BigRead: Veteran Panel Discussion Video

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BwkpP9RW-I?rel=0]

 

I had the pleasure of attending the Big Read Veteran Panel Discussion this past Tuesday at City Hall in Lansing, Kansas, a signature event for the Lansing Community Library‘s “The Things They Carried” Big Read.   The above video is the entire panel discussion (close to ninety minutes long).

The panel was moderated by Dr. Kim Stanley, of McPherson College.  The panelists included:

LTC (Ret) Sharon Scott

• Served in the US Army from 1973-1993. Retired as a lieutenant colonel.
• Was in the first group of WAC to integrate into other army branches. She changed her branch to the Signal Corps. First group of seven women to attend the Signal Officer Basic Course.
• First woman to command a company of signal soldiers, both men and women, in a signal battalion and brigade in Korea. This was during the Vietnam Era.
• Served as an exchange officer to the British Army. Taught women cadets her first year and served as a communications planner her second year.
• Worked for many senior male officers who had never served with women. Quite a challenge.
• Served as a battalion executive officer (deputy commander) and as a battalion commander. Again, there weren’t too many women holding these positions at the time (early ’80s).
• Served as a multi service communications planning officer on a major military staff. Involved in real world planning.
• Served as one of three women officers who were first to teach a captain’s staff officer course here at Fort Leavenworth.
• Earned an MA degree at the University of Kansas in Curriculum and Instruction and did most of a PhD in C&I.
• After retirement from active duty, worked as a government contractor as a communications planner on various government contracts.
• Served as curriculum developer for a new joint (all services) course taught at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC).
• Served as head curriculum developer in the major rewrite of the CGSC’s curriculum.
• Served as an assistant professor in the department of joint, interagency, and military operations at CGSC. Taught a varied curriculum to all US military officers, interagency students, and international officers.

BG (Ret) Stan Cherrie

Stanley F. Cherrie went from two-sport star at Rutgers to officer in the U.S. Army. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology while competing as the starting catcher in baseball and offensive guard and linebacker on the football team. A whirlwind military career saw him rise from second lieutenant to brigadier general. Cherrie had two assignments in Vietnam during the war years, as well as tours in Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. He also earned a long list of awards and decorations: Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Distinguished Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit. “He is respected throughout the Army as a great tactician and operational thinker—during Operation Desert Storm, he was the architect of the largest armored offensive since World War II, which ultimately was the decisive fight of the campaign,” says Army General David D. McKiernan. Cherrie retired from the U.S. Army in April 1998 after nearly 34 years of service to his country. He is currently vice president of business synchronization for Cubic Applications, Inc. in Leavenworth, Kansas. Cherrie’s portrait hangs in the Rutgers ROTC Hall of Fame.

Terry Buckler

Terry Buckler is the youngest member of a joint group of volunteers from the Army Green Berets and Air Force Special Operations. The Son Tay Raid is one the seventh most daring raids in military history. Terry grew up on a farm in Clark, Missouri. This is the same town where WWII General Omar Bradley was born. Life on the farm taught him to work hard and that dedication to God, family and country are what makes this country great. On March 18th, 1969 he was drafted into the US Army; three days later he extended his service to be a member of the US Army Green Berets. He is the current president of Chapter 29 Colonel Author D. “Bull” Simons Memorial Chapter Special Forces (The Green Berets).

He has been happily married for 30 years. Terry and his wife Marsha have two children a son, Aaron and daughter-in-law Gayle with six year old grand-daughter Annie. His daughter and son-in-law both served in Afghanistan. Hana and Nick are a 1LTs in the US Army. Hana is a platoon leader with the 101st Chemical Company 2nd Battalion and Nick is with 83rd Civil Affairs battalion at Fort Bragg, NC. After his enlistment, he attended Columbia College, Missouri with a BA in Business. He is founder and President of Delta Systems, a Kansas City based software Development Company. He enjoys playing soccer and riding motorcycles. He gives God the glory for the many blessing’s he has received. His awards include; Silver Star, Combat Infantry Badge, Vietnam Service Medal, Parachute Badge, and Good Conduct Medal.

From the Program Guide compiled
by Terri Wojtalewicz, Youth Services Librarian

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I tried to Tweet all the questions asked by the moderator during the discussion, but I didn’t catch the first one.  The following is a list of the Tweets from Tuesday night:

Q2 (12/9/2014 6:46 pm): Typical day in your tour abroad?

Q3 (12/9/2014 6:54 pm): Why the bravery, the courage in these situations?

Q4 (12/9/2014 7:02 pm): What did you carry with you during your tour of duty?

Q5 (12/9/2014 7:09 pm): What was it like coming home? Adjustment from foreign service?

Q6 (12/9/2014 7:18 pm): How do you feel about the draft?

Q7 (12/9/2014 7:24 pm): Was there anything you brought back with you? Memento? Feeling?

Last question (12/9/2014 7:45 pm): What advice would you give a young person who wants to join the service?

For the answers to these questions and to hear the Q&A with the audience, I encourage you to watch the video above.

The next event scheduled for the Big Read is another book discussion on Wednesday, January 14, 2015, facilitated by Sister Rosemary Kolich, English Professor at St. Mary University.