Veteran Archaeological Learning Opportunities & Research Program
ARI recognizes the skills Veterans gain through service & see an opportunity for this to translate to a career in archaeology. The VALOR program provides support to Veterans to develop a path for their future and allows them to explore the past. Connections made during the excavations to people, the past and the cultural context, help veterans work through feelings of isolation and loss of direction that often occur when service members transition into the civilian world.
Mission: To provide skills, experience, training, and education in archaeology that leads veterans to a meaningful and rewarding career path after service.
Vision: To offer hope, direction, and connection through archaeology to Veterans, as they transition back into the civilian world offering a new career path after service.
The VALOR Ruth Zimmer Hartman Memorial Fund is one way of supporting the ARI VALOR program. Consider donating to this fund to support VALOR with recruiting efforts, scholarships, land surveys, research projects, and more.
Ruth Hartman was among the first women in the U.S. military, serving in the US Navy WAVES during World War II. Stationed at Norfolk Naval Air Station, she repaired planes damaged in combat. She cherished her time in the military, her service to her country and the life-long friends she made.
Ruth was the embodiment of The Greatest Generation: resilient, resourceful, incredibly smart beyond her formal education, frugal but generous, and very adventurous, curious and witty. A character with character. After the war, Ruth (nee Zimmer) returned to her life-long hometown of Reading, Ohio, where she met her husband Bill and raised her family.
You might have met Ruth at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, where she doctored for decades and loved talking with her fellow veterans. She was among the first women veterans to go on the Tristate Honor Flight. In 2015, the Tristate Warbird Museum honored her with its Contribution to Freedom Award for her WWII service.
Born on Christmas Day, 1921, Ruth could be seen well into her 90s working in her yard, pinning laundry in the sun, turning over rocks in the creek, and putting out her US flag as she picked up her morning paper. She passed on in 2020. She would have loved being part of the VALOR program and exploring archaeology, side-by-side with her fellow veterans.