Listening to veterans, says West Virginia University Professor Carolyn Atkins, is worth the time investment.

Five student-veterans from WVU will speak in a public forum from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Nov. 13 at Clear Mountain Bank (near Applebee’s). The presentation, called “Student Veterans Speak Out,” is part of a class modeled after Atkins’ “Speaking to Communities” course, also known as “Student Athletes Speak Out.”

Atkins hopes the veterans’ edition of the class will become as popular with the community as the student-athlete version, which is in its twenty-second year.

Many of the athletes’ exploits are covered in the media, giving them a built-in following, but the often-courageous acts of veterans are taken for granted, Atkins said.

“People hear about Iraq and Afghanistan but some don’t really understand what that’s all about,” she said. “Because of the veterans’ sacrifices, we live in a democracy. They have supported us; now it’s our turn to support them. I hope that the University and community people come to hear what they have to say.”

Each veteran will speak for five minutes. This year’s class features representatives of the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marines.

The speakers and their speech titles are: Donna Stehley, “Free a Man to Fight;” Jason Keffer, “Eyes of the Eagle;” Aulton Paul Davis, “Yellow Footprints;” Christopher Morris, “From Rock Star to Marine;” Philip D’Bourget, “Join or Support.”

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