This past Veterans Day, the American Studies Institute (ASI) hosted veterans from the Searcy community for a free breakfast in the Charles White Dining Hall.
The come-and-go event lasted from 7:30-9 a.m. and was open to students and faculty as well as veterans. Senior Brent Hall, an executive officer for ASI, attended the breakfast, and he said he enjoyed having the opportunity to give back to those who helped keep the U.S. safe.
“I loved seeing the way several of the veterans lit up at the chance to just sit and tell their story to a listening ear,” Hall said. “The best thing we gave them was just the time, the presence, to sit and listen.”
Hall said that while the students gave the veterans the ability to share their stories, he realized the veterans presented new perspectives to those who listened.
“There are people all around who have seen much more of the world than I have in a much different way than I have,” Hall said. “They have a wealth of knowledge that they are more than willing to pass on if I will merely stop to listen.”
Harley Bridger, a World War II veteran, became the center of attention as he recounted multiple stories about his deployments. Bridger was surrounded by eager listeners from the moment he arrived until well after the breakfast officially ended.
“I was a radio operator in the air and the only reason the navigators knew where they were going,” Bridger said. “Everything we did was in Morse code. Navigators were good people, but they didn’t have much to work with. They had maps and a compass, but if you put them out there with a lot of clouds they could get turned around pretty quick. They were well-trained and good smart boys, but on cloudy days they could get lost pretty easy.”
Junior McKenna McLaughlin said she received an email promoting the event and immediately decided it was something she could not miss. McLaughlin said she has deep ties to the military, and was willing to wake up early to have a chance to talk to the veterans.
“My dad is in the military, and my grandfather, my cousin and my uncle, too,” McLaughlin said. “I think we’ve had someone in our family in almost every single war since the American Revolution, so it’s engrained in us.”
She said her favorite part about the breakfast was being able to converse with the veterans about their families and daily lives.
“We got to know them as people,” McLaughlin said. “They asked us a bunch of questions about what we are doing with our lives, and they would tell us stories about their grandkids and their families. We all just chit-chatted like normal, and it was a lot of fun.”
According to Hall, this is the first time an event like this has taken place, but there are hopes to make it a yearly tradition.
