{"id":4381,"date":"2022-11-10T12:01:25","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T16:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcmoa.org\/?p=4381"},"modified":"2022-11-10T12:03:03","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T16:03:03","slug":"former-yaa-award-winner-spotlighted-at-uconn-on-vets-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/former-yaa-award-winner-spotlighted-at-uconn-on-vets-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Former YAA Award Nominee Spotlighted at UCONN on Vet&#8217;s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #993300; font-size: 16pt;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Former <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='Young American Awards'>YAA<\/abbr> Award Nominee Spotlighted at UCONN <\/strong><\/span><\/span>Veterans Day Provides Opportunity to Recognize UConn\u2019s Military Community<\/h1>\n<div class=\"contain\">\n<div class=\"post-excerpt-contain\">\n<p class=\"post-excerpt thin\">Educating, training, and celebrating the 800 military-affiliated students at UConn<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"blue-separator\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"wp-caption\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"attachment-medium-view size-medium-view wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-997x665.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width:786px) 100vw, 800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-997x665.jpg 997w, https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/e9i3r2v2.stackpathcdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/veterans-220930a725-150x100.jpg 150w\" alt=\"UConn students John Durham and Mariel Beebe salute the Ultimate Sacrifice Memorial on the Storrs campus.\" width=\"997\" height=\"665\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<p class=\"italic\">John Durham \u201924 CLAS, Sergeant in the Army, and Mariel Beebe, \u201924 (NUR) Staff Sergeant in the Air Force saluting The Ultimate Sacrifice Memorial on President\u2019s Field in honor of Veteran\u2019s Day. Sept. 30, 2022. (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div class=\"social-share-area\"><button class=\"social-action copy-link\" title=\"Copy link to article\" data-link=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2022\/11\/recognizing-thanking-and-training-uconns-military-community\/\"><span class=\"copy-link-text\">Copy Link<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<p>When UConn\u2019s military community comes together Friday morning for Veterans Day, they won\u2019t be outwardly marking a \u201cfirst\u201d of any kind.<\/p>\n<p>In much the same way that tradition and history is ingrained in the culture of the U.S. armed forces, the annual ceremony persisted during the pandemic, albeit with fewer people and a livestream, and every year generally stays true to the same format of speakers who convey words of reverence and honor.<\/p>\n<p>But to say nothing new is happening in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/veterans.uconn.edu\/\">Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs<\/a>\u00a0would be wrong.<\/p>\n<p>The department was one of only 10 in the country to receive new federal funding this year to establish a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.navub.org\/\">Veterans Upward Bound<\/a>\u00a0program meant to identify low-income, at-risk, or first-generation potential college students who are veterans and ready them for post-secondary education.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a first for Veterans Affairs, which was created in 2013 and touches around 800 military-affiliated UConn students \u2013 not just the department\u2019s first grant but Connecticut\u2019s first Veterans Upward Bound program. The nearest two are in Boston and Rochester, New York.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur military community is a small community in a small state,\u201d Veterans Affairs Director Alyssa Kelleher \u201904 (CLAS), \u201917 MS says. \u201cAnd at UConn, our students are an even smaller community. Twenty-eight percent of our students have children, and even more than that have a partner, a home, a job, or other responsibilities that come with being an older student, because we skew slightly older than the average student on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many UConn veterans serve in the National Guard or Reserves, and many have spent time on active duty, she adds, giving them both the burden and benefit of bringing a different life perspective to campus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of our students are making a big transition. They\u2019re coming out of a world they\u2019ve known for four or six years, maybe even longer, and into something completely new where there is a different culture and environment. For them, the focus is on getting an education,\u201d Kelleher says. \u201cMost of them are not here for a social experience; that\u2019s something we try pull out of them. College is a means to a new end in their life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kelleher says that while UConn military students span the spectrum of majors \u2013 yes, including puppet arts \u2013 the schools of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.business.uconn.edu\/\">Business<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.engr.uconn.edu\/\">Engineering<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/law.uconn.edu\/\">Law<\/a>\u00a0tend to have the highest concentrations, because, generally speaking, \u201cthey\u2019re often looking for a degree that clearly translates to a job or clearly translates to an occupational goal because they\u2019re used to a goal-oriented culture and mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Part of getting to that end inevitably means securing funds to support the journey \u2013 just one driver that prompted Kelleher to enlist in the National Guard while a college freshman, join UConn\u2019s ROTC program, and commission into the Army. Her tuition was paid.<\/p>\n<p>Helping UConn military students navigate the tangle of scholarship opportunities,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.benefits.va.gov\/gibill\/\">GI Bill<\/a>\u00a0benefits, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/veterans.uconn.edu\/benefits\/waiver\/#:~:text=Waivers%20cover%20only%20the%20cost,at%20the%20University%20of%20Connecticut.\">National Guard tuition waivers<\/a>\u00a0is the primary mission of Veterans Affairs. Kelleher says the second is managing the students\u2019 personal needs, whether figuring out how to pause classes because of a deployment, return to full-time status upon return, or come together as a community for something like a Veterans Day ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo me, the most gratifying part of my job is working with the individual students,\u201d she says. \u201cWith 800, it\u2019s a small enough population that you can help individual people if they have issues \u2013 whether it\u2019s financial, or adjustment, or just finding them a place to go in between classes. I really appreciate how UConn is part of their journey and how we\u2019re helping to provide for them and realize their goals. Just helping people to see it\u2019s possible to get your education here is gratifying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">A college experience and military training<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">By 9:30 a.m. on a recent Thursday, Katharine Riffice \u201923 (CLAS) has been up for six hours already and has finished an 8-mile ruck around campus with the other members of UConn\u2019s Army ROTC detachment.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cIt\u2019s different than a run,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s different from a walk.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Carrying 35 pounds of equipment on her back, including a helmet and tactical gear, she traversed campus on an 8-mile loop that brought her up and down Horsebarn Hill several times and on nearby streets and sidewalks at a 15-minute mile pace or better \u2013 all while her classmates slept in the wee hours before dawn.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">She and her fellow cadets are readying for a 12-mile ruck in mid-November, a feat she\u2019s completed five times since joining UConn\u2019s ROTC program in her freshman year. Today, the psychological sciences major who hopes to join the CIA or FBI one day, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>serves as commander of the detachment this semester.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">And as if the regular rucks around campus weren\u2019t demanding enough, the detachment has applied to the Norwegian embassy to host a Norwegian Foot March, roughly the equivalent of an 18.6-mile ruck, she smiles.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cROTC is a really good way to join the military,\u201d she says. \u201cYou still get the college experience, however, you also get the military training you\u2019re looking for, and the benefits it provides. If you want, you can go active duty after graduation. If you want to go into the National Guard or Reserves you can do that instead.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_143623\" class=\"wp-caption alignright img-responsive\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-143623 img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/history-series-Armistice-Day18-no-text_cropped-300x200.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/history-series-Armistice-Day18-no-text_cropped-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/history-series-Armistice-Day18-no-text_cropped-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/history-series-Armistice-Day18-no-text_cropped-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/history-series-Armistice-Day18-no-text_cropped-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/history-series-Armistice-Day18-no-text_cropped-150x100.jpg 150w\" alt=\"100 years ago on Nov. 11, UConn celebrated the armistice that brought World War I to a close. (University Library Archives &amp; Special Collections)\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">103 years ago on Nov. 11, UConn celebrated the armistice that brought World War I to a close, the first observance of what would become Veterans Day. Faculty, staff, and students of Connecticut Agricultural College then posed near Old Main for this photograph taken by faculty member Jerauld Manter, the unofficial college photographer. (University Library Archives &amp; Special Collections)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Over the course of four years, ROTC provides students with the equivalent of basic training and Officer Candidate School, in addition to their undergraduate degree. With college diploma in hand, they commission as second lieutenants into the military.<\/p>\n<p>Lt. Col. Seth Allen oversees\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/armyrotc.uconn.edu\/\">UConn Army ROTC<\/a>, which includes students from 10 other universities, including Central and Eastern Connecticut State universities. Roughly half of the total 150 students come from Storrs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we offer is unlike the other programs at the University, because while you\u2019re going to learn a very unique skillset through the University, we\u2019re going to teach you how to be a leader,\u201d Allen says. \u201cYou\u2019re going to become a lot more mature and confident in what you\u2019re capable of doing. You\u2019re going to be a more well-rounded individual who\u2019s ready to tackle the future differently than a lot of your peers.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>What we offer is unlike the other programs at the University, because while you\u2019re going to learn a very unique skillset through the University, we\u2019re going to teach you how to be a leader.\u00a0<small>\u2014 Lt. Col. Seth Allen, UConn Army ROTC<\/small><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He says he\u2019s particularly taken with the cadets in his care and their desire to serve not just their country but their communities, as many either will go into the Army National Guard or already have joined.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re going to be your neighbors, but on weekends they\u2019re going to be flying aircraft or doing something equally as amazing. On weekdays, they\u2019re going to be working at Amazon or the local fire department,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s the unique thing with the University of Connecticut crew, they go back into the community and just continue to serve out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Bartolotta, Army ROTC program coordinator, says he had aeronautical school on the mind when he was 18 years old, but didn\u2019t pursue a military career until years later when he hit a personal crossroads and finally acted on his desire to join the Air Force.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was one of the greatest experiences of my life,\u201d he says. \u201cI came out of the Air Force four years later with a college degree and no college debt. It was a great thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to Army ROTC, UConn also boasts an Air Force ROTC detachment, which includes students from five universities, most of whom, 44 of 50, come from UConn. Lt. Col. Ryan White says this unit is special.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/airforce.uconn.edu\/\">UConn Air Force ROTC<\/a>\u00a0has been around since the creation of the Air Force,\u201d he says. \u201cWe started out as an Army Air Corps ROTC unit back when the Air Force was part of the Army. Then, with the birth of the Air Force in 1947, that was the beginning of the Air Force ROTC. There are 145 other detachments out there, but not all of them trace back this far. There\u2019s heritage and history here at UConn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>White previously was commander at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California, working with SpaceX and Blue Origin, but describes his work at UConn as a \u201cpinnacle assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe mission is completely different, but at the same time this, too, is an incredibly important assignment for me,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to guide and mentor future officers to do what I\u2019ve been doing for the last 20-plus years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He echoes Allen when saying ROTC teaches leadership, as opposed to technical prowess.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last thing I want is for anybody to think ROTC is just for engineers,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat we\u2019re looking for is not engineers to do engineering work. We are looking for cadets to be leaders in the Air Force and you are going to find those leadership skills are not inherent to one degree, or one school, or one department.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bethany Grabowski, program coordinator for Air Force ROTC, is a former military spouse with family in the Coast Guard, Army, and Marines, and notes the range of professional opportunities in the military.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_103657\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft img-responsive\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-103657 img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/veterans131105a063-300x200.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/veterans131105a063-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/veterans131105a063-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/veterans131105a063.jpg 630w\" alt=\"A framed thank you to veterans at the Oasis in the Student Union on Nov. 5, 2013. (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A framed thank you to veterans at the Oasis in the Student Union. (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people don\u2019t realize that any job that exists in the civilian world, exists in the military world,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can certainly join and become a pilot. You can join and become a doctor, a nurse, an acquisitions officer, or work in procurement. There are a lot of different paths and different options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Supporting and Defending the Constitution<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The fact that Riffice is a female in what is a male-dominated profession isn\u2019t lost on her. It\u2019s the reason she pays respect on Veterans Day to those who paved the way.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cThe military has changed so much. Acknowledging its past and its transformation is really important,\u201d she says. \u201cWomen used to not be allowed in, and now women are able to do combat arms. Women are going to Ranger School. For me, as a female in the military, that\u2019s important. You need to acknowledge where you were in the past to see how far you\u2019ve come in the present day. That\u2019s what Veterans Day does, that\u2019s what you\u2019re celebrating, these people who have made it possible.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With a family military history that dates to the Civil War, Allen says this Veterans Day he wants his cadets to understand the work they\u2019re doing now is preparing them for one job \u2013 bringing home the soldiers who eventually will look to them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just thinking about themselves but thinking about the families that are behind those soldiers. They need to be a good battle buddy and make sure everyone is taken care of, there\u2019s not a more important job than that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Along with acknowledgment and staying mission focused, White says Veterans Day should be about giving thanks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you start thinking about veterans across the nation, there\u2019s a broad segment of the population who has stepped forward, raised their right hand, taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and perform the mission they are tasked with,\u201d he says. \u201cVeterans Day is a day for us to be thankful for their service, thankful for them volunteering, and thankful for the work they have done for the United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='Young American Awards'>YAA<\/abbr> Award Nominee Spotlighted at UCONN Veterans Day Provides Opportunity to Recognize UConn\u2019s Military Community Educating, training, and celebrating the 800 military-affiliated students at UConn John Durham \u201924 CLAS, Sergeant in the Army, and Mariel Beebe, \u201924 (NUR) Staff Sergeant in the Air Force saluting The Ultimate Sacrifice Memorial on President\u2019s Field in honor&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4381"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4381"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4384,"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4381\/revisions\/4384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wcmoa.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}