Student veterans fail to show for MUC forum
University of South Dakota student veterans were MIA at the state’s 101st veterans forum in the Muenster University Center Oct. 15.
As veterans from WWII to Vietnam were able to find their way into the MUC Ballroom for Monday night’s forum, no USD veterans were present, a conclusion that surprised Warren Aas, the American Legion state service officer that led the forum.
“I had hoped being on campus would encourage young veterans to come to the forum, so the lack of turnout was disappointing,” Aas said. “But, for the past eight years I have worked with the Legion, it has been hard to get young vets involved.”
Even with the lack of USD student attendants, Aas said he understands from his 28 years in the army that it can be difficult to make the time for the Veterans Administration (VA) while juggling school or family.
While USD student veterans did not make an appearance at the forum, WWII veteran Joe Convoy was on hand in the second row to learn more about veteran benefits — and offer a few jokes from his time in the service.
As a Navy Seabee, a member of the U.S. Navy’s construction battalions, Convoy was just 19 years old when he was shipped to the Marshall Islands during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign to isolate and destroy Japanese garrisons. One among many young men in the Pacific, Convoy said it became a joke between the “boys” and their 35-year-old commanding officer (CO).
“Our CO came in during a godawful hot day, and we thought that he had brought us some beer to cool off, but instead, he brought us some ice cream cones like a couple of kids,” Convoy said. “And we were just kids.”
As the forum brought together veterans from a number of international conflicts, the problems they are addressing are similar. What it comes down to is where and how they can register for veteran benefits and healthcare and gaining a better education about what opportunities they have available to them, like vocational rehabilitation which sends injured veterans to school to retrain them for a new career to work with their
disabilities.
The point is to provide veterans a place to gain an education and feel comfortable to ask questions, said Jay Youngbluth, South Dakota’s District 8 commander.
“We would have liked having some younger vets out here on campus, but if we get to help a few more vets get some more information, that might help them learn how to get benefits or compensation or pension pay, then the forum did its purpose,” Youngbluth said.
