For the seventh year in a row, Des Moines Area Community College will host its War & Human Experience Speaker Series, this time for a Black History Month event featuring former Air Force Lt. Colonel Tony Marshall, who served in the Vietnam War. In 1972, Marshall survived after he bailed out of a burning aircraft and was captured by the Viet Cong as a prisoner of war in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” and “Zoo” prison camps.
Marshall accepted the invitation by DMACC history professor Matthew Walsh, who studies the Vietnam War and the subsequent refugee resettlement in Iowa. Walsh founded the speaker series in 2019 with fellow history professor Joseph Danielson. The pair pitched the idea to President Rob Denson, who understand the importance of educating students and the community on how warfare has influenced life and culture in the United States.
The first event in 2019 attracted more than 300 people to hear from a Schindler’s List holocaust survivor.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, so Walsh was determined to bring in a speaker to commemorate the Vietnam War.
“It’s important to hear these stories before a lot of our service members from this period of history are gone,” Walsh said.
Walsh is eager for DMACC students and the broader community to hear Marshall talk about his time training in the Air Force Academy, where he was one of just seven other African American cadets in a class of 1,000.
“African Americans have served in every major conflict in our nation’s history,” Walsh said. “The story of Marshall is unique but also not. There are so many other stories if you’re willing to look.”
Though Marshall, who now lives in California, does not have a direct tie to Iowa or the DMACC community, the speaker series serves to encourage and emphasize the importance of a civic duty and responsibility to learn about conflicts past and present, Walsh said.
The War and Human Experience series fosters DMACC’s commitment to being a military friendly college by having veteran students serve as advisers and participants in programming.
For more information, visit dmacc.edu/veterans/series. Link: War & the Human Experience Series | Des Moines Area Community College
Schedule for speaker series:
Monday, February 24, 9:40-11:05 AM
DMACC West Campus Auditorium
Tuesday February 25, 9:40-11:05 AM
DMACC Urban Campus BLDG. 7 Room 170
Tuesday, February 25, 12:50-2:15 PM
DMACC Ankeny Campus BLDG. 2 Room 25AB
About DMACC
DMACC (Des Moines Area Community College) is one of America’s top-rated two-year institutions of higher learning. DMACC is dedicated to changing lives by offering an accessible, affordable and outstanding educational experience to students from across Iowa and the nation. Situated in one of the country’s most vibrant regions, DMACC is proud to welcome students of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs to a diverse and inclusive College community. DMACC offers 10 career pathways, which encompass more than 220 credit and non-credit programs, degrees and certificates available to students. Each year, DMACC serves more than 55,000 students, annually across the College’s six campuses and seven learning centers and through DMACC Online. Students from every state in the nation and 41 countries now attend DMACC. Our talented graduates excel in the workforce and in life. For more information, please visit dmacc.edu.
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