[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEZH9YuBric’]
‘Eleven,’ a documentary film resulting from an intergenerational student project at the Waterbury campus and the University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and produced by recent alum Nick Forte ’10 (BUS), features 11 veterans from time periods ranging from World War II to the present.
The film was shown at a special Veterans Day event, “Honoring Our Community’s Heroes,” at the Waterbury Campus on the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011. The 11 veterans featured were recognized by U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy during the event; U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal was also an invited guest.
‘Eleven’ paints a beautiful mosaic of American patriotism.
“At its heart, the film seeks to define that ‘X-factor’ that is instilled in veterans through their intense training and experiences,” says Lucien Lafreniere ’12 (CLAS), a student at the Waterbury campus and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. “By exploring why they served, where they served, and how they were changed by what they saw and did, ‘Eleven’ paints a beautiful mosaic of American patriotism.
“The message expressed is that these stories should never be forgotten,” he adds, “for they are the core of our nation’s strength and resolve.”
Those featured are:
Michael Zacchea, Operation Iraqi Freedom, USMC, Major
Evan Paradis, Operation Iraqi Freedom, USN, Petty Officer 2nd Class
Edward Chesky, Cold War Era Korea c. 1986, USA, Major
Daniel Maloney, Operation Enduring Freedom, USAF, Senior Airman
Peter Freeman, Vietnam Conflict, USA, Lieutenant
Francis Escott, Vietnam Conflict, USN, Lieutenant
Antoinette Escott, Vietnam Conflict, USN, Lieutenant Junior Grade
Raymond Sullivan, Vietnam Conflict, USAF, Major
John Chiarella Sr., Korean War, USA, Colonel
Wilfred Cabana, World War II, USA, Technical Sergeant
Alfred Comeau, Vietnam Conflict, USA, Specialist
“The service of our nation’s veterans and the impact of that service on their lives and the lives around them is profound,” says William Pizzuto, director of the Waterbury campus, noting that in addition to undergraduate and graduate education, the mission of the campus includes a sustained focus on community engagement. “We are privileged to have veterans from various branches of military service and so many different generations on our campus, and to honor them in this way.”
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the Waterbury campus provides non-credit programming, courses, events, lectures, and other learning experiences to older adults. It also supports intergenerational learning experiences for UConn students, as well as internships, special student projects, and student employment.
“[The Institute] is a place where the key components of the Waterbury campus mission come together and create new learning experiences for everyone,” says Brian Chapman, director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, who organized the event together with Lafreniere.
