University of North Texas

UNT will honor the service of military members for Veterans Day in a variety of ways.

Those veterans include Sgt. Steven Davidson, above, a freshman transfer student, who was named the 2012 Army Times Soldier of the Year for saving a fellow soldier’s life.

Veterans will be honored with a reception Nov. 10 before the 4 p.m. football game and at a ceremony at the downtown Denton Square Nov. 12. Faculty members and students will discuss issues facing veterans when they return home at a Denton Speaks Out forum Nov. 15. A concert by the North Texas Wind Symphony Nov. 15 will feature Sergei Prokofiev's Ode to the End of War.

Heroic student

In June 2011, Davidson deployed with the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion to Djibouti, in the horn of Africa, where his high school experience as an athletic trainer together with his quick instincts, saved a fellow soldier’s life during a French Desert Warfare course - an action that helped earn him the Soldier of the Year honor.

The Military Times Service Members of the Year awards recognize individuals who are nominated by peers and commanders for their outstanding work on the job and in their communities demonstrating pride, dedication and courage beyond what is normally expected. Military Times Media Group provides news and information to members of all branches of service.

• Learn about Davidson’s heroics. 
  

Davidson, a hospitality management major who remains in the Army Reserves, says he learned UNT was a leader in veteran services when he was still in Africa researching universities. He consulted with UNT’s Veterans Center staff before applying and they helped him through his transfer process.

“They are veterans themselves, so I’ve spent time talking with them about my transition back to the home front,” he says. “In general, UNT is incredibly supportive of the military. People go out of their way to say, ‘Thanks for your service to our country.’”

UNT’s commitment to the more than 2,500 student veterans and their families has been recognized by G.I. Jobs magazine, which for three consecutive years has named UNT to its annual list of military friendly schools. Military Times EDGE twice has named UNT a Best for Vets school, evaluating categories such as financial assistance, academic flexibly, campus culture and support services.

UNT also is participating in Operation Hat Trick, a program that raises funds from the sale of hats to the VA General Post Fund. The fund provides money to veterans and their caregivers for expenses related to post-war care.

A portion of proceeds from sales of hats, right, in the UNT Bookstore also go to the university.

Veterans Day events

Veterans Day is officially observed at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. When the day falls on Sunday, as in 2012, the federal holiday is observed the following Monday.

Here are a list of events:

Nov. 10 - Veterans Recognition Event

Reception for veterans, noon– 1:30 p.m., Gateway Center Ballroom; walk across pedestrian bridge, 2 p.m.; football game, 4 p.m., Apogee Stadium. Registration required; contact the Veterans Center.

The UNT Veterans Center, Athletics Department and the Green Brigade Marching Band will honor veterans with a reception before the Mean Green Football Game against South Alabama and with a military-themed halftime show.

Faculty and staff can purchase discounted football tickets (two for $10) by going to Ticketmaster and entering the promo code: STRIPES. Additional information about the football game can be found at UNT Football Game Day.

Nov. 12 - Veterans Day program, 11 a.m.-noon, Denton Square, 110 W. Hickory St.

Representatives from UNT, Denton County Veterans Service Office and Texas Woman’s University are sponsoring the event, whose keynote speaker is Angela Shinn, women veterans coordinator for the Texas Veterans Commission. She is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and served in III Corps at Fort Hood and in the 101^st Airborne Division.  

Nov. 15 - UNT Speaks Out on Coming Home, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Willis Library, Forum

Faculty members and students will discuss veterans returning from deployments in the Middle East. Adriel Boals, associate professor of psychology, will speak on post-traumatic stress disorder; Cindy Hasio, a doctoral student in art education, on her findings from projects in which veterans narrate their experiences through art; Shelley Riggs, associate professor of psychology and director of the Family Attachment Lab, on her Student Veteran Research Project and family relationships of veterans after deployment. Student veterans will participate in a panel discussion. Lunch will be served afterward.

• Learn more: Caroline Booth, director of communications and marketing, UNT Libraries, 940-369-7573.

Nov. 15 - North Texas Wind Symphony presents Prokofiev’s Ode to the End of War, 7:30 p.m., Murchison Performing Arts Center, Winspear Performance Hall

The North Texas Wind Symphony, directed by Eugene Migliaro Corporon, will present one of the few American live performances of Sergei Prokofiev's composition, plus other works. Tickets are free to UNT student; $8 Senior Citizens, Non-UNT Students, Children, UNT Faculty/Staff/Retirees, and groups of 10 or more and $10 for adults.

• Buy tickets, or 940-369-7802.

More events

Other events during the week include an induction ceremony for the SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society; and workshops on anxiety and stress management, veterans disability benefits and UNT’s Boots-to-Books Loan Program, which offers student veterans needs-based, short-term loans in the form of credit to purchase books at the UNT Bookstore.

• Learn more from the UNT Veterans Center, 940-369-8021.

 - Randena Hulstrand, University Relations, Communications and Marketing, and Nancy Kolsti, News Promotions