Describe a moment and analyze: “Write about a single experience or moment, and ask: how does this moment, experience, or encounter relate to my essential question?” You can also compare it with learning experiences you have had elsewhere, whether in or out of a classroom, at LREI, or elsewhere. Previous Essential Question: What common thread runs through the United States defense strategies and policies? Updated Essential Question: By listening to experiences of war in the eyes of veterans, what commonalities fall within each of their stories? And what can the personal stories of veterans give me that a book/article cannot?  When beginning my first interview with Jason Gauvin, a 51 Bravo Engineer for the Army, I hadn’t quite known what to expect. I’d never done any kind of interview before and — in all honesty — was terrified. I realized that this would be my chance to ask Jason whatever I’d wanted to know/ask someone who had fought in the military. Which made me a little bit nervous to decide beforehand what to ask during the interview. I was nervous that I would forget to ask important questions or say ask something he wouldn’t want to answer. It was then, at that moment, when I came to the realization that if I wanted to enjoy this experience, I had to stop being so caught up in trying to answer (what had been) my previous essential question. Talking to Jason made me realize just how different this experience was than I had imagined it would be. I was bonding, laughing, I was having such a genuinely amazing time just getting to know him and what he had experienced in his life. He was literally just a completely normal and chill guy who loves to joke around and make the most of his life. This really made me spend some time updating my essential question. Doing my first interview made me realize that although the books/ articles give me a ton of amazing information on the people in the government making our country’s decisions, they just don’t get to show you the individuals who are actually the biggest reason for our country’s success in wars. Jason was only one of the 1.3 million people who are putting their lives on the line for our country. As I have continued doing more interviews, I’ve gone into them with no intention of trying to get them to answer any type of essential question. I can answer my essential question on my own. But as I continue on with these interviews, the most important thing to me is just having a genuinely informative time and experience getting to know the people i am learning about in the reading I’m doing.