We don't call them the Greatest Generation for nothing!

Becca Gilligan '13, a Skidmore College history major currently enrolled in the Social Work course called "Community Engagement," has coordinated a special panel discussion featuring World War II veterans. 

Free and open to the public, the discussion is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, in Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. Speakers will include veterans from the Saratoga and surrounding areas and the Skidmore student interviewers who recorded the veterans' oral histories. One of the veterans is a former prisoner of war from the infamous Stalag Luft II, the setting of the feature film, The Great Escape.

Said Gilligan, "My experience working with the veterans was wonderful and enlightening. I have always found 20th-century history most interesting and have based my studies of history around that time period. I have realized that learning about World War II and other major wars in the classroom is much different than learning from the individuals who experienced war firsthand. The entire experience has opened my eyes to the personal side of war?how war is experienced through a soldier's eyes. With about 1,000 World War II veterans dying each day, having had the experience to interview these men has been incredible."

Gilligan coordinated the program to meet the requirements of the course, taught by Professor Crystal Dea Moore. A goal of the course is to provide students with opportunities to engage with the community beyond Skidmore through service. Over the course of the semester, students (working in teams) were required to complete five projects designed to connect them with a range of different populations in Saratoga Springs: elders, adults with developmental disabilities, low-income people, professionals who deal with child abuse, staff from non-profit agencies.  

Through their course work, students were expected to gain understanding about the non-profit sector and demonstrate skills that promote community service.