Veterans Month

Veteran Voices: Alumni Service Past, Present & Future, Part 1 featuring Jim Stoddard

Wednesday, November 1 • 4pm
John C. Hitt Library, Room 402

In honor of Veterans Month, the History Department invites you to join us for Part 1 of a special alumni speaker and conversation series highlighting the experiences of alumni Veteran, Jim Stoddard.

Jim Stoddard joined the Marine Corps in June of 2003. After boot camp on Parris Island, he trained as an intelligence analyst. After two Western Pacific tours, he deployed to Iraq in August of 2007. In 2013, he got out of the Marine Corps and returned to school. He earned his BA and MA in history from UCF in 2016 and 2020. In the fall of 2020, he started his PhD with UCF’s Texts and Technology program. His dissertation focuses on Marine Corps cultural history and memory.

This event will also feature a discussion component between Mr. Stoddard and Dr. Barbara Gannon, Professor in the Department of History and faculty advisor on the UCF Community Veterans History Project and the Veterans Legacy Program.

History of the American Battle Monuments Commission: Inside and Out, with Superintendent of the Lorraine American Cemetery, Jeffrey R. Hays

Wednesday, November 1: 4-5:15pm
Trevor Colbourn Hall, Room 325 (CHDR)

The American Battle Monuments Commission, the preeminent guardian of America’s commemorative military cemeteries and memorials worldwide, honors the achievements of the U.S. armed forces by preserving their legacy of service and by seeking new and innovative ways of reflecting the evolving nature of sacrifice. The ABMC celebrates its 100th Anniversary this year.

To learn more about the ABMC student focused research project at UCF, visit Florida France Soldier Stories.

UCF Student Veterans Flag Week

Monday, November 6 – Friday, November 10
Veterans Commemorative Site on Memory Mall

The Military and Veteran Student Success Center, with the assistance of Army and Air Force ROTC, will plant over 1,400 American Flags in Memory Mall throughout the week of Nov. 6. The flags represent the number of student veterans attending UCF for the Fall 2023 Semester. Students can volunteer to help plant flags in Memory Mall throughout the week.

Click the link below to volunteer to help plan this year’s flags!
VOLUNTEER FOR FLAG WEEK

Veterans Salute: Honoring and Remembering Our Alumni Veterans

Wednesday, November 8: 9-10:30am
Veterans Commemorative Site on Memory Mall

A signature Veterans Month@UCF event, the annual Veterans Salute will take place at the Veterans Commemorative Site on Memory Mall to honor and remember our Veterans.

The 2023 Veterans Salute is hosted the UCF Community Veterans History Project and is in collaboration with UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities, Office of Military and Student Veteran Success, and Air Force, Army, and Space Force ROTC.

Veteran Voices: Alumni Service Past, Present & Future, Part 2 featuring Walter Napier III

Wednesday, November 8: 3-4:15pm
John C. Hitt Library, Room 402

In honor of Veterans Month, the History Department invites you to join us for part 2 of a special alumni speaker and conversation series highlighting the experiences of alumni Veteran, Walter Napier.

Walter Napier is currently employed as the Deputy Command Historian for the US Army’s Combined Arms Center and Ft. Leavenworth. Napier has worked on a number of national and international projects focused on War and Society, Veterans History, US History, The Age of Revolution, World War I, and Ancient History. He has been a Wing Historian for the 514th Air Mobility Wing, researcher, writer and editor for the Veterans Legacy Program working in Florida and France, an Oral Historian for the Veterans History Project focused on Central Florida Veterans, and an Archeological Research Assistant in Turkey. Prior to Napier’s academic pursuits, he served in the US Army as an Infantry team leader. Napier deployed three different times, twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan.

This event will also feature a discussion component between Mr. Napier and Dr. Amelia Lyons, Associate Professor in the Department of History and faculty advisor on the Veterans Legacy Program and Florida France Soldier Stories projects.

Veteran Voices: Alumni Service Past, Present & Future, Part 3 featuring Daniel Lewis

Wednesday, November 15: 4-5:15pm
John C. Hitt Library, Room 402

In honor of Veterans Month, the History Department invites you to join us for part 3 of a special alumni speaker and conversation series highlighting the experiences of alumni Veteran, Daniel Lewis.

Daniel Lewis relocated to Central Florida after 9 years of service in the US Air Force. He received his BA from the University of Maryland University College in 2005 and took executive classes at Harvard University before obtaining his MA from the University of Central Florida’s History program in 2010. Lewis went on to receive his Juris Doctorate degree from Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando, Florida, where he graduated Cum Laude. Lewis has published in the fields of finance, history, and law, and taught American History at the University of Central Florida and Seminole State College.

He is an ardent philanthropist, active legal reformer, and environmental supporter for the Central Florida area. In his current practice in Sanford, Lewis has embraced the community through charity work and continual involvement in local civic organizations, including holding a position on the Board of Directors in the Greater Sanford Chamber of Commerce from 2017-2019, and the City of Sanford Planning and Zoning Commission from 2020-2021. He currently runs a large non-profit organization that holds quarterly charitable events and fundraisers and works to support the local at risk communities and shelters.

This event will also feature a discussion component between Attorney Lewis and Dr. Barbara Gannon, Professor in the Department of History and faculty advisor on the UCF Community Veterans History Project and the Veterans Legacy Program.

Movie Knight

Friday, November 17 • 6pm
Green Space next to Trevor Colbourn Hall

The UCF Community Veterans History Project is hosting a Movie Knight for all UCF student and local Veterans. All UCF students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend.

Join us for a night of fun, popcorn, and snacks, as we take over the green near Trevor Colbourn Hall to watch the film Stripes.

Veteran Voices: Alumni Service Past, Present & Future, Part 4 featuring Daniela Aguirre

Thursday, November 30 • 4-5:15pm
John C. Hitt Library, Room 402

In honor of Veterans Month, the History Department invites you to join us for part 4 of a special alumni speaker and conversation series highlighting the experiences of alumni Veteran, Daniela Aguirre.

This event will also feature a discussion component between Ms. Aguirre and Dr. Amelia Lyons, Associate Professor in the Department of History and faculty advisor on the Veterans Legacy Program and Florida France Soldier Stories projects.

Remembering Florida’s Lost Boys: Stories of Our World War II Fallen

Saturday, December 9 • 6pm
UCF Black Box Theatre

In 2023, UCF Veterans Legacy Program partnered with K-12 teachers to write the biographies of Floridians who served and died in World War II. All rest in St. Augustine National Cemetery. Come to hear the histories and stories of our boys.