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ESCANABA -- The students of the Bay College Civics Corps will host their second annual Veterans Speak on Monday, November 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. Bay College Civics Corps continues their partnership with the Great Lakes Peace Center and Waging Dialogue in this work.
This year, Bay College Civics Corps announces additional on-going partnerships with the American Legion of the Upper Peninsula and American Merchant Marine Veterans. As a result of these partnerships, Bay College Civics Corps is expanding their reach and serving the nation's veterans through this multi-generational listening and story-telling event.
Veterans Speak! will be virtual and will include notables from the U.S. Merchant Marine and branches of the United States military. Veterans of different ages and backgrounds will share their experiences and discuss what serving our country has meant. Through the experience, the audience will come to see how the branches of the military and U.S. Merchant Marine have served together "in peace and war." (Merchant Marine slogan)
Dave Yoho will provide the keynote address. Yoho served as an engine room crewman in the World War II Merchant Marine. After the war, Yoho went on to become a world-famous motivational speaker and businessman, with over 50,000 paid speeches in several dozen countries to his credit. He has appeared on the Tonight Show and has been invited to the White House on multiple occasions.
Meet the Panelists
Elder Generations:
Capt. Hugh Stephens served in the Deck Department in World War II, surviving combat situations against enemy U-boats. He is one of the last living World War II mariners who experienced action at sea. Captain Stephens continued to serve for many years before becoming a maritime instructor.
Burley Smith is the last surviving crew member of the S/S Meredith Victory during the Korean War Hungnam evacuation. The Meredith Victory transported 14,000 refugees, as enemy forces surrounded the port of Hungnam. This was the largest humanitarian rescue ever by ship.
Baby Boom Generation:
Doug Swayer served in the Navy for six years, leaving with an E-4 rank. Joining when he was 17, he was an aviation structural mechanic, AM.
Jan Lipinski was an army nurse during the Vietnam War, which opened her path to a career in the medical field. She currently serves as the Upper Peninsula Membership Director of the non-partisan American Legion Department of Michigan.
Generation X:
Chris Cooper served for two years in the Navy, leaving with an E-3 rank. He was a pattern maker on a repair ship, PM3. He originally signed up for the Army but switched to the Navy for a better career position.
Capt. Sherri Hickman is a U.S. Merchant Marine ship pilot. She is a pioneer in being among a handful of women to be the first generation of female ship pilots, which is considered as the highest attainable position in the Merchant Marine.
Millennial Generation:
Brandon Templeton served in the Army National Guard for eight years, leaving with an E-4 rank. Like many, he entered the guard to build a better future.
Daven Bosma served in the Army National Guard for 10 years in the 91 Bravo division, leaving with an E-5 rank. He joined the military at his grandfather's request and became a wheel mechanic, serving in Afghanistan in the early 2000s.
Email June at kleesj@baycollege.edu for the zoom link or access the QR code below. Space is limited.