Thank You, Veterans

Hi all,

My how I have missed you.  I have been meaning to post for quite some time.  As you know, I am in the midst of earning my Ph.D. full-time, working full-time, and trying to survive it all.  It was important to me to make sure to post this Veteran’s Day, no matter what, to say thanks to our service men and women.

SSG. Bryan Tull (a.k.a. my bubby)

Last year, I wrote this post about thanking a veteran.  I offered you all the opportunity to thank my brother if you did not know a veteran to thank.  I am going to extend that offer again this year.  I know it never hurts to be encouraged and to know that others believe in you and care about you.  Just leave a comment on this post.  I’ll be sure to share your kind words with my brother, SSG. Bryan Christopher Tull (210th MPAD and 314th PAOC).  Bryan is a current Army Reservist and an undergraduate student at the university where I work—UAB.  In fact, he recently re-enlisted for another six years of military service (after having already served his first six years of service—including two year-long Iraq deployments).

Over the past few months, while reading a periodical that circulates through our office, The Chronicle of Higher Education,  I have come across several articles pertaining to student warriors.  I shared these articles with my brother in hopes that they would help him to realize that he is not the only current military member with active duty time under his belt who also happens to be a college student.  I believe that higher education administrators need to lead with policies in mind for our nation’s student warriors. They need to be thinking about what kind of support this unique group of students need and how to identify student vets.  This country has been at war my entire adult life (literally, since I was 18).  Just take a moment to think about how many service men and women have enrolled and even graduated from institutions of higher learning in the past 10 years.

If you would like to read the articles I sent to Bryan you can access them via the links below.

“A Student Veteran Moves On”

“Why I Can No Longer Teach US Military History”

I shared these articles with Bryan in hopes they would let him now that he is not alone as a student veteran.  Do you know any student warriors?  What do you think universities can do to support these students?

I’d also like to thank my other family members who are/were veterans.

(Note to family: I tried to document a brief synopsis of your military history.  Please help me to add to it or to revise where necessary.  Also, send me pictures and I will add them to this post.  I would love to have a picture of everyone in uniform):

Specialist 5 Delos Lawton Tull [Daddy] (71st Supply Battalion) (Cold War - Germany)

Sergeant Robert Franklin Braden, Sr. [Maternal Granddaddy] (102nd Infantry Division) (WWII – Netherlands, France, Germany)

Private First Class Elmo Delos Tull [Paternal Granddaddy] (Army Air Corp) (WWII – North Africa, Italy, Sicily, France, Germany)

Sergeant Robert Franklin Braden, Jr. [Maternal Uncle] (4th Infantry Division) (Vietnam)

Major Dan Bowdoin [Paternal Uncle] (1st Cavalry Division) (Vietnam and Europe)

Colonel Carol Tull Bowdoin [Paternal Aunt] (Army Nurse Corp) (Europe)

Captain Libby Bowdoin Fouch [Paternal Cousin] (Army Nurse Corp) (Stateside)

Warrant Officer Zach Fouch [Paternal Cousin] (Missouri National Guard and Airborne Ranger, Helicopter Pilot) (Iraq)

Sergeant George Allen Payne [Paternal Uncle] (Chemical Corp) (Stateside)

Additionally, my paternal grandfather’s 5 brothers served as well as 2 of my maternal grandfather’s brother’s and my husband’s grandfather, Aubrey Lee Langham (Marine, WWII-The Pacific), and Daddy, Terry Martin Langham  (National Guard).

Thanks to everyone mentioned above and thanks to all service men and women on this Veteran’s Day.

Cousins Libby Bowdoin Fouch and Zach Fouch (and Andrew)

Aunt Carol Tull Bowdoin and Cousin Libby Bowdoin Fouch

Uncle Dan Bowdoin, Aunt Carol Tull Bowdoin, and Cousins Libby Bowdoin Fouch, Andrew Fouch, David Bowdoin, and Beth Trotter Bowdoin