Belonging in Service is a documentary storytelling series centering the voices and lived experiences of those whose lives are shaped by military service.
Through first-person storytelling, the series explores identity, transition, resilience, family, connection, community, and belonging—creating opportunities to listen, learn, build understanding, and strengthen the connections between military-connected and civilian communities.
Each film brings forward a different perspective while creating space for people to tell their own stories, in their own words.
Five women veterans share their experiences of military service and reflect on the expectations and realities they encountered, the experiences that shaped them, transition into civilian life, identity, resilience, community, and belonging.
The 15-minute documentary began as an experiential-learning collaboration connected to the 2025 Women's Military History Week and made its inaugural debut on March 16, 2026, during the 2026 Women's Military History Week Celebration at Pacific University.
Military service reaches far beyond the person wearing the uniform.
The second documentary in the Belonging in Service series centers the voices and lived experiences of military-connected families and dependents, exploring how military service shapes family life, identity, transition, resilience, connection, community, and belonging.
What began as an experiential-learning internship expanded into an undergraduate research fellowship, creating an interdisciplinary opportunity to bring together research, student learning, documentary storytelling, and community engagement.
Military service reaches far beyond the person wearing the uniform.
The second documentary in the Belonging in Service series centers the voices and lived experiences of military-connected families and dependents, exploring how military service shapes family life, identity, transition, resilience, connection, community, and belonging.
What began as an experiential-learning internship expanded into an undergraduate research fellowship, creating an interdisciplinary opportunity to bring together research, student learning, documentary storytelling, and community engagement.
Belonging in Service began through the intersection of community collaboration and experiential learning at Pacific University.
The first documentary grew from the 2025 Women's Military History Week collaboration between Pacific University Military & Veteran Services, the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs Women's Veteran Coordinator Office, and Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services.
What began as an opportunity to connect a student's film and video production education with authentic community storytelling grew into something larger.
The work continued with a second documentary focused on military-connected families and dependents. What began as an experiential-learning internship expanded into an undergraduate research project, bridging academic research with applied learning and community engagement beyond the classroom.
The project also marked a first for Pacific University: the Undergraduate Research Grant was awarded to a non-faculty principal investigator for the first time, expanding the ways undergraduate research can be developed, mentored, and connected to community-based work.
Through research, documentary storytelling, and direct community engagement, the project creates an opportunity for a student to apply academic learning to a meaningful real-world project while helping elevate the lived experiences of military-connected families and dependents.
Today, Belonging in Service continues through broader community outreach and collaboration with CMV Alliance, building upon its original partnerships while creating opportunities for new voices, stories, and connections.
