Veterans Week 2020

“Military Healthcare has had a strong relationship with civilian health care for many years. They say that “necessity is the mother of invention.” Over time, military research and innovations have been adopted into civilian medicine. For the last eight months, our national health system has been dealing with the challenges of COVID-19. Unlike a “normal” mass casualty event, the COVID-19 pandemic poses unique challenges to the health system and to the execution of health care. As a military veteran, I was able to use and apply many lessons learned and leadership concepts from my military background to my experience at Swedish Edmonds Hospital.”

– Pat Ahearne, Colonel (Ret) U.S. Army, 89 grad MSN

This presentation will cover topics such as: Planning, Training, Human Factors, Concept of Mission Command, Logistics, and Personnel. Additional topics will be discussed as time allows.

As COVID-19 continues to challenge our school, our nation, and our world, it is important to consider the strength and support that can come from community members sharing their diverse personal and professional experiences. Join us as University of Michigan School of Nursing military alumni discuss ways in which we can move forward and overcome the pandemic. Representatives from the Navy, Air Force, and Army bring forward a broad range of stories, from clinical nurse specialists currently on the front lines, to tales of tremendous adversity during a deployment in Baghdad. Now more than ever, we are in this together, and few understand this concept of unity better than the members of our Armed Forces.

The War Dogs, Working Dogs, and Therapy Dogs panel will discuss the historic use of dogs in the military. This includes the selection and training of current and future K-9s for military and law enforcement work, and the invaluable service that K-9s provide to veterans and people with visible and invisible disabilities. We will discuss the benefits of therapy dogs to raise awareness of unconditional love and comfort that these animals provide, for however short a time, to individuals in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. Finally, we will discuss the history of the Michigan War Dog Memorial and the services it provides to honor these wonderful dogs in a special location in South Lyon.

Graduate student veterans are a significant and vital population on the University of Michigan campus. This panel will feature graduate student veterans who discuss their experiences both in service and as graduate students. Areas of discussion will include military experience, transition to graduate school, challenges in graduate school, and intersections of identity. Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in discussions with students during this session.

The military can prepare many people for a career in medicine and in healthcare. Michigan Medicine employees more than 400 veterans. Hear from these professionals as they discuss their experiences both in service and as veterans.

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.

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? 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.

Interest remains high in the Vietnam War, fought five decades ago. On this Veteran’s Day, four ‘Nam vets recall what happened to them on the ground, in the air, and in tents that served as medical operating theaters.

• Former Warrant Officer Dale Throneberry flew Huey Helicopters into combat under fire.
• On the ground, former Seabee Larry St. Antoine found himself at Khe Sahn surrounded by a major enemy force that was tunneling towards its perimeter every day.
• Peter Dodge served as an Army medic in Thailand receiving incoming wounded.
• Lawrence Dolph, panel moderator, served on Night Ambush Patrol trying to interdict Viet Cong mortar attacks on a giant base camp in the Mekong Delta before he was named an Army news correspondent for the 9th Infantry Division.

Their remarkable stories of service, sacrifice, and perseverance will change how you look at Vietnam and the people who served there.

New York Times bestselling author Michael Tougias will give a lecture and slide presentation on his book The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue. This book was made into a major motion picture by the Disney Corporation that was released in 2016. The film details the Coast Guard’s response to two oil tankers that were split in half by a ferocious nor’easter off the coast of Cape Cod, MA in 1952. Of the 84 seamen aboard the tankers, 70 would be rescued and 14 would perish. Tougias will also share the leadership lessons from this event that can help all of us in our decision-making and job performance. He will provide time for questions and answers.

A panel with University of Michigan Law School professors and student veterans discussing military service and the law in 2020.

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. Learn how they overcame obstacles, and supported their family members, and about 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 our campus! Come and hear their stories!

Watch Documentary (requires umich account)

“The Weight of Honor” is the first comprehensive documentary to chronicle the lives of families caring for their catastrophically wounded returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the course of five years, the film follows the arc of what happens when some of America’s best and strongest volunteer to protect our nation, but return home physically and emotionally broken and disillusioned. What happens when they return is not only a personal journey but also that of their family caregivers who have no training other than the love for their wounded. Our military does not prepare families for the return of a wounded warrior.

“The Weight of Honor” tells their stories of strength, exhaustion, conflict, and even humor as they chart a course through the unknown. The panel will feature discussion with Stephanie Seldin Howard, director/producer of “The Weight of Honor”, and Linzi Andersen, a featured family member/caregiver in film.

Come with questions about VA Healthcare and VA Benefits! Ann Arbor is lucky to have one of the best VA healthcare systems in the country as our next-door neighbor. In fact, many of the healthcare professionals at the Ann Arbor VA also work for Michigan Medicine. UM-Ann Arbor is one of the only campuses in the country with VA healthcare and VA benefits specialists embedded on our campus through our VITAL and VSOC programs. Jon Cugini and Brittany Tyrrell will discuss their roles on campus, their roles and knowledge about the VA, and answer your questions about this vital resource to our student, staff, faculty, and community members who have served.

Offered in collaboration with University of Michigan-Dearborn – Student Veterans of America. The diversity, equality, and inclusion lecture/discussion will focus on racial equality in the military and the induction of the first all African American Marine unit, the Montford Point Marines. Established in 1942, the unit’s valor and performance at Peleliu, Iwo Jima, the Chosen Reservoir, Vietnam, and more paved the way for our present integrated armed forces. The keynote speaker of the lecture will be retired Sergeant Major Eugene Owens form the Montford Point Marines Detachment of the Marine Corps League. We will discuss racial issues in the military of the past and present.

What does it mean to serve beside people of every race, gender, creed, religion, place of origin? How does military service take people from different backgrounds and create an effective unit? Unknown to many, the United States military is the most diverse employer in the U.S. It has constantly led the way in expanding its meaning of service member and pushed racial, gender, and sexual orientation boundaries decades before the civilian workplace. Hear from our panel about life in the military, what it can teach us about a diverse civilian culture, and how veterans/military increase our own DEI initiatives.

Since WWI and before, women have served vital supportive roles in the U.S. military. Now women are serving alongside their male counterparts in some of the most dangerous work in the military. Often they have to overcome sexist stereotypes, sexual harassment, or worse all while serving their country. Hear their stories of perseverance, grit, and courage when they honorably served in the U.S. military.

Please view the 20/20 episode I am Vanessa pt 1 and I am Vanessa pt 2 Trigger Warning: violence and sexual violence) about sexual misconduct in the military and then join us for a discussion of the military’s response to sexual harassment and assault. The discussion will be led by Linda Legg-Teeple, the Michigan Army National Guard sexual assault response coordinator.

• VETX Pt 1 Video
• VETX Pt 2 Video
• VETX Pt 3 Video

In celebration of Veterans Day this year, the Armed Forces Association at the Ross School of Business is hosting a virtual VetX. VetX is an annual event where student veterans in the MBA program share their personal experiences in the military with their classmates. Previous speakers shared stories about building strong teams, being an authentic leader, diversity in teams, and leading through advocacy. Registration is required to attend.