LightFighter Syndrome® – Cleaned Definition for VA IU Evidence
LightFighter Syndrome® (noun) A term describing the combined effects of multiple service-connected physical and mental health conditions experienced by veterans who served in rapid-deployment infantry units such as the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division. The condition reflects the long-term functional impact of deployment-related trauma, chronic stress, and secondary medical issues that interfere with reliable occupational and academic performance.
Veterans experiencing LightFighter Syndrome® commonly report chronic symptoms including night terrors, intrusive memories, hypervigilance, disrupted sleep, impaired concentration, and intermittent disorganized or pressured speech under stress. These symptoms often contribute to workplace misunderstanding, disciplinary actions, or administrative labels indicating perceived risk—such as “threatening violence” identifiers applied by supervisors or Human Resources personnel when the veteran’s behavior is misinterpreted.
The condition is further aggravated in academic or employment settings where the veteran faces stigma surrounding mental health, combat service, or misunderstandings about behavioral symptoms. Many affected veterans experience cultural incongruity, defined as difficulty adjusting to civilian social norms, communication expectations, or institutional environments. This may result in social isolation, miscommunication, and being wrongly perceived as disruptive, aggressive, or unwilling to conform.
For student veterans, LightFighter Syndrome® can significantly impair academic engagement, particularly in classroom environments where the veteran feels singled out, marginalized, or ostracized due to their military background. These combined psychosocial and functional limitations often result in decreased reliability, difficulty maintaining employment, and challenges sustaining academic progress.
Purpose and Use of the Term
The term LightFighter Syndrome® serves as a self-reporting and documentation framework designed to help veterans describe the cumulative effects of deployment trauma, chronic stress conditions, and social barriers. The narrative style uses journaling, symptom tracking, and retrospective reporting to help communicate functional limitations to medical providers, employers, and academic institutions.
The term is currently registered through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) under the principal investigator’s trademark, Outpost 422, and is used as a personal research-based writing device for documenting psychosocial stressors, evidence of functional impairment, and the lived experience of veterans encountering workplace or academic hostility, stigma, or intimidation.
Reference
McAndrew, L. M., et al. (2019). Cultural Incongruity Predicts Adjustment to College for Student Veterans. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 66(6), 678–689. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000363
I, Bradley J. Burt, named patient, request a hearing outlined in the instructions from the letter from the Oct. 31, 2025, letter I received from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs regarding severing my individual unemployability. The issue of gainful employment only reported exceeding the National Poverty Line threshold and not substantive facts in this case, which I have provided as an overview of retributive attempts by employers who challenged VA protocol with their interactive dialogue process questionnaire, I have been informing the VA of since 2021.
The problematic onboarding intimidation and harassment I receive stems from papering me for having suspected war-related PTSD. I was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury and requested TBI accommodations. Now, as a result, my disability increased resulting from Human Resources demands I provide secondary conditions I will not provide due to protecting my role with National Security information shared with VA social workers regarding working with Special Forces as an M-60 RTO in Haiti. I absolutely refuse to breach my secret security clearance thus creating hazing by Human Resources.
The VA stated the VA cannot get involved in employment matters leaving me prey to attacks I have received up to and including meeting with Lake Effect Strategic HR & Law Human Resources Advisor Jennifer Lindberg who indicated my dialog regarding TBI attacks and requests for accommodations by her client, Live Nation d/b/a Frank Productions LLC, believed my discussion warranted concerns for coworker safety who profiled me, then terminated me for a perception of an active threat. I have provided in my URL link portfolio exhibits that will expand in detail at my hearing if the VA should choose to proceed who lacks the grounds to do so.
I am submitting this statement to document my concern regarding disparate treatment I have experienced as a disabled veteran employed by Frank Productions LLC.
As an individual who has served in the military, I have encountered a workplace environment that I believe does not provide a welcoming or inclusive space for veterans. I have observed behaviors and policies that appear to reflect bias against my background and beliefs as a veteran. These experiences have led me to feel marginalized and unwelcome.
I have reported this matter to the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG), expressing concern that the systemic oppression of disabled veterans in certain workplaces remains unaddressed. I have described this pattern of behavior under the term “LightFighter Syndrome®”, referring to the ongoing discrimination and exclusion of disabled veterans within civilian employment settings.
It is my sincere hope that my complaint will be reviewed and addressed as a matter of concern, in accordance with the VA’s patient privacy and protection guidelines. Veterans deserve to work in environments that respect their service, dignity, and right to fair treatment without bias or retaliation.
I have acted above and beyond the call by notifying the public through my WordPress self-reporting VA Patient Adjudicator outlet, Outpost 422, which examines the variables of college and employment readjustment and reintegration of combat veterans being a combat veteran who successfully graduated Summa Cum Laude as a Madison College VITAL patient. Severing my unemployability only makes matters worse.
Now, I cannot obtain gainful employment and have substantive proof of such claims I shall bring before the VA. What I seek in exchange is a letter sent to previous employers by the Secretary of the VA. The problem in Madison, Wis., we patients face is Communism and a governor who violates our rights by flying the colors improperly.
We are under duress at Madison College who hosts the VA’s VITAL program and request an audit and possible removal of the program and transfer to UW Milwaukee where patients are served best. Madison College is a domestic terrorism safe harbor and have left my role as the Student Senate vice president of legislative affairs after receiving the report our vice president of public relations identified as such. I received an email attack by the Madison College Student Senate advisor and vice president of administration and finance while taking my law final. I identified the issue as hazing and usurping, then tenured my resignation.
I respectfully request that the VA consider whether a hearing is necessary at this stage, given that my employment records with Live Nation reflect ongoing complications related to my prior report and subsequent termination. The letter contains statements I believe are inaccurate, and I intend to provide documentation to clarify these points. Former employers’ automated reporting systems appear to have mischaracterized my actions, resulting in significant reputational and employment harm.
Currently, I have over a dozen discrimination complaints pending against multiple parties and until the subject matter from all of my cases adjourn with a ruling, I am no longer gainfully employable and noted with the Social Security Administration that my date of termination, Nov. 8, 2024, was the date I was no longer able to obtain gainful employment, which was the day Live Nation d/b/a Frank Productions LLC terminated me for alleged threatening violence and remain on FPC’s ban list wrongfully.
As a client serving down range at the Marcus Palace Cinema in Sun Prairie, Wis., Bradley Burt met a cook by the name of Jason Cain and the two discussed a program called “MarcusQRF” that requested the company offer an incentive for upstanders.
The company rejected the idea. Now, Mayor Steve Stocker and Bradley Burt have spoken and exchanged business cards during the Tues. Oct. 7, meeting sharing the planning of a public safety anonymous tip reporting outlet called #SunPrairieQRF.
The project is an archive and data-driven micro local news reporting station operating through the registered trademark reporting style of Outpost 422, the author’s intellectual property development with class projects and volunteerism as a student veteran who attends the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Madison College. The author combines the University of Wisconsin-Madison Watchdog 101 workshop news reporting style with an Op-Expose format as the inventor of a convergent media interactive news connect between citizen and journalist.
Mayor Stocker gave the author his business card and as of Nov. 7, 2025, #SunPraireQRF is set to launch as a pandemic news reporting mockup by recording the material from home and broadcasting through FM radio as a podumentary invention working in the film industry.
Subject: Public Safety Awareness and PSA Collaboration
Good morning, Mayor Stocker,
I hope this message finds you well.
Since my October public comment at the City Council meeting, I’ve been working on launching the public safety campaign on X/Twitter, and I’d like to share the attached PSA with you. Earlier this week, I dropped off my show’s hard drive to Collin Lessig, who mentioned that scheduling details are still being finalized.
Talking About Stalking in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
At this stage, I don’t yet have a confirmed date or time for the program’s launch. In the meantime, would you consider including the PSA in your newsletter or sharing it through any public safety-related channels?
When I receive public safety-related information, I plan to report it to you in a way that protects the identity of individuals who share tips—for example, by referencing that “Bob Cobb sent x, y, z.” I’ve cc’d Collin on this message and would appreciate being included on any public safety communications your office distributes. My goal is to help translate those updates into short podcasts and posts for X/Twitter to promote awareness.
Inspired by Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, this project—The Expositor—aims to build community engagement through the Blue Star Program and the McGruff the Crime Dog initiative. The message emphasizes that Sun Prairie remains “Sun Prairie Strong,” reflecting our shared commitment to safety and resilience.
This issue is deeply personal to me, as I have firsthand experience with stalking and its effects on families. As a 10th Mountain Division veteran of Operation Uphold Democracy, a father, and a longtime community member, I hope to collaborate with your office and the Sun Prairie Media Center to foster a positive, ethical, and supportive dialogue around public safety.
Much of this initiative draws on my background from the Whitewater Citizen’s Police Academy and my time reporting for the Royal Purple at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. The #SunPrairieQRF project is part of an independent study focused on empowering citizen journalists and promoting “upstander” awareness within our community.
Thank you for your time and continued leadership. I look forward to the possibility of working together to strengthen our city’s safety initiatives.
After concerns arose during the Oct. 24, 2025, Madison College Student Senate Executive Council meeting, I have felt unsafe around individuals identifying as domestic terrorists. As a Principal of Legal Research and a 10th Mountain Division veteran awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service in Haiti, I take such discussions seriously. My background in quick reactionary force reporting compels me to treat domestic terrorism as a grave issue. I also successfully lobbied for inclusion of Charlie Kirk in the Sept. 11, 2025, meeting minutes, ensuring that Christians feel welcome at Madison College in accordance with the Senate oath.
I’ve been reporting to you through my PREVENTS Sheepdog Reporting Agency, Outpost 422, via letters to the president and WordPress blogs. As a graduate of the Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership Program, I seek your attention on a critical issue. I’m concerned about the future of student veterans transferring from Building 22 at the William S. Middleton VA Memorial Hospital.
I resigned as Madison College’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs after the Vice President of Administration and Finance pressured me to combine fact with law when I raised concerns about a fellow senator’s comments on domestic terrorism. That same vice president downplayed another officer’s open discussion about “punching a cop at a rally” and self-identifying as a domestic terrorist. My proposed bill addressing usurping and hazing under Policy 5511 was suppressed, while a new bill, Bill 004, falsely accussing me of several baseless allegations built on groupthink as a GSA Cabal. The group has made these allegations public, potentially causing me harm, and I need your support.
The authors of Bill 004 have compromised my safety. I am requesting that the federal government impose sanctions on Madison College for allowing discussions condoning domestic terrorism. I ask that the authors of Bill 004 be investigated as potential domestic terrorists and that your administration coordinate with the VA Inspector General to audit the Madison College VITAL program. I also request relocation of the program to a new facility under my registered trademark, Outpost 422, for quarantine and oversight.
Since enrolling in Madison College in 2017, the fight to stay alive and well learning with psychologically abusive employers and faculty have taken a toll, which led to running for the Madison College vice president of legislative affairs to stand up to trolling at Truax by those who identify as either black Communist or gender-queer.
Veterans cannot catch a break with gender fluidity. A community college cannot survive without G.I. Education benefits and learned only a mere 313 student veterans enrolled in the university transfer program between 2019-2025. The community is outnumbered and no policy nor Vision 2030 agenda developed by the newly appointed president, Dr. Jennifer Burne, have been presented.
Each semester, the needs and honoring of student veterans on campus get silenced and faculty abuse us psychologically with slights and micro aggressions. Resolution #002 is rolling out in the upcoming weeks specifically addressing the psychologically abusive syntality authored by the Outpost 422 founder, Bradley Burt. Burt’s rough draft is as follows:
(Res #002)-To bring to vote and create a zero-tolerance micro aggression mandate.
Resolved by the Student Senate of Madison Area Technical College, that the following article is proposed:
IN THE SENATE OF MADISON AREA TECHNICAL COLLEGE Date Presented – 10/30/2025
Vice President of Legislative Affairs Bradley Burt introduced the following legislation which was referred by Pres. Jose Villareal as the executive acting on behalf of the Executive Council,
A RESOLUTION: Madison College Student Senate.
FORMAL MOTION: Bring an addendum to the president’s opening script that shall act as the mission statement for the aforementioned mandate.
SECTION 1. PRIMARY REASONING:
Whereas:
When the president introduces opening script, the president then declares the meeting to order, which requires all to respect the online ettiquette format.
The statement makes clear what constitutes orderly conduct on and off record starting with how all parties refer to subject matter discussion.
The resolution is a peacekeeping reminder when subjective communications manifest into conflict sharing what constitutes usurping the Executive Council.
To uphold and act solvently under the guidelines of Madison College 5511 outlining what constitutes hazing.
The Parliamentarian shall instantly notify Human Resources when an incident occurs in the form of a biased report.
The Executive Council shall then stowaway and keep the file for future Topic of the Day discussion with the Rules & Regulations Committee for legal research examination. t
SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS:
Usurp (verb)
The act of taking and maintaining control of something like an office, position, or powers, forcefully or without legal justification
Wrongful or illegitimate seizing or exercising of authority or possession
How to use “usurp” in a sentence
A company leader might usurp control from the board of directors without their consent.
The manager was accused of trying to usurp the owner’s authority by making decisions without consulting her first.1
Micro aggression (adj)a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority)
Mental Brutality Wis Stat. 948.51(2)No person may intentionally or recklessly engage in acts which endanger the physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with any organization operating in connection with a school, college or university. Under those circumstances, prohibited acts may include any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, forced consumption of any food, liquor, drug or other substance, forced confinement or any other forced activity which endangers the physical health or safety of the student.2
Bias Reporting:18 U.S. Code § 2340 – Definitions3
SECTION 3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (OPTIONAL)
Usurping Statement: Before I officially call this meeting to order, I want to remind all that we are under oath and must follow Madison College Policy 5511. In that policy, I ask all to cultivate dialog that allows the Parliamentarian the right to call those who usurp out of order. There shall be the committee’s response to the subject matter in question, and no senator may make decisions the Executive Council shall make without allowing the Committee chairperson the right to receive and acknowledge, then defer. Any and all disruptions will ask the party to be excused and noted. I now call this meeting to order under the patriarchy of Robert’s Rules of Order and may all show respect when an executive speaks.
CONCLUSION:
WHEREFORE, being resolved that whenever anyone perceives an individual uses passive aggressive or micro aggressive communication, the victim shall have permission to record despite all recording policies of any Senate member whether while in session or attending classes. The college shall encourage peacekeeping by capturing audio and then allowing Human Resources the right to decide what shall be determined as ‘DemonSpeak®.’
Be it resolved, by the Student Senate of Madison College assembled, that:
Those who speak demonese shall lose their seat. We do not welcome diabolical behavior while serving in Senate. We are peacekeepers seeking the means to adjourn in all subject matter.
Please visit our Bob Cobb Freelance INK LLC capital campaign website where more details will be revealed in the coming weeks as Parliamentary Podcasters seeking $50,000, to build a Clarion Radio studio designed for speaking up about problems on campus at Fist of Senate, Inc., a microlocal news reporting service provided by Outpost 422.
The information I am sharing with you provides evidence supporting my claim for individual unemployability that developed since my last appeal for benefits.
Since my last appeal, my disability has increased resulting from being worked beyond my disability limits by my former employer, Frank Productions LLC (hereinafter referred to as “FPC” or “Live Nation” or “the Devil” when describing my onboarding and accommodation experience), which led to banning me for threatening violence after opposing discrimination and detailing adverse actions.
The retaliation issues with Human Resources began after bringing forward my expressed concerns regarding adverse actions taken with employees who identified as disabled, by shift leads and venue managers, which comprised mostly my role with the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (hereinafter referred to as “DVR”).
On Nov. 8, 2024, I was subsequently terminated for threatening violence. After speaking with both the director of DVR, my counselor and the Wisconsin State Governor’s office, I was instructed to begin filing complaints and that all agencies could not get involved.
The following video was submitted to the Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development unemployment adjudicator sharing the screenshots from the alleged action. The adjudicator determined no misconduct happened, yet the incident flagged me as a terminated employee on Workday and cannot obtain gainful employment resulting from embellished allegations by FPC.
The adjudicator agreed the company used “shoehorning” to rope me into getting banned, then published my name capriciously with internal documents noting I was banned from entering the Devil’s facilities.
I then attempted to concede my unemployability to DVR who required I continue my job search. Since then, I have reported adverse actions by additional employers to the State of Wisconsin and Madison Equal Opportunity Commission, which resulted from trying to create an employment plan.
I perceive the capricious business act, delivered through the Devil’s whistleblower policy, angered my Human Resources manager enough to act with malice and did. The malice stemmed from going above HR’s head through a whistleblower complaint after challenging the demand I fill out an interactive dialogue process questionnaire as a credible, and was instructed to act promptly by the CEO, despite VA primary care appointment backlogs, who indicated I would receive denial of disability accommodation without documentation. On Oct. 6, 2024, shortly after Majestic Venue Manager Juanita Jackson’s resignation tenure, my termination papering began.
Note: After calling out trolling by the Majestic Venue Manager Juanita Jackson, who later quit, the company engaged in papering. The questions went outside the scope of requested accommodations. You as a disabled veteran, upon bringing forward concerns for adverse actions, will receive papering in the from of an interactive dialogue process questionnaire.
I cannot pass the second phase of hiring, which I am told, results from the Nov. 8, 2024, termination incident. After accessing LexisNexis and searching for my records I have also met with pro bono veteran legal advocates provided by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. The advocates instructed me to request the Social Security Administration locate my termination reasoning and follow up with my past employers.
I can provide additional correspondence upon request and look forward to connecting with necessary documentation and have filed a Veterans Affairs inspector general complaint regarding the violations committed by all of my DVR employers under the USERRA Act of 1994. The Devil did not welcome my identity as a practitioner of bad faith termination and onboarding as a form of woke syntality modeled by leadership in the workplace.
My letter begins the process of recovering damages and do not concede that I am gainfully employable. Only that the Devil overworked my disability and took my kindness for weakness when asked to stay late for shift coverage. I did so out of fear of retaliation. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please reach out and connect with Outpost 422, my self-reporting agency, and will provide all documentation to support my claim.
Respectfully,
Bradley J. Burt CEO/VA Patient Adjudicator Outpost 422
P.S. Please feel free to collect additional information from the Outpost 422 digital journal that accompanies the development of my post-SSDI rejection journey from 2018.
Dear William S. Middleton Veterans Memorial Hospital Administration:
I, Bradley J. Burt, VA patient, do not authorize AI integration with my secondary VA conditions, which I self-report through my science communication AI variable examination referred hereafter as “LightFighter Syndrome®.” I do not authorize any VA or community care doctor to share, distribute, scan, fax, or any form of digital communication with Microsoft. As a “hacker” entry this year in Tampa, Florida, at the Hackathon 2025 event, I witnessed VA caregivers hijacking our group projects and mentors agreed the issue was problematic with past events.
When I requested my “John Q. Battlefield” UI/UX patient hypothesis be brought forward, which protects me as a patient and my VA record identity, Microsoft did not bring forward my concerns regarding my knowledge. I am fully aware of the UI/UX data scraping hidden agenda of Microsoft we learned during team presentations. I later learned, Microsoft’s ultimate aim seeks full access to VA patient records. My honors research application through my registered trademark will not allow Microsoft or any AI platform access without a signed meeting of the minds agreement.
I do not allow Microsoft the right to access my records through community care coordination forms, and do not authorize any digital copy distribution handling by Microsoft. The VA must notify me for each file transfer and receive my expressed consent through my VA patient adjudicator community care information share point, Outpost 422. What I uncovered this weekend is the willful tort of intrusion by Microsoft and the cancellation of the concerns brought forward by VA patients who were stifled by VA caregivers.
Microsoft was not transparent about what we were hacking and took our information for granted by requiring patients pay for their trip in the sum of $2,700 without any return on investment other than moving onto the next round. I require this practice cease and desist until both my VA patient adjudicator service and a group VA patient advocates receive $5,000 plus travel and lodging expenses closest to the event for event moderation. Outpost 422 must attend all events for representing the best interest with protecting the record privacy and advancement of access to patient records.
Respectfully Submitted,
Bradley J. Burt CEO-Outpost 422 VA Patient Adjudicator Service
Disabled veterans in the Dane County area cannot compete with landlords who require a “three-times” rent agreement also known as “gentrification.” When totally and permanently veterans listed as “individually unemployable” seek work opportunities, those who view military service as racist, predominantly those who preach critical race theory in management and human resources, run the veteran off the job.
The problem disabled veterans face is the inability to keep up with gentrification who become HUD-VASH statistics. What can be done?
Why should a disabled veteran who could afford their apartment who no longer be required to live amongst crack dealers, those who try to rewrite philosophy with “violent protest”, or worse yet graffiti the Wisconsin Veterans Museum?
Dane County, mainly in Madison, has an anti-veteran problem. I propose a voucher system that allows the disabled veteran a cap and a requirement of 20 percent HUD-VASH tenancy who then will open opportunities for homeless veterans who also qualify for more opportunities other than waitlists.
Or better yet, establish a recruiting model that transitions disabled veterans through remote proctored instruction, which will qualify the individual with a noncredit option, then utilize the research for receiving HUD-VASH grants that could potentially provide the landlord or academic institution with economic stimulus. I suggest renovating the downtown Madison College campus into a HUD-VASH readjustment and rehabilitation transition center allowing potential candidates access to Madison College classes on-site.
The operation could raise $2.5 million for renovation capital, then accept tenants on a first-come educational eligibility opportunity to sell and provide data regarding the needs of those afflicted. Once a pilot fully matures the building’s depreciation, then the pilot can renovate unused buildings for harnessing creativity with those who manage trauma-informed symptoms like LightFIghter Syndrome®.
By focusing on the needs of disabled veterans who are individually unemployable, a corporate vendor could potentially study, through focus groups, why disabled veterans struggle in society and how to implement welcoming environments, which could potentially stimulate the veteran hiring sector, provide administrative short-term jobs and track outcomes with tenant qualitative analysis.
By focusing on the housing needs of those who suffered injuries in service, the workplace can grow into a place where lost time and shift coverage could easily be filled on a last-minute basis as a part of a rent-free living experience.
By having unemployable veteran work for rent voucher as a rent offset, the Dane County rental community could potentially resolve the ongoing issue with veteran homelessness by reconnecting individuals with their learning minds first in a noncredit capacity, then grow into a creative intelligence mindset performing small tasks and duties that usually comprise $18-$20 per hour.
By divesting in vouchers, a business could own an apartment complex, decrease staff, gain access to block grants and run a lean operation with disabled veteran independent interns who at least receive at the minimum pride in workmanship. The solution is simple. Hire individually unemployable veteran quid pro quo for rent and then watch the workplace thrive in their absence.
No veteran is hopeless and could have an opportunity to take a troublemaker angry at the world and convert them into becoming employable again.
I seek your comment for my role as the Vice President of Legislative Affairs at Madison Area Technical College and the opportunity to inspect the Dept. of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Integration Academic Leadership Program, “VITAL” for short.
I am a student veteran who graduated with an undergraduate through the Wisconsin G.I. Bill and am calling out Stolen Valor and QueerMongering® of those who identify as disabled student veterans enrolled at Madison College.
• Please make time during your busy schedule to read the article I wrote on a critical race theory military service hating campus. I do not feel safe attending Madison College and request and invitation to come share a public comment via Zoom and request Pres. Donald J. Trump send DOGE to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and cut their veteran funding.
• Veterans deserve free college as a reparation method for the QueerMongering we continuously experience when exercising our G.I. education benefits.
• This is a call to action and need your help enforcing boundaries with faculty who use critical theory as an instruction device for brainwashing learners into seeing military service as racist.
I also invite you to comment about our institutions’ denial of flying the POW MIA flag and ask the Trump Administration to enact a QueerMongering awarness enforcement amongst all veterans who exercise their G.I. Benefits as your past PREVENTS representative at Madison College.
Respectfully,
Bradley J. Burt CEO-Outpost 422 Vice President of Legislative Affairs Madison College Student Senate
Critiquing the science of the Korean War at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Bradley Burt, Clarion business director
For the “Critiquing Science on Display Assignment,” I visited the Korean War display at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum seeking the scientific bits from an anthropological perspective of war and military service. The critique perspective critically examined accuracy and the dialogical connect regarding the modeling of exhibit arrangements with artifacts and displays.
Overview of critiqued materials on the basis of class instruction material
Exhibits are forms of visual publication. The critical appraisal of the Korean War exhibit analyzed the collaboration of branches of service and overall impression as an exhibit, which prepared notes according critique writing handouts from this week’s online class. The experience was rewarding and have a new appreciation when visiting monuments and war exhibits as a blogger and journalism etiquette columnist. Etiquette is hardly a word to describe the Korean War from an anthropological perspective. “Brutal” and “barbaric” are the terms that come to mind when analyzing war. For the project, the subjective mindset was left in my backpack. Visitors must leave backpacks behind at the front desk prior to entrance to the museum.
War is flux: The science of colonization Over the course of several years attending both Madison College and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, I began meeting with the curator of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in 2019 for the Practicum 2 course.
Writing about historically significant items brings pleasure and joy. Using the ethnographic survey approach, I learned in sociology, helped me remove prejudice and report according to the checklist we were provided in class this week. The exhibits on display at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum share one thing in common: each is a relic from history. From a critical analysis, a display must be written either as Chicago, Associated Press or American Psychological Association styles.
From a historically accurate perspective, each writing style represents either a social science, a timestamp or a reflection. The Korean War exhibit has an anthropological survey style offering onlookers narratives, timelines and historically accurate information. The museum, from an overview vantage point, took the visitor through history over the course of American war history eras.
Social science critical view analysis Archaeology and anthropology work in unison. The archaeologist collects the artifacts, and the anthropologist registers them. The overview is the anthropological survey. I learned, in the Anthropology: Myth, Magic and Religion course, the survey starts when an anthropologist marks the surveyed area with rope, tape and flags until the anthropologist decides the survey is done.
Museums use anthropologists writeups for displaying items, which use APA style. Collaboratively, when sifting through the ashes of war, forensic analysis is required for identifying charred remains and badly blown-up items, which is a forensic pathologist’s job. There are many vantage points that collaborate amongst many forms of science. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum critique examined the writing styles, the relics, items retrieved and returned from the combat zone and the evolution of weaponry that the museum displays.
Anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse and Philosopher Dr. John Rawls are the two social scientists who’ve made a lasting impression on America with ethical approaches to war correspondence publication, whom are the professionals I use for analyzing rhetoric and dialogue. For military dress inspection, I use my Cornell West Point note taking style for comparing exhibit notes.
Through the eyes of both interactive investigative journalist and 10th Mountain Division artillery dress inspection training, the evaluation of military displays took into consideration the textual communication the curator used. On a side note, in my opinion, I would hope a veteran museum would take military protocol into consideration and did not see the writeups written the same.
The goal for the exhibit critique sought writing a collaboration between reader and writer regarding the value of displaying war material ethically. Unless the reader served in the military, the understanding of what goes on in the military cannot be taken into consideration as museums cater to all. Scratch that off the list for now.
In cinema, oftentimes military uniforms are out of order only because Hollywood is required to do so. Exhibits are not cinema. When visiting Washington, D.C. and witness narrated videos instead of screen-printed write ups like witnessed at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, I get irritated because narrated videos are subjective on the bias of the storyteller telling the visitor what they believe is most important. Kudos to the curator for not taking this approach.
The views shared ethnographically survey exhibits and their value as relics of war historically narrating the process of colonization starting from the macro view of the Korean War invasion, which narrated a micro view of the specific event, then examined write ups and narratives on the premise of the outcome of the Korean War police action from a scientific approach to the comparison and analysis of reporting styles.
The art of war: The Korean War crucible as an exhibit Whitehouse examines COVID in contrast to war. Whitehouse believes conflict narrates the crucible of society through “identity fusion,” which he discusses regarding the Taliban’s winning in Afghanistan found on his press page. From an overview examination of war, an exhibit shares how the crucible of resolving conflict sculpts and shapes nations. The exhibit critique examines relics and critically analyzes the construction of the exhibit on a macro-view basis.
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum specializes exclusively in military history. From a historical vantage point, displays provided mannequins, glass cases, relics, write ups, platforms and staging, along with screen printed back drops sharing the crucible and perspective of war. The level of cleanliness, from a combat and field veteran’s point of view, was amazing. Relics from war are typically worn out or badly damaged. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum did a superb job cleaning and displaying items for all to view. The Korean War began in the ‘50s, which would mean the items on display have aged for over 70 years.
Using typography and publication as an art exhibit Rawls’ believes “the Doctrine of Double Effect” instructs publishers to consider a tolerance with viewers and provide the viewer with the right to decide the good or bad end. If the publisher decides to write subjectively then do so with the caveat the end must not devalue the mean. War is the mean. The curator provided mostly tangible items and photographs rather than narration. Rawls’ insists the viewer, for publication ethics, receive the “Veil of Ignorance” respect.
Very simply stated, the exhibit critique determines whether or not the curator narrated items objectively with a third-person narrative or subjectively with first-person. The curator built the Korean War exhibit formally and with a professional appearance. The write ups were built in Chicago style and did not witness any grammatical flaws. The micro-view critique, which took up close and personal considerations based on Rawls’ instructions, critically analyzed items by seeking details regarding the items presented without opinion. Only fact and how the words contrast what the exhibit displays.
The exhibit’s brevity Items examined and critiqued considered information from the “Exhibit Writing Tips” handout. The curator’s use of brevity was the focus of critiquing. The critique of each exhibit in chronological order as listed in the handout starting with “Credit Lines” and concluding with “Talkback Text.” Aside from views, the writeups and narratives provide contrast and details as a scientific communication exchange with visitors. Brevity is the art of narration, which is an Oxford term for being brief. The viewer should walk away feeling informed and not persuaded. The curator did a great job.
Brevity meets the minimum requirement of succinctness, and the write ups felt engaging, which delivered informative details. The research provided by the curator’s oversight shared mindful and helpful information from the vantage point of Rawls’ ethical inspection of published materials. The material on display allows photographers to take pictures without flash, which is made clear upon entering the gallery. Photography use is a form of publication and must not alter items photographed. Viewers will think critically because the curator’s writeups are objectively telling the story of the Korean War from quotes and anecdotes along with conservative typography.
The “Structuring Exhibit Text” Critique The micro-view examined all 12 points regarding instructions for structuring text for exhibits from the handout students received as a part of instruction. The handout was used for notetaking and laid aside all prejudice with personal experiences from deployment as a veteran. The writing was difficult to read from afar and had to get up close for reading purposes.
• Titles and headlines: The use of caps does not conform to Associated Press style. • Intro to text: Italics were not necessarily a writing style only used as an eye catcher. • Primary or section text: Commas were appropriately used. • Secondary text or subtext: Paragraphed details made for reading difficulty. • Sidebars: None • Object labels: Exhibit did not make clear what items were. • Image captions: The photography narrative was appropriate and concise. • Quotes: Quoted field commander and his opinion. Use of ellipses felt clunky. Quotes were not written in Associated Press style and appeared abstract. • Credit lines: Gen. Douglas MacArthur was not attributed properly in Associated Press style. • Talkback labels: Made anecdotal references regarding what took place during the war. • Wayfinding signage: Was not apparent or obvious to the viewer. • Additional text: Signage did not follow a specific style. Had a hard time making out what signage said from afar, which could cause longer than normal exhibit loitering times.
From the viewer’s vantage point, the exhibit felt alive and detailed historical events well. From a journalist viewpoint, the writeups appeared as amateur or novice. The exhibit artifacts and photographs captured history well but the empty space in “The See-Saw War” writeup had dead space where another picture should have gone or even a map of the terrain would have been helpful. The artifacts felt engaging, and the arrangement of items was positioned professionally for the viewer to connect with other displayed items. Overall, the captions were appropriate lengths and liked the monochrome photographs taken from the war.
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum could use photo slideshows, who noted upon entry, “we have only eight percent of our items displayed from our vault.” Well, that’s great and all but with the invention of interactive media, a photo slideshow could help tell the story with flow codes and cross dissolved Ken Burns Effect storytelling styles through television screens that would allow for a broader display of artifacts through the use of Adobe software. A follow-up interview with the curator has been scheduled and are welcome to listen to exhibit critiques.
The future of interactive storytelling: Convergent media collaboration with the curator The Korean War display did not mention the role of the Wisconsin Air National Guard, which played a pivoting role with the outcome of the war. After conducting research in college, I later learned the Wisconsin Air National Guard leads the Air Force in strategic decision making for bomber squadrons and will be meeting with the curator to discuss building stories around the interactive storytelling model. Convergent media isn’t just for the news and the press. Museums can take full advantage of the style too.
The upcoming final paper analyzes the work of the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-action Recovery and Identification Project. The museum offered to sit down and discuss a possible photo slideshow regarding the Wisconsin Air National Guard and the last flight of 1st Lt. Jerome A. Volk, whose family is friends with the project’s director. Legislatively, the project has the opportunity to locate three Wisconsin MIAs if the State of Wisconsin approves upcoming bill, Senate Bill 8, which would allocate $360,000 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Biotechnology Center and help locate Volk as one of the missing pilots. The curator likes the idea of building a legislative exhibit and will be volunteering at the museum in service to the POW MIA families of Wisconsin who do not have an exhibit. The next visit seeks collaborating with the curator to include MIAs with war exhibits.
