Veterans Week 2024

Flagpole, Central Campus Diag

Join us for the ceremonial raising of the flag. This tradition is done each day at every military base and station across the U.S. and around the world. Come and join us as we respect those who continue to serve their country and those who have served by participating in this important tradition.

Rogel Ballroom, Michigan Union
RSVP Required by Invite Sent to Your Email

All faculty, staff, and students who are currently serving in the U.S. military or who have served are invited to our annual lunch to honor your service and sacrifice to our nation and service to our university. For questions about the invite, please email Philip Larson, program director of Veteran and Military Services, at [email protected].

This webinar is presented in partnership with the Michigan Medicine Department of Psychiatry and features expert mental health clinicians and a veteran who will share his story.

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Rackham West Conference Room 
RSVP To Attend in Person

In recognition and celebration of Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2024, Rackham is hosting Veterans Outside the Margins: A Historic Look at Notable Veterans From Marginalized Communities. In this lecture, we will discuss how throughout U.S. history, the military has been an important part of equity and inclusivity. This lecture will share the historical contributions of veterans from marginalized communities before or after serving in the U.S. military.

This presentation will look at veteran and military personnel from the lens of identity, intersectionality, and DEI. It will explore how service members have experienced DEI in their military background and how that has impacted their world and self-view.

Job-hunting in the civilian sector can be stressful for anyone, let alone for veterans. This webinar will talk about how veterans can use their existing knowledge and skills in the hunt to find a civilian career. Whether you are fresh out of the military or several years out, these tips are designed to help any veteran who is looking for a leg up in the job search.

Our guest speaker for this discussion is Mike Poyma, an Army veteran, employment specialist with the VA Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) program, and founder of InvestVets, a Michigan-based organization connecting employers to vets. He will be sharing his experiences and tips when it comes to translating veteran skills to the civilian world. From networking to resume tips, he is thrilled to help connect the next generation of veterans with civilian jobs.

Naval warfare was confined for centuries to surface combat and undersea clashes. In the 20th century, aerial warfare became the third domain, and shortly thereafter, the electromagnetic spectrum also appeared. When navies began to make use of the airwaves, they soon discovered those waves could also be exploited as a source of information about the opposing force, beginning the discipline of electronic intelligence (ELINT). Furthermore, navies learned the value of interrupting or corrupting the enemy’s communication signals that were transmitted in the “ether," leading to the method of fighting termed electronic warfare (EW).

In this book, Wildenberg cuts through the secrecy about this understandably mysterious domain of combat. He offers details on aircrafts and methods and provides a layman’s set of definitions of terms. Wildenberg shares lessons learned from World War II skirmishes as well as clashes in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, while providing the audience with a foundational understanding of this complex form of combat in all its forms.

This book discloses rarely covered concepts and methods that will shape future conflict among great powers.

About the Author:

Thomas Wildenberg is an independent historian and scholar with special interests in aviators, naval aviation, and technological innovation in the military. He has written extensively about the U.S. Navy during the interwar period. His articles have appeared in several scholarly journals, including the Journal of Military History, American Neptune, Air Power History, and U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings. He is the author of several books on naval history covering such varied topics as replenishment at sea, the development of dive bombing, and the history of the torpedo in the U.S. Navy. His interest in the personalities of innovators has led to books on Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves, Billy Mitchel, Charles Stark Draper, and Howard Hughes. His latest work, “The Origins of Aegis,” has just been released by the Naval Institute Press.

Mr. Wildenberg served as a Ramsey Fellow at the National Air and Space Museum from 1999-2000. He is a recipient of the Arthur W. Radford Award for Excellence in Naval Aviation History (2012), the Surface Navy Association Literary Award (2005), and two John Laymen Awards from the North American Society for Oceanic History for best naval history (2013) and best biography (2003). He received the Air Force Historical Foundation's award for the best article in the 2009 volume of Air Power History, was awarded an honorable mention in the Ernest J. Eller Prize in Naval History (1994), and received the Edward S. Miller Naval War College Research Fellowship (1998).

Have you ever wondered about students walking around campus or attending class in uniform? Did you know they are future officers in the U.S. military? The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor hosts the Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC units and has been an ROTC school for well over 100 years! These students have classes and obligations on top of the typical responsibilities of being a college student. Join our panel to learn from Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force ROTC students at U-M!

Since 1778, when Lieutenant Frederick Gotthold Enslin became the first service member dismissed from the military for homosexuality, persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender have faced discrimination in the military. Since the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," LGBTQ+ service members have been allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military, and federal benefits have been extended to cover their dependents. We will discuss how panelists’ LGBTQ+ identity intersects with their military/veteran identity and how that affected their service.

Throughout our country's history, women have served vital support roles in the U.S. military. Today, the Department of Defense reports that over 230,000 women make up its active duty force, and all jobs have opened to them in recent years. They have also at times had to overcome sexist stereotypes, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, all while serving their country. Come and hear their stories of perseverance, grit, and courage when they honorably served in the U.S. military.

What do students who have served in the military think about their experiences at U-M? What made them join the military? What did they do while they were in the military? How can we best support them in their academic journey, given their unique backgrounds? These are just some of the questions you will hear answered by a group of students who have served in the U.S. military and are now studying at the University of Michigan!

While there is general support for those serving in the military and military veterans, their 2.8 million family members are often overlooked.

More than 600 students studying at UM-Ann Arbor have parents or spouses who are serving or have served in the U.S. military. Hear how they overcame obstacles, supported their family members, and learned from their experiences of frequent moves, living on military bases, and traveling across the U.S. and the globe.

They are a resilient and determined part of our military-connected student family and they bring a lot to campus. Come and hear their stories!

This is a chance to hear Vietnam veterans talk about their experiences during that controversial war and how they were treated when they returned home. Their remarkable stories of service, sacrifice, and perseverance will change how you look at the Vietnam War and the men and women who served there.

The time period from the moment on Sept. 11, 2001, when the U.S. was attacked to the present day has been defined as a global war on terror. Unlike previous wars and conflicts, and much like the Cold War of the last century, this war’s boundaries, objectives, end, and even enemies have been elusive to pin down. It has resulted in two wars, many smaller conflicts, and many lives lost. In this panel, we hear from the men and women who have served during this era.