gender in Cold War Men’s Adventure Magazines".

"Greg Daddis is a foremost international authority in the field of military history who has authored seminal works on the American war in Vietnam,” said Pierre Asselin, Professor and Dwight E. Stanford Chair in American Foreign Relations and current Center for Military History (CMH) Director. “Accomplished as he is, he remains incredibly nice and approachable. I've known him for quite some time and have always deeply respected him as a scholar and a human being. SDSU and our students in particular are really fortunate to have him join our ranks."

“San Diego has the largest military community in the free world, and Greg Daddis is a wonderful addition to the SDSU team doing research and teaching on military-related issues,” said Ed Beasley, Chair of the SDSU Department of History.

Daddis plans to demonstrate the strength of the humanities, so SDSU can become a national resource “that produces rational, intelligent advocates who help improve our national security strategy and larger foreign policy.” He said, “By studying the past, we’ll be better able to execute foreign policy in a holistic manner.”

“I want history to matter, not just for the past, but for the present and future,” said Daddis.

Read the SDSU NewsCenter story.