On Sunday, Aug. 30, almost 100 students from the Air Force Academy and Colorado College came together for “American Sniper and American Democracy,” an event organized by the Democratic Dialogue Project where students were invited to watch American Sniper, share a meal, and debate ideas on American foreign policy, democracy, and the changing role of the military in conflicts abroad.
Christopher Dylewski, from USAFA, and Helen Griffiths, from Colorado College, planned the event, which was the launch of the Democratic Dialogue Project.
“The goal of the Democratic Dialogue Project is to encourage substantive exchange between future civilian and military leaders on matters of importance to the U.S., in order to enrich the health of our democracy,” said USAFA Professor Gregory Laski. “College is in part a preparation for democratic dialogue, and so we feel this exchange really matters for building a robust citizenry,”
Students were drawn to the event for a variety of reasons.
“The opportunity to interact with students from the Air Force Academy is what attracted me,” said Louisa McKenzie, a CC student.
“The subject of the military, its role and funding are very important and interesting,” said sophomore Theo Hooker, explaining why he went.
The event began by screening American Sniper, a movie about the deadliest sniper in US history. The audience followed his multiple deployments to Iraq and his struggle with PTSD.
“When the students from the Air Force Academy watched the movie, it was not an abstract depiction of a faraway phenomenon, but a possible portrait of their futures and the realities they will have to confront,” said Isaac Radner. “One of the Air Force cadets told me that the movie made him scared of what he might be like when he comes back from a tour.”
“That is a perspective I could never have really understand other than intellectually,” he said. “Speaking with the cadets was a chance to put actual faces and names to the people that these issues directly will affect.”
The movie was also a chance to discuss a wide range of topics. During the dinner that followed, a group of students discussed the war in Iraq, terrorism, and ISIS, while another debated ideas of humanitarian intervention, universal human rights and cultural relativism.
Katherine Nelson, a CC student, was part of a conversation on the role America should claim (or relinquish) on the global scene.
“The most interesting conversation I had was about the psychological evaluations the military does and doesn’t have. The discussion was brought up because of Chris’ mental health issues and how many times he was deployed,” said Mckenzie.
According to many students, the opportunity to interact with those beyond CC was the highlight of the event.
“As an outsider looking in at the Air Force Academy, there were a lot of things I didn’t understand,” said Maya Patel. “To me, the whole first year just seemed like continual hazing but for them it was extremely important. The intensity taught them to be responsible for other people in subsequent years.”
“The best part of the event were definitely the conversations afterward. I left feeling like I could have talked for hours,” said Hooker. “My conversation about the role and extent of the military in foreign affairs was very interesting.”
“I really enjoyed making connections with the cadets,” said McKenzie. “CC can not only be a physical bubble, but a social bubble. Even one evening interacting with students my own age coming from very different social and academic backgrounds was enriching.”
“I felt that just seeing the CC and USAFA students together unsettled assumptions about the sorts of students who attend each institution,” said Professor Laski. “I heard lots of important revelations: some CC students did not know that USAFA considers itself a liberal arts college.”
The Democratic Dialogue Project will continue to hold events involving CC and USAFA students throughout the year in efforts to provide a space for differing opinions to be heard.