by Marty Coffin Evans
From the Color Guard opening on Friday, November 7, to the closing event Friday, November 21, by Reveille 3, “Veterans Speak” honors those who served in all wars past and present. Program offerings range from the Veterans Gallery Exhibit to a celebration of their stories, lecture presentations, panel discussions, musical performances, and topical films.
Sponsored by The Dairy Center for the Arts, in conjunction with the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum, the Office of Veterans Services at CU-Boulder, along with other community groups, this two week program provides daily opportunities to honor veterans while delving into current issues facing them such as health and housing.
Janine Davidson, the scheduled keynote lecture speaker on Sunday, November 9 at 2 p.m., is a senior fellow on the Council for Foreign Defense Policy and Council on Foreign Relations. Her career began with the U.S. Air Force where she was the senior C-130 and C-17 aircraft pilot.
Other speakers include Dick Jessor telling about his experiences at Iwo Jima, artist Frederic Arnold, one of the few Jews to escape a German POW camp, and Colonel Scott Walsh who will talk on November 10, the Marines birthday.
Program coordinator, Stephanie Rudy, had the inspiration for creating “Veterans Speak” after being invited to attend Army War College for a week in Carlisle, PA.
Returning to Boulder, she began talking with several veterans soon finding herself referred to others to learn more about their stories and issues. “I heard some amazing stories. Sometimes I just listened with tears rolling down my face,” she comments. The goals for this event are to give veterans a comfortable venue in which to tell their stories and to give the public an opportunity to experience the stories of those who served.
Rudy explains the program’s film series, “War films have been made to lift morale, to help the public understand what fighting men and women experience, and to provide information.” After the different films selected for viewing during “Veterans Speak,” talk back discussions with veterans will occur.
Women in military will also be recognized throughout the program through exhibits from the Women Marines Association. A showing of the film “We Served Too” with film director Jill Bond is scheduled for November 16. “Women Warriors” is planned for Wednesday, November 19.
The majority of the programs are at no cost with the exception of several theater and musical performances. A complete listing of activities, dates and times is available at www.thedairy.org or by contacting The Dairy Center for the Arts at 303-440-7826.