This Week in History: Part Two

In honor of Veterans Day, we look back at the Encounter to see how the student newspaper staff paid respect to U.S. veterans. But first, a bit of background information!

The origins of Veterans Day go back to World War I. According to the U.S. Office of Public Affairs, “World War I…officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919...However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice…or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day.

Professor Michael LaRocco, 1978
Taken from Sharing Our Past digital collection
Since 1919, there have been changes to the holiday, but the basic sentiment is the same: honoring all Veterans who were honorably discharged.

Over the years, Encounter staffers highlighted faculty members who served in all branches of the Armed Forces. In the November 1, 1978 issue, “Old Soldiers Reminisce about Military Past” recorded Michael LaRocco, Lyle Hicks, Tom Boeke, and Jerald Saimon’s experiences from World War II and the Vietnam War. Michael LaRocco served as a Sergeant E-5 in the Marines during the Vietnam War. He states, “The most valuable things he got from his military experience were a great sense of self-discipline and ‘a great way to get your head together.’”

Recently retired Therapeutic Recreation professor Lyle Hicks is also cited in this article. Having served in Vietnam, Hicks was a Captain in Military Intelligence for five years. “The Army helped him greatly in decision making and in managing men. He also recommended the Army for students undecided about their goals in life.”

In a more recent issue, guest writer Bruce Foote – a veteran and Executive Director of Financial Aid Services at the University of St. Francis – gave his opinion on the reason people choose the Armed Forces. From “VeteransDay 11/11/11,” Foote acknowledges a kind of “calling” for most men and women who enlist. He writes:

Bruce Foote, 2012
Taken from Joan Ramuta Golf Outing
digital collection
In the days after Pearl Harbor, hundreds of thousands of Americans rushed to enlist in the Armed Forces.  Throughout U.S. history there have always been those who answer the call.  And anyone who answers that call, in time of war or peace, knows in the back of their mind that they could ultimately pay a very great price.  They disregard that though, because as you know, military service is for now, voluntary.

At the time of writing this, there were forty veteran students throughout the Joliet and Albuquerque campuses. Foote is a leading advocate on campus to keep USF a certified Military Friendly School.



This Veterans Day, keep this quote from G.K. Chesterton in mind when you thank a veteran: “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”


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