The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Oneida Library holds Veterans Day programs
“1917: America Goes to War,” “Animals that Went to War,” and “A Soldier’s Life After Iraq.”
ONEIDA » Oneida Public Library opens its doors for veterans and civilians alike on Nov. 11, Veterans Day, for three programs about American soldiers at war: historian Tom Henry lectures on “1917: America Goes to War,” a special Family Super Saturday celebrates “Animals That Went to War,” and war-veteran John Ready speaks to “A Soldier’s Life after Iraq.”
Starting off the OPL’s year-long centenary commemoration of America’s entry into World War I, historian and popular lecturer Tom Henry will take to the lectern at 11 a.m. to examine the role of the United States in the war.
Henry lectures extensively in the Greater Syracuse area on American constitutional, military, political and presidential history, particularly at the Oasis Institute of Syracuse. He spoke last March at the OPL on women’s suffrage and the 19th Amendment, while in previous years he has given illustrated lectures at the library on contested presidential elections, “forgotten” presidents, the U.S. at the outbreak of World War II, the Battle of Gettysburg and the Union’s prisoner of war camp in Elmira.
For the Nov. 11 edition of Family Super Saturday at 11 a.m., OPL’s Youth Services Coordinator Megan Gillander has devised a Veteran’s Day program that will introduce children and their parents to the many roles that animals played at the front in France during World War I.
“Horses, donkeys, dogs, monkeys and more were mascots, messengers and guards during the war,” Gillander said. “To learn
which animals went to war and how they helped the soldiers, we’ll be having stories, crafts and even live animals to show and tell their stories.”
With the cooperation of the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the 4-H Club, the Frink family will be bringing to the library’s front lawn their chestnut mare called Sabre’s Classic Dancer (her barn name is Sassy) and their donkey Ashley.
Retired U.S. Army Major John Ready, who served in war-ravaged Iraq in 200304, will speak at 1:30 p.m. at the OPL on Veterans Day about “A Soldier’s Life after Iraq,” a timely reminder of how combat veterans cope when returning to civilian life
Ready, a native of Oneida and a 1986 graduate of SUNY Cortland, was com- missioned that same year from Cornell University Army ROTC. He then served in the Army National Guard and Reserves for 21 years.
Ready’s memoir of his service in Iraq, “Does My Suicide Vest Make Me Look Fat?” includes accounts of how the war affected him and how he coped back in civilian life.
Retiring in 2007, Ready has gone on to earn a master’s in information security and assurance. Currently, he is pursuing Counter-ter- rorism Studies provided by the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
Based on his experiences and fromthe perspective of many combat veterans, Ready will address the physical, psychological and emotional challenges that American soldiers returning from Iraq have faced and continue to endure in readjusting to civilian life.
For more information, . stop by the Oneida Library, R 220 Broad St., or call (315) 363-3050.