Honoring all who served
The University of Oregon has a long history of students and alumni who answer the call to military service. This Veterans Day, we highlight those who have dedicated their lives to service.
This fall, the UOAA launched the UO Veteran Alumni Network (UOVAN), an affinity group that serves to foster a strengthened sense of community amongst veteran and disabled veteran alumni and the university.
All alumni who have served in the military are encouraged to get involved with UOVAN. The first step: updating military service information with the UO Alumni Association.
As the group grows in size, both in-person and virtual events are planned for alumni to interact and find common bonds and support.
Joelle Rankins Goodwin, a member of the Lane County Alumni Chapter and former UOAA Board Member says that this network will engage veterans on a whole new level.
“I love the new Veteran Alumni Network, it will help us connect with other veterans,” Goodwin says, who also served the UO’s Department of Military Science (ROTC) as the assistant professor of military science and executive officer. “We may find people that we were stationed with from somewhere else in the world.”
The UOVAN is fostering a strengthened sense of community amongst veteran and disabled veteran UO alumni and the University of Oregon.
We have created an online community where you can meet up with old friends, build new relationships, and network among fellow veteran alumni and professionals.
"When the Alumni Association was approached by a group of veterans who wanted to formalize an alumni group, we knew that this was something that we needed to make happen. A few months later, the UOAA Board of Directors chartered the UO Veteran Alumni Network, and our volunteer leaders have since been off and running. We want UO veterans and their families to know that when they graduate, they have a great way to remain connected with each other and to their alma mater."
- Raphe Beck, Executive Director, UO Alumni Association
UOVAN Voices
Over the decades, students and alumni have answered the call to join the military. Their reasons are varied: to serve and protect our country, to learn a new skill or trade, to find purpose, to travel, to pay for college, or to fulfill a family legacy, among others. Hear from three alumni on how the military shaped their perspectives on life – and even their current careers.
Then and Now: A look at military service at the UO
In January 1916, then University of Oregon (UO) president Prince Lucien Campbell established an ROTC curriculum led by LTC John Leader, a retired British officer. Over 100 students participated in the first drill in March 1916, led by officers from the Oregon National Guard. By the fall term 1916, ROTC became compulsory for all male freshmen and sophomores. On January 27 1919, ROTC was officially established at the UO, commanded by COL William Bowen. ROTC became voluntary in the fall of 1962. The University of Oregon was selected as the 2015 General Douglas MacArthur Award for having one of the best Army ROTC programs in the Nation and a total of 47 General Officers are University of Oregon graduates.
ROTC Then ROTC Now
An unfiltered look at service by veterans
The UO Veterans Oral History Project was established in 2012 with the aim of documenting the military experiences of men and women associated with the university and the wider Oregon community.
Created by Alex Dracobly, a senior instructor who teaches the history of war at the UO – the project was created as part of the course UO Veterans and Oral History. The upper division course gave students the opportunity to capture – through interviews and transcriptions - the stories of veterans and active-duty service men and women.
The project defines military experience broadly to include not just combat but all aspects of military service. The interviews are permanently housed in the archive at the University of Oregon Libraries.
Dracobly notes that he originally piloted it as a two-year project. However, over the course of six years he and his students were able to document the stories of around 170 servicemen and women – many whom are now alumni.
“We interviewed anyone who served to get a better representation of what military service looks like,” Dracobly says. “Since media representations of servicemen and women are often rather cliched, I do think that there is something to be gained to hearing veterans talk about their experiences how they want those presented - we tried to use as light a template as possible – with no fixed questions - for precisely that reason.”
The goal was to get veterans to tell them what they wanted people to know about their service – and that is exactly what happened. And now, Dracobly hopes that someone – perhaps in 100 years - will find them useful for understanding who served and why during the Global War on Terrorism.
Oral Histories
#DucksWhoServe
UO veterans are invited to share their stories
This year, as part of our UOAA Veterans’ Celebration, we invite Ducks and their families to share stories about their time serving in the military. We welcome submissions of personal stories and extend this opportunity to soldiers still on active duty today. As we honor Veterans Day, we hope to learn more about members of the Duck veteran community who call the UO home.
Share your Story
UO Advocates: Alumni veterans in office
UO’s alumni make an impact across the globe. Ducks are everywhere. They are leaders in business, industry, education, the arts, and government. Of the alumni who serve in public office today, we take moment to recognize those who have also served in the US Armed Forces. Take a look at these veterans who are currently in the Oregon Legislature and Congress.
UO’s Commitment to Veterans
This year, marks the UO’s jump of 10 places to number 58 as one of the best schools for veterans, based on schools that take advantage of the Yellow Ribbon financial aid benefits available to veterans and active service members. Learn more about services with the UO Office of Veterans Affairs.
