Pearl Harbor exhibit, activities paying tribute to veterans

Veterans Commons on the upper floor of Valk Center features an exhibit space dedicated to the military experiences of students, faculty and staff as well as University activities during times of significant military conflict. A new exhibit this fall commemorates the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Northwest Missouri State University will commemorate Veterans Day and pay tribute to veterans from 7 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse with military exhibits and activities including a ruck march, push-up and pull-up contests and more.

Additionally, a new exhibit at Veterans Commons in Valk Center will feature the effects of the Pearl Harbor attack on the Northwest community. The exhibit was designed by senior history major Koffi Lewis with the help of Northwest archivist Jessica Vest and Associate Professor of History Dr. Elyssa Ford. It commemorates the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and highlights the reaction of the University and local community.

“What I hope people take away from this exhibit is that history is closer than they may realize,” Lewis said. “People usually think of history as long ago and very much disconnected from them, but in the exhibit they will see that even people from a small town can be part of something much bigger and how they play a part in that. History is about looking at the microcosm as much as the macrocosm.”

Thousands of service men and women have called Northwest “home” since the University’s founding in 1905. Some enlisted after coming to Maryville as students or employees, while others enrolled or worked for the University after serving their country.

Last year, Northwest dedicated Veterans Commons on the top floor of Valk Center to offer veterans a place to gather, study, network and interact with Missouri GOLD personnel and students.

“Northwest has such a long history of military involvement and military support, and the exhibits in Valk showcase important snapshots of both institutional involvement and individual student and employee commitments,” Ford said.

Today, Northwest is designated as a Military Friendly School, earning the distinction in 2021-22 for the 10th consecutive year, in recognition of its commitment to embracing military service members, veterans and their family members and ensuring their success on campus.

Northwest partners with several veterans organizations and regularly hosts a veterans service officer to assist with filing for VA benefits. Northwest participates in several federal and Missouri state programs such as the GI Bill and Missouri Returning Heroes and offers a variety of scholarships for military personnel and veterans, including a National Guard Scholarship to assist military students with housing.

Students, alumni, employees and community members have donated and supported a variety of memorials on the Northwest campus to honor United States service men and women. Northwest maintains a World War I Memorial Plaza and a Persian Gulf War Memorial on the campus grounds as well as its Wall of Honor in Veterans Commons. The University’s Bell of ’48 and the Memorial Bell Tower are centerpieces of the campus, while the Navy V-5/V-12 Combat Information Center in Bearcat Stadium also pays tribute to veterans.