iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

She and I have Star Wars, history, and music.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

If my daughter liked basketball, then I could. She is her own person and I respect that.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Rest in peace to John Ketwig, Vietnam veteran and author of ...And a Hard Rain Fell. It was an honor to get to know John. He talked with my students at VT, reviewed my book, and participated in my NEH Summer Institute, where he talked about the war, memorialization, why he joined the VVAW.

John Ketwig at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial talking with a group of high school teachers about the war and his experiences coming home.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

I am looking forward to writing and researching this summer. I’ll hide away from humans for a while and do what I got my Ph.D to do.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Not the point, but he didn’t write this: setting off adverbs with commas. Dude is illiterate.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

*the military won every battle, but we lost the war against Iran because of the media and Congress.* I can hear it now.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

who spoke out against systemic injustices - racism, imperialism, and sexual violence in the military. From the Vietnam War-era to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, these veterans served abroad and then organized at home, defending Constitutional rights and fighting for justice.”

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Throughout American history, veterans fought on the front lines of social change, mobilizing for Black freedom, advocating for equality, and forming mass protests against the Vietnam War. Based on a collection of oral history interviews, this project features the stories of eight veterans . . .

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

“Dissidence is patriotism. This Digital Humanities project shows how some US veterans repurposed their military service to speak out and organize against injustices. Veterans are not a monolith. Their experiences and their views are as diverse as the communities they represent and serve. . . .

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

If you’re teaching a class on war and/or social change, consider adding it to the syllabus. The project features video and audio clips, stories, full interviews, and concise historical context in a choose your own adventure format.

QR Code to Dissidents.vt.domains/veterans

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

#NewPublicationAlert Dissidents: Veterans Speak Out for Justice is a peer-reviewed, digital humanities project published by Virginia Tech Publishing and Press, based on oral histories with veterans. dissidents.vt.domains/veterans

Dissidents: Veterans Speak Out for Justice, an oral history collection by Jason A. Higgins, photo of Wall of Vets Protest in Portland, during the summer of 2020 after the murders of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor, by Dave Killen, The Oregonian.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

If you're interested in the environment and Oral History, you do not want to miss this conversation with authors Stephen Sloan and Mark Cave on Thursday, April 23 at 3:30 eastern, presented by the Oral History Association's Publications Committee. Register below: oralhistory.org/2026/03/17/o...

oralhistory.org

OHA Publications Committee Presents: A Conversation with Authors Mark Cave & Stephen Sloan - Oral History Association

The Oral History Association Publications Committee invites you to a virtual panel with authors Stephen M. Sloan and Mark Cave discussing their co-edited book

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Happy voting day in Virginia, aka a temporary moratorium on the endless mail and media propaganda.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

The bicentennial in 1976 was a golden age for investment in U.S. public history projects and the humanities. The federal government provided generous funding to do the work of American history. Today, on the 250th, the humanities are being gutted and history censored. #talkabouthumanities

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Christopher Deutsch @drchrisdeutsch.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

This week: US foreign policy and imperial violence in the Cold War. The discussion will be imformed by @kimatiwagner.bsky.social's critiques as well as that of other southeast and east Asian scholars. To be paired with @jasonhiggins.bsky.social's brilliant history.

My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness by Howard Jones

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

That would be amazing! I’d also like to do an audio book version.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

I am honored that #PrisonersAfterWar won the Sturm Research Excellence Award, from the Kappa Phi Beta, Mu Chapter of Virginia. This is a university-wide award at Virginia Tech that encourages and rewards scholarship with a significant appeal to an educated audience beyond a narrow scholarly field.

Images show the cover of Prisoners after War and text reads,”Winner of the Albert L. Sturm Research Excellence Award”

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

#CoverReveal Coming soon from Virginia Tech Publishing, "Dissidents" is a peer-reviewed digital humanities project that features the stories of veterans who spoke out for justice. Through oral histories, it explores the anti-war movement and the experiences of Black, queer, and women veterans.

Dissidents: Veterans Speak Out for Justice, an oral history collection by Jason A. Higgins. The cover shows a photo taken during Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020 with the "wall of vets."

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Elizabeth Drummond @eadhistory.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Wow, just wow! Awe-inspiring beauty! Image credits: NASA www.nasa.gov/gallery/luna...

art002e009284 (April 6, 2026) – Earth appears tiny as the Moon looms large in this photo taken by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. Taken 36 minutes before Earthset, our home planet is visible in the blackness of space off the limb of the illuminated Moon. Earth is in a crescent phase, with sunlight coming from the right. Orientale mare basin, with its dark floor of cooled lava and outer rings of mountains, covers nearly the lower third of the imaged lunar surface. Different colors in the mare hint at its mineral composition. The lines of small indentations above Orientale are secondary crater chains, formed by material ejected during a violent primary impact. Both of the new craters that the Artemis II crew has suggested names for – Integrity and Carroll – are in full view. The edge of the visible surface of the Moon is called the “lunar limb.” Seen from afar, it almost looks like a circular arc – except when backlit, as in other images captured by the Artemis II crew.

art002e009288 (April 6, 2026) – Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater’s formation.

art002e009289 (April 6, 2026) – The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during the Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background. This image was captured at 6:41 p.m. EDT, on April 6, 2026, just three minutes before the Orion spacecraft and its crew went behind the Moon and lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes before emerging on the other side. In this image, the dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime, while on its day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater shows terraced edges and a relatively flat floor marked by central peaks — formed when the surface rebounded upward during the impact that created the crater.

art002e009301 (April 6, 2026) – Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. The corona forms a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the Sun’s outer atmosphere typically hidden by its brightness. Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the Moon, but with the Moon in darkness stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document and describe the corona during humanity’s return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the Moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

When presidents order war crimes, threaten genocide, wage war without Congressional approval, and act with impunity of international law, it erodes democracy and human rights, and causes innumerable consequences. But historians and other experts are being fired for teaching the truth.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

When he expanded the war into Cambodia, it led to mass protests across the US, including at Kent State where national guardsmen opened fire on students, killing 4 and wounding 9. Madman tactics do not force enemies to capitulate. But it has unforeseen consequences abroad and at home.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

The secret bombings of Cambodia were leaked to the NYT. The White House had a plan: deny, deny, deny! And stop the leakers! He orders illegal wiretaps on his own staff, including Kissinger. This is the "tricky dick" stuff that eventually led to his resignation.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

When that didn't work, Nixon decided to bomb Cambodian sanctuaries to send a message to Vietnam. (The bombing of Cambodia created rippling effects, destabilizing the gov't, enabling the Khmer Rouge to take power and commit genocide.) Guess what? That did not work either.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

For ex. Operation Giant Lance (phallic much?)-- October 27-30, 1969, Nixon orders 18 B-52s armed with hydrogen bombs to fly along Soviet Union border. He believed he could threaten the Soviets to force N. Vietnam to surrender (as if the Vietnamese were under control of the Soviets) It did not work.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Nixon said, "I call it the Madman Theory. I want the North Vietnamese to believe...I might do anything to stop the war. We’ll just slip the word: “We can’t restrain him when he’s angry—and he has his hand on the nuclear button”—Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace.”

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

This guy steals all Nixon’s ideas. His threats are straight out of the Nixon’s “Madman Theory.” It did not work with Vietnam. It will not work with Iran. It’s like none of the lessons from the past 60 years of American war are ever learned.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

It was a great pleasure to speak with Jacey Anderson, book review editor for the Oral History Review for OHR Extra! We discuss oral history, my book Prisoners after War, and forthcoming projects. (@umasspress.bsky.social) If you're interested check it out. oralhistory.org/2026/03/24/a...

oralhistory.org

Author Interview: Jason A. Higgins - Oral History Association

By Jacey Anderson, Book Review Editor for the Oral History Review

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John M. Kinder @johnmkinder.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Glad to see this is "official." I look forward to accepting the award in Arlington, VA. Hope to see you there.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

They’re calling for articles to promote the collection. Thinking about it!

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

I wish I had access to these while writing my book. It’s a wealth of sources and knowledge.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

An incredible digital #OpenAcess collection of newspapers published by incarcerated writers within the U.S. prison system.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Recently, I sat down for an interview with my hometown friend and high school classmate, Tercero Munoz with Suite P Productions out of Hot Springs Arkansas. We talk about veterans, history, mass incarceration, and System of a Down. Check it out in the link in the comments.

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Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם) @bestonetx.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

And journal editors should never invite comment again from someone who submits an AI-generated peer review.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Added a new title to the reading list by journalist Wil Haygood. It joins a very short but excellent list of books on African American experiences during the Vietnam War.

The War within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home book on a shelf of Vietnam War books. Pp

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John M. Kinder @johnmkinder.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

I am humbled to announce that "World War Zoos" won the 2026 Distinguished Book Award from the Society of Military History. Thanks to everyone who believed in the book! share.google/G2gxOFSy2ZcF... @elisecapron.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social @tmennel.bsky.social

share.google

World War Zoos

A new and heartbreaking history of World War II as told through the shocking experiences of zoos across the globe. As Europe lurched into war in 1939, zookeepers started killing their animals. On S...

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Rest in peace, Country Joe McDonald. youtu.be/CXuSQcyuPU8?...

youtu.be

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

$$ is always a concern. Hope you can make it.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

I’ve been revising a digital humanities publication after some helpful and engaged peer-reviewers’ feedback. This has been an ongoing student-involved, community centered-oral history project that we started during my first year at Virginia Tech. I plan to share it at the NCPH/AASLH conference.

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John Garrison Marks @johngmarks.com · 01/03/2026

Reading “Until the Last Gun is Silent” by Matthew Delmont and let me tell you it’s a good time to be reading a book about the overlap between the anti-war and civil rights movements.

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Thanks, Gabriel! I hope you are well!

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Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D @jasonhiggins.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Thank you! And genuinely, I am delighted to know that anyone will read my book!

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