Already known for being “military-friendly” thanks to the services and support offered to student veterans, the UCF community will participate in several special celebrations next week.
The UCF Library is displaying quilts honoring fallen servicemen and women, and students will be creating greeting cards to send to deployed troops. Meanwhile, two local veterans will share their experiences and how they are helping fellow veterans transition from the war front to home life during Metro Center Outlook at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9.
The UCF Community Veterans History Project, which started last year, continues to record and digitally archive the experiences of Central Florida veterans for generations to come. Some of the stories can be found on the project’s website.
And, just in time for Veterans Day, G. I. Jobs has for a third-consecutive year designated UCF as a “military-friendly” university. G.I. Jobs reviewed more than 7,000 schools for its annual list and selected schools that best support student veterans by offering them outstanding education, value, and support.
The entire UCF community and the public are invited to visit the campus and help UCF honor those who have served our country.
Quilts Honor Fallen Heroes
The Florida Fallen Hero Quilt Project, a mobile memorial that travels around Florida, features nine quilts with 30 squares each. Each square includes the name of a serviceman or woman who was killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The quilts, which will be displayed Nov. 1 to 30 on the main floor of the UCF Library, were created by Linda Fless. She was inspired by a man who returned from Iraq in 2005 wanting to remember and celebrate the lives of his deceased colleagues.
For more information about the quilts, visit www.nbbd.com/fallenheroes.
Sharing Veterans’ Stories
The UCF Community Veterans History Project has conducted more than 100 interviews with veterans who have served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The oral interviews, conducted by students and community members, are posted in the “Browse Oral Histories” section of the project’s website.
Interviews cover a variety of topics, including wartime experiences, basic training experience and how soldiers coped with being away from their families for long periods of time.
The UCF Library will retain copies of the interviews. Some of the stories will also be donated to the Library of Congress’ national Veterans History Project.
Veterans who want to be interviewed can find more information on the project’s website. Anyone who wants to learn more about the project also can visit an information booth that will be set up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in the Ferrell Commons Auditorium.
A Week of Honor and Remembrance
In collaboration with other campus offices, the UCF Community Veterans History Project has helped to coordinate several public Veterans Day events that will be held next week.
Monday, Nov. 7: An honor ceremony will begin at noon at the Veterans Commemorative Site on Memory Mall. The memorial was dedicated last year during a special ceremony.
Tuesday, Nov. 8: A History Department Research Colloquium will feature Public History graduate student Ashley Wilt’s work, “Entering Nam: A Comparative Study of the Entrance Experiences of Drafted and Volunteer Veterans of the Vietnam War.” The colloquium will begin at 3 p.m. in Colbourn Hall, room 401.
Wednesday, Nov. 9: The Veteran Services Extravaganza information event will include representatives from UCF Veteran Services, the Student Veterans Association, Air Force and Army ROTC, campus offices that provide services to student veterans, readjustment counseling services, Orange County Veteran Services and others. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Ferrell Commons Auditorium. Click here for more information.
Thursday, Nov. 10: A discussion of Assistant Professor of History Barbara Gannon’s book, “The Won Cause: Black and White Comradeship in the Grand Army of the Republic,” will be held at 5 p.m. in room 223 of the UCF Library on the main campus. The presentation will be led by Professor John Sacher, interim chair of the History Department.
Thursday, Nov. 10: Students are invited to join residents of the Hercules Community and create cards for troops at 6 p.m. in the Hercules Programming Center.
Thursday, Nov. 10: The film, The Best Years of Our Lives will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Nicholson School of Communication, room 145.
Veterans Featured on WUCF TV
WUCF’s Metro Center Outlook will air a special episode in honor of Veterans Day. The episode will feature two local veterans, Staff Sgt. William Castillo and Capt. Michael Waldrop, who were both wounded during combat and are now advocates for veterans and servicemen and women. The show will air at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9 on WUCF TV. Visit http://wucftv.org to find out where you can watch WUCF TV.