Grier Martin and Mundane Military Life
This website looks into the mundanity of military life through the Oral History of Grier Martin. Often when we think of active duty as combat, bombs, and war. Sometimes the reality of soldier life is much different than this notion of violence. Additionally, the everyday life of military operations is often similar to the everyday life of an average American. With repetitive duties, jobs, and tasks, life tends to be boring for both the working American and the deployed American. On the other hand, the needs of day-to-day military life often shape the new inventions and eventual norms of non-military life. An example being frozen and packaged food; originally for the benefit of shipping meat to soldiers, now used for quick meals. Ultimately, the aspects of our everyday life which we find mundane often stem from the mundane and frequently overlooked aspects of military life.
Look Below!
These are the first 5 pages of a CIA article detailing the U.S. involvement and strategy in Afghanistan in 2001-2002. Grier Martin was deployed in 2002. Some of the article holds confidential information and is therefore blocked out.
My Thoughts
A disclaimer, these are my opinions surrounding the oral history… that does not make them true. I encourage anyone reading these to develop their own opinions of the interview.
Grier Martin’s Oral History is shorter and shallower than several of the others in the “Alumni Veterans” and “Military Dissenters” collections. I believe this is due to his position while the Oral History was recorded. Grier Martin was in office during this recording. In other words, he was focused on being re-elected and therefore not insulting the U.S. military in the state of North Carolina. Moreover, whether the power dynamic was intentional or not, there is a power dynamic between the Kalycia Harrell, the interviewer, and Grier Martin, the narrator. Kalycia Harrell is a young black women at the University of North Carolina. Grier Martin was an older white man and politician. The difference in power through age, race, and position most likely prevented a full, detailed Oral History from Grier Martin. In turn, the Oral History we hear opens up a new aspect of military life: mundanity.