Students and faculty gathered in Binghamton University’s Chamber Hall in the Anderson Center on Friday afternoon to honor those who have served in the armed forces, raise awareness for veterans and discuss ways to foster healthy relationships between them and the rest of the student body.
BU’s Office of Veteran Services and the Veterans Student Organization (VSO) hosted the 2nd Annual Veterans Day Ceremony. Speakers included various faculty and alumni, as well as newly re-elected New York state Sen. Fred Akshar.
In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the G.I. Bill, which included funding for universities to serve the educational needs of veterans returning home from combat. Many veterans returned to the Binghamton area and needed access to affordable education and in 1946, BU, then Triple Cities College, was constructed to serve this very purpose. Today roughly 170 veterans — both students and faculty — benefit from this tradition of veteran service at BU.
Zachary Salisbury, president of the VSO and a senior majoring in philosophy, said the event was meant to strengthen the connection between students and veterans by using community outreach to increase awareness for the specific set of social obstacles veterans face on campus, such as feelings of isolation and separation.
“The Veteran Student Organization wants to ensure that Binghamton University lives up to its promise of being inclusive and a safe space for everyone and that the students, faculty and staff are made aware of the fact that there are student veterans on campus through exposure and personal interactions,” Salisbury said.
George Catalano, a veteran and professor of biomedical engineering and undergraduate program director of the biomedical engineering department at BU, said he believed the contributions of veterans and their families should be honored on more than one day of the year.
“We celebrate this Veteran’s Day for a few minutes with a few seconds of silence and then this country’s life goes on,” Catalano said. “But I think it is most appropriate that we recall on this occasion — and every other moment when we are faced with great challenges — the contributions and sacrifices which many men, women and their families have made.”
Lt. Col. Peggy Phillips, an alumna from the Decker School of Nursing and a member of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, gave a presentation on veterans’ health and wellness, which outlined a triple-focus approach to well-being that encompasses physical, mental and social factors. She talked about the importance of meeting with representatives in Congress to discuss veterans’ access to health care.
“Part of my life work right now, being at West Point and being a civilian, is looking at the health system,” Phillips said. “Many people actually use the military health system and the hospital at West Point as their primary care. We want to bring the word of the people to the capitol.”
Akshar delivered the keynote address, in which he thanked the veterans in attendance for their service and used his speech to focus on the importance of helping veterans after they return from war.
He referenced one veteran in particular: Joseph Dwyer, who returned home to Mount Sinai, New York after being deployed in Iraq. Akshar said Dwyer became extremely paranoid, drank excessively and was addicted to inhalants. Dwyer received medication and counseling after one of his episodes ended in police intervention, but, at the age of 31, he died as a result of his addiction.
“He, like thousands of his brothers and sisters, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder,” Akshar said. “He fought the inner demons of war long after returning home. It is for him, and others like him, that we must come together and do our part to help them fight the battles at home.”
There is now a program across New York state in his name, the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project, that unites veterans after they return home from war. It focuses on peer support to veterans from other veterans who are suffering from PTSD, and Akshar said he hopes to bring the program to Broome County in the future.
Margaret Collins, a junior majoring in biology, attended the ceremony and said honoring veterans is a defining element of the United States’ identity.
“I think Veterans Day is a huge part of who this country is,” Collins said. “We have to honor the people who fought for us. We can’t just forget about them once their duty is over.”
Akshar ended his speech with a reminder that getting involved with veterans, even in the smallest ways, can be impactful.
“A simple ‘thank you,’ those two simple words, leave an indelible mark on people,” he said.