Veterans, patriots recognized at UAFS event

story and photo submitted by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith

"Operation Preserving History," a Veterans Day observance held Nov. 11 at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, provided a glimpse into the lives of a few veterans and presented challenges to those who listened to what they had to say.

Organizing the event were four students: Gage Rice of Diamond City, Sarah Reeves of Subiaco, Breanna Harris of Searcy and Kent Elmore of Huntington.

Speakers included Maj. Michael S. Stransky of the Arkansas Army National Guard, facility manager at Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center, and military retirees Lt. Col. Jim Scott of Van Buren, Lt. Col. Mark Horn of Fort Smith and Maj. Bill Vines of Fort Smith.

Stransky defined veterans in several ways, first speaking to his own 22 years of service and to the service of others who have served their country.

"The veteran nomenclature goes to a larger group," he said, recalling the time when he and his family moved to Alma in 2001.

"When I got mobilized, the company stood up to take care of my family, to allow me to do my job," said Stransky. "The community in Alma stood up to take care of my kids. For my wife, whether it was through church, work or in the community, they rose up to fill a gap. Had that not happened, my deployment would have been far worse. … The more I think what a veteran is, I start to think more about the community, people like you who allow us to do what we need to do."

Scott, who is an adjunct faculty member in the College of Business at UAFS, spoke of differences veterans face, depending on when they served. Scott specifically noted the unpopular reception given to those returning from the Vietnam War.

"They were proud of the fact that they served their country, but they were somewhat disappointed in their reception when they returned," he said.

Scott, who retired 10 days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, said that was an extremely emotional experience for him, making him believe it was not the time that he should have retired.

He defined a patriot as someone who loves his country and is willing to do what it takes for that country, adding that a patriot does not have to exclusively be a veteran or a war veteran.

"There are many things you can do to serve this nation," Scott said. " … trying to help someone less fortunate … That’s the mark of a patriot that is willing to help this nation remain the strongest nation in the world."

Horn, who retired after 22 years of military service and is vice chancellor for finance and administration at UAFS, also spoke of the history of various wars and the meaning of Veterans Day.

"I’m proud of my service, but you need to know, I never fired a shot, never dropped a bomb, launched a missile," he said, adding that he is a veteran because he served honorably, including a year in Vietnam. "That service has no bearing on my veteran’s status. I’d still be a veteran even if I never served in a war zone."

Horn said he believed veterans have important messages that people need to near, but he’s not sure people want to hear them.

"Combat in war zones is ugly," he said.

Horn added that he and his wife just a few months back removed from their window a banner that includes a blue star, explaining the significance to those in the audience who might not be familiar with the placement of them in windows.

"The blue star is emblematic of a family who had a son or a daughter in a war zone," he said. "At that particular time, my son and my nephew were both in Afghanistan."

He explained that a banner with a gold star indicated that someone in the family had died in the war.

"This is a dying tradition," he said, "I’m going to fly it for a moment just as a reminder."

He then placed it in view of the audience as he continued speaking.

The students organizing the Veterans Day observance are from a leadership class at UAFS, a class which is divided into groups to complete service projects. The Veterans Day event was one such project which evolved from the leadership class.