Belonging in Service: The Voices of Military-Connected Families and Dependents centers the lived experiences of spouses, children, and family members whose lives are shaped by military service.
Through their own voices, participants explore family life, separation, transition, identity, resilience, caregiving, community, and what it means to find belonging across generations.
The documentary is in final production. We look forward to sharing the full film soon.
While the final work continues, we invite you to learn about the project and explore resources for military-connected individuals and families.
Military service reaches beyond the individual who wears the uniform.
Military service shapes relationships, family responsibilities, childhood experiences, and the ways people understand themselves and their place in the world. Its influence can continue long after active service ends.
Through first-person storytelling, The Voices of Military-Connected Families and Dependents explores how families navigate changing responsibilities, support one another, and build connections throughout military life and beyond.
The documentary also considers how military-connected identity carries across generations, including the experiences of people who grew up in military families and later supported service members or raised military-connected families themselves.
Each story offers a distinct perspective. Together, they invite a broader understanding of service and the families whose lives it touches.
Service shapes us. Belonging carries us forward.
At the heart of the documentary are military-connected individuals and family members who entrusted the project with their stories.
Their perspectives illuminate how military service is experienced within families, across relationships, and throughout different stages of life.
We are grateful to each participant for sharing their experiences and allowing their story to become part of this documentary.
The project began as an experiential learning internship between Pacific University student Mia Kaszubowski ’26 and Denise Price-Giesbers ’00, then Director of Pacific University Military and Veteran Services.
Building upon the People Who Serve and Support storytelling initiative, the internship connected Mia’s learning with an opportunity to document military-connected family experiences.
Professor Enie Vaisburd joined the collaboration, bringing filmmaking and media arts expertise. Together, the team expanded the project through a Pacific University Undergraduate Research Grant and an Elise Elliott International Perspectives Grant.
This funding supported the documentary’s growth into a project integrating narrative inquiry, undergraduate research, and community storytelling. Through this award, Denise became the first staff member at Pacific University to receive an Undergraduate Research Grant as a Co-Principal Investigator.
Pacific University Military and Veteran Services also supported the project and its development.
As Director, Producer and Student Researcher, Mia brings documentary filmmaking and research together to explore the experiences shared by participants.
The project combines narrative inquiry and oral history practices with documentary production, connecting individual stories with an exploration of belonging, identity, resilience, caregiving, and family adaptation.
Working alongside Enie and Denise, Mia’s experience connects academic preparation with creative decision-making, community engagement, and the ethical responsibility of representing lived experiences.
The resulting film is intended for a public audience, supporting education and conversation among families, educators, service providers, and community organizations.
Director, Producer and Student Researcher
Mia leads the documentary’s filmmaking and student research work, bringing participants’ individual experiences together into a cohesive film. What began as an internship developed into an opportunity to connect her academic learning with research and community storytelling.
Executive Producer and Co-Principal Investigator
Professor Enie Vaisburd contributes expertise in filmmaking and media arts, providing academic and creative guidance. Her work supports the integration of documentary practice, narrative research, and student learning.
Executive Producer and Co-Principal Investigator
Former Director, Pacific University Military and Veteran Services
Denise initiated the project through Mia’s internship and contributes project leadership, community relationships, participant engagement, and student mentorship. She continues to lead the Belonging in Service Documentary Series through broader community collaboration and CMV Alliance.
This documentary and its associated research were made possible in part through:
Pacific University Undergraduate Research Grant
Elise Elliott International Perspectives Grant
Additional Project Support
Pacific University Military and Veteran Services
We gratefully acknowledge this support for student learning, research, and community storytelling. We also thank the participants who shared their experiences and everyone who contributed to the documentary’s development.
Finding support can feel overwhelming when there are many organizations, programs, and eligibility requirements to navigate. You do not need to have every question figured out before reaching out.
A Veteran Service Officer (VSO), the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can help you explore benefits and identify appropriate services. Family members can also ask about resources for their own needs.
In collaboration with the Community, Military, Veteran Alliance of Oregon, we have brought together Oregon and national resources with particular attention to military spouses and dependents.
The resource page offers starting points for benefits navigation, family support, counseling, caregiving, education, employment, and community connection. It includes information from ODVA, the VA, the Oregon National Guard, Returning Veterans Project, and other organizations serving military-connected families. Services and eligibility vary by program.
EXPLORE MILITARY & VETERAN FAMILY RESOURCES
Your experiences matter. Your needs matter. You belong in the conversation about support.
The Voices of Military-Connected Families and Dependents follows Belonging in Service: Voices of Women In and Beyond the Uniform, the first film in the series. Originally developed through work at Pacific University, the Belonging in Service Documentary Series continues through broader community outreach and collaboration with CMV Alliance, elevating military-connected voices and strengthening understanding through documentary storytelling.
Release information and viewing details for the full documentary will be shared here as they become available.
EXPLORE THE BELONGING IN SERVICE DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Director, Producer and Student Researcher
Mia Kaszubowski ’26
Executive Producer and Co-Principal Investigator
Enie Vaisburd
Executive Producer and Co-Principal Investigator
Denise Price-Giesbers ’00
Production Status
In final production. Full documentary coming soon.
Complete film credits will accompany the released documentary.
