Veterans To Share Their Personal War Stories On Stage

WAYNE, NJ — Veterans will take to the stage to tell their personal war stories at William Paterson Nov. 7 and 10.

Six veterans from the university's community will star in The Telling Project's production. Four of them are current students and Patrice Croevera is an August 2017 graduate. The ast is Charles Lowe, director of public safety and the campus police department.

Crocevera was “scared out of her mind” going into this project, she said in a statement. However, the desire to provide the audience with personal insight and a broader perspective about the war pushed her through the fear, she said.

A U.S. Air Force medic who spent seven months in Bagram, Afghanistan, Crocevera worked in the urgent care center and as backup to the emergency room. She tended to members of the U.S. military as well as local residents.

“Being a medic, you get to see a different side of war. And working with the locals especially, you get to see a lot of the damage that was done,” Crocevera said. “You get to have very personal interactions with people, and they remind you of your friends and family. You become aware of the dissonance. It kind of hits you in the face. I think my takeaway from the military is very different than most people’s takeaway.”

Crocevera

“…To me, my story isn’t necessarily about me,” she adds, of her role in The Telling Project. “It’s about giving due justice to people who maybe don’t have that voice in our culture.”

More than 200 veterans, active-duty military members or their dependents were enrolled at William Paterson in the spring 2017 semester. The university was named a "military-friendly school" for the seventh consecutive year recently.

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