UVU celebration honors those who’ve served
Kimberly Bojorquez | Senior Staff Writer
Photo credit: Collin Cooper | Photo Senior Staff | @coop.97
After Marjorie Campbell’s boyfriend died when his B-24, a heavy bomber aircraft, crashed, it prompted Campbell to volunteer and join the United States Navy in 1944 to finish his commitment to the military.
The Veteran’s Day Celebration, sponsored by the Veteran Success Center, honored past, current and future veterans who shared their war experiences Nov. 11.
Keynote speakers included: Campbell a WWII Veteran, Captain Shon T. Conover and Cadet Nathan Dunn.
“I’m honored to be the only woman to be able to speak today,” Campbell said, “It’s an honor to me to be here today and represent them.”
Conover joined the army in 2008 and has been deployed in Afghanistan and Kuwait. Conover shared how his father and grandfather had also served in the military. Conover discussed the struggle of transitioning from a civilian life to a military life where he compared Army jargon to learning a new language.
According to Conover, despite the diverse backgrounds of soldiers, they surpass pride, prejudice and hate.
A panel of six Vietnam veterans shared their stories and experiences about coming back to the U.S. after the war.
Glen Smith, panelist and Vietnam veteran, joined the United States Airforce when he was 18. He had martial arts skills and was able to hit a target from 1,000 yards, which lead to him being drafted by the CIA black-ops in Laos and Cambodia.
“We did the things no one wants to talk about,” Smith said.
According to Smith, he was sprayed with a defoliant called Agent Orange, by the U.S. military. The herbicide has been known to cause health and ecological effects. According to Smith, his war companions have died from cancers that were caused by Agent Orange. Smith is a three-time cancer survivor and is currently fighting prostate cancer.
It took Smith 40 years to write about his experiences during the Vietnam War and he encourages veterans to talk about their time during war.
Families of veterans and UVU students were at the event to learn and ask Veterans questions.
“My grandpa is a veteran, I thought it’d be cool to come and actually get to hear stories. I want to go beyond the book learning and into actual experiences and hear from people first hand,” Maisie Sanchez, history major, said.
“It’s important to learn history. It feels kind of awkward when people thank you for your service. Its weird growing up being that little kid who wrote letters to veterans and when you get them it’s super weird.” Adrian Goulart, UVU student and active Marine, said.
The new UVU Veteran Success Center is open and operating, the official ribbon cutting will be on January 21. It will be a place for veterans to gather and offer resources to help them earn a degree at UVU.
