{"id":136484,"date":"2020-10-15T11:21:32","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T15:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=136484"},"modified":"2020-10-16T15:28:27","modified_gmt":"2020-10-16T19:28:27","slug":"bates-dedicates-the-veterans-plaza-on-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2020\/10\/15\/bates-dedicates-the-veterans-plaza-on-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Bates dedicates Veterans Plaza, now &#8216;part of our mission to educate and transform lives&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The clean-shaven J.J. Cummings \u201989 doesn&#8217;t look at all like Uncle Sam. But a message he gave Bates students on Oct. 9 resonated with Sam&#8217;s words on that famous U.S. Army recruiting poster: &#8220;I want you.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In helping to dedicate the new Veterans Plaza, a small campus park designed to inspire thoughtful appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices of Bates military veterans, Cummings asked today&#8217;s students to consider joining the armed forces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if any Bates alum has the standing to make such a request, it&#8217;s Cummings: The 34-year veteran of the U.S. Navy is commanding officer of the world\u2019s largest aircraft carrier, the USS <em>Gerald R. Ford<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur nation needs liberal arts\u2013educated officers in the ranks,\u201d Cummings said. \u201cWithout a doubt, Bates College made me the leader that I am today.\u2026It is clear to me that my worldview and leadership style are different from what I see from my peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1919\" height=\"1279\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200927_Campus_Veterans_Plaza_0232.jpg\" alt=\"Sunday afternoon, Sept. 27, 2020, at or adjacent to the Veterans Plaza.\n\nJanell Sato '22 of Honolulu, Hawaii, in black shirt, sits in reflection with friends Amanda Taylor '23 of Fair Lawn, N.J. (Bates shirt), Mary Colette '21 (blue shirt)  of Watertown, Conn., and Michael Ratsimbazafy '22 of Elizabeth, N.J., on the Veterans Plaza.\" class=\"wp-image-136493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200927_Campus_Veterans_Plaza_0232.jpg 1919w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200927_Campus_Veterans_Plaza_0232-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200927_Campus_Veterans_Plaza_0232-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200927_Campus_Veterans_Plaza_0232-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px\" \/><figcaption>From left, Mary Collette &#8217;21, Janell Sato &#8217;22, and Amanda Taylor &#8217;23 sit on benches at the Veterans Plaza on Sept. 27, 2020. Sato, from a family with meaningful military connections, spoke at the dedication event. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI attribute this to my Bates experience, which showed me the value of reading from a variety of sources, critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, strong intelligible writing skills, humility, and integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cummings was the keynote speaker for the virtual dedication of the plaza, culminating a project that began in early 2018. The midday livestream also featured college President Clayton Spencer, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden \u201911, professor Jane Costlow, Janell Sato \u201922, Multifaith Chaplain Brittany Longsdorf, and retired Facility Services staff member Danny Sands, a member of the committee that developed the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A video montage combining aerial and ground-level shots gave viewers a visual introduction to the plaza, which was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/tag\/veterans-plaza\/\">created during the summer<\/a> on a site near the Residential Village, about 250 feet northwest of Garcelon Field&#8217;s north goalposts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plaza&#8217;s design is by Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, which previously handled the Ladd Library Plaza project, among others. The contractor was Carrier Landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<span style=\"color: #009779;\"><em>Complete video of the dedication of the Veterans Plaza on Oct. 9, 2020.<\/em><\/span>\n<p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bates Dedicates Veterans Plaza\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mFeQDrBFB-4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As Spencer explained in her welcoming remarks, the Veterans Plaza is intended to \u201chonor military service as a form of public service, but not militarism or nationalism per se.\u201d It&#8217;s meant to recognize the contributions and sacrifices of all Bates veterans, rather than any one individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And its location and design \u2014 including benches, a central stone focal object, and a screen of trees \u2014 should foster tranquillity. The plaza \u201cshould inspire contemplation and welcome the varied interpretations that individuals may bring to the subject of war and military service.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spencer continued, \u201cHenceforth, Veterans Plaza will be part and parcel of our mission to educate and transform lives.\u201d She quoted Pericles: \u201cWhat you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said, \u201cVeterans Plaza is sign, symbol, and celebration of the service and sacrifice of those who have preceded us, in this space dedicated on this day for the current generation and the many generations that will follow.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<span style=\"color: #009779;\"><em>A visual introduction to the Veterans Plaza, including aerial video. (Theophil Syslo\/Bates College)<\/em><\/span>\n<p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Introducing Veterans Plaza\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PH4CkuDgjDs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Clark A. Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies as well as a scholar of Russian literature, Costlow discussed the plaza&#8217;s relevance to the college&#8217;s educational mission. While making clear that her own understanding of war has come from family members\u2019 service and Eastern European literature, she said that nevertheless \u201call of those stories give me a sense of the reality of war and the consequences for humans, both soldiers and civilians, whose lives are swept up in military conflict.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reality and consequences of war, Costlow said, have been mirrored in the writings of Leo Tolstoy, who fought in the Crimean War; Vasily Grossman, a Soviet-Jewish reporter whose writings about Treblinka were among the earliest journalistic accounts of a Nazi death camp; memoirs of women who survived the siege of Leningrad; \u201cand the stories of my own dear friends who were evacuated from Ukraine as German forces were pushing East.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She continued, \u201cTeachers at a place like Bates ask our students to grapple with the great complexities of life, complexities born of politics and history, but also of human psychology itself. I treasure the fact that young men and women I taught have joined the military and have taken some of their Bates conversations and readings into lives that have no doubt demanded great wisdom and complicated decisions.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy hope as a teacher is that with time, this memorial that we dedicate today will become a place for Bates undergraduates to hear and reflect on many stories\u2026but where they also might hear the voices of alums and peers as they share their own memories and reflections on their experiences of service and combat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1919\" height=\"1219\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2001001_Veterans_Plaza_Dusk_0038.jpg\" alt=\"Veterans Plaza at dusk.\" class=\"wp-image-136494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2001001_Veterans_Plaza_Dusk_0038.jpg 1919w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2001001_Veterans_Plaza_Dusk_0038-400x254.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2001001_Veterans_Plaza_Dusk_0038-900x572.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2001001_Veterans_Plaza_Dusk_0038-1536x976.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2001001_Veterans_Plaza_Dusk_0038-200x127.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px\" \/><figcaption>The Veterans Plaza at dusk. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Capt. Cummings established the most encompassing context for the dedication. This only makes sense considering both his Bates background and his decades as a U.S. Navy officer, a career that also included flying combat missions over Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his wry and lively seven minutes, livestreamed from the flight deck of the <em>Ford<\/em>, Cummings noted that while it&#8217;s nice to thank members of the armed forces for their service, the sacrifices made by their families justify as much, if not more, gratitude.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He pointed out Bates\u2019 longstanding support for the armed forces, such as hosting a Navy V-12 officer training program during World War II; and for veterans, citing the &#8220;Sampsonville\u201d housing for WWII vets attending Bates, and for their families, that the college established not far from the Veterans Plaza.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plaza \u201cis yet another example of how Bates College has moved beyond words and taken action to honor veterans,\u201d Cummings said. \u201cSites like this are not generally found at NESCAC schools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And he expressed the hope that today&#8217;s Bates students would take a minute to absorb the import of the plaza. \u201cI hope they understand that every service member volunteers to raise their right hand to recite an oath to support and defend \u2014 not one man, a king, a queen or a tyrant or political party \u2014 but the Constitution of the United States.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jared Golden \u201911, who represents Maine&#8217;s 2nd District in Congress, offered brief remarks. A Marine Corps combat veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, he envisioned the plaza as a place where he, personally, might think about Bates people who died while serving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/201015_veterans_plaza_10_hjb-edited.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1919\" height=\"1439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/201015_veterans_plaza_10_hjb-edited.jpg\" alt=\"Veterans Plaza images including inscriptions.\" class=\"wp-image-136496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/201015_veterans_plaza_10_hjb-edited.jpg 1919w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/201015_veterans_plaza_10_hjb-edited-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/201015_veterans_plaza_10_hjb-edited-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/201015_veterans_plaza_10_hjb-edited-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Nick Gonzalez &#8217;24 of Chappaqua,&nbsp;N.Y., sits at Veterans Plaza on Oct. 15, 2020. The plaza&#8217;s focal object, seen here, is one of two elements that define the space. Its inscription reads, &#8220;This space honors the service and sacrifice of Bates veterans.&#8221; (Jay Burns\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhere might they be today? What potential has been lost? What great things would they be doing if they hadn&#8217;t made the sacrifice? \u2014 a worthy sacrifice for our country, but we should still take stock of the loss for the entire country and of course, particularly for their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Danny Sands, too, is a combat veteran, having served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. His connection to Bates is professional: Last year he retired from Facility Services after 32 years, ending his Bates career as manager of carpentry, painting, and masonry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a member of the Veterans Recognition Project Committee, Sands was most impressed by the committee\u2019s unified commitment to make the project work, despite disparate viewpoints and life experiences among members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs the committee meetings went on,\u201d he explained, \u201cit was clear that there was a great deal of work ahead. Yet everyone took this seriously, [even with] the wide range of backgrounds within the group, which made the meetings interesting, to say the least. My thoughts were that this amount of work seemed less important than the objective that we were trying to reach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200915_Veterans_Plaza_0246.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1919\" height=\"1279\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200915_Veterans_Plaza_0246.jpg\" alt=\"Campus scenes on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020.\n\nVeterans Plaza in the early morning.\" class=\"wp-image-136506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200915_Veterans_Plaza_0246.jpg 1919w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200915_Veterans_Plaza_0246-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200915_Veterans_Plaza_0246-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/200915_Veterans_Plaza_0246-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px\" \/><\/a><figcaption> The Veterans Plaza in the early morning of Sept. 15, 2020. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Representing Bates students was Janell Sato \u201922 of Honolulu, scion of a family with meaningful military connections. Her great-grandfather served in a highly decorated U.S. Army regiment during World War II. Her father is a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii National Guard, and her older brother is on active duty in the Marines. (Her younger brother, Jarrin, is a Bates first-year.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;May those whose bodies still carry the terror and wounds of war find healing here. May those whose minds still feel haunted by violence and hardship find calm here.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The plaza \u201cis a perfect environment to honor and acknowledge the inspiring work that has been done,\u201d Sato said. \u201cWhen you sit on the benches and hear the rustling leaves and feel the slight breeze blowing softly on your skin, you are able to take a moment in, and honor all those who have served.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI personally love taking breaks from my studies by going out to the Veterans Plaza and just enjoying the peace and quiet this environment provides.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2020-10-15-10.13.54.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1919\" height=\"1279\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2020-10-15-10.13.54.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2020-10-15-10.13.54.jpg 1919w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2020-10-15-10.13.54-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2020-10-15-10.13.54-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/10\/2020-10-15-10.13.54-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>A student hustles by the Veterans Plaza en route to an economics exam on Oct. 15, 2020. The  stainless steel cuboid at right marks the plaza entrance. Its inscription invites reflection on the impact of war on our lives. (Jay Burns\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Longsdorf offered a benediction to conclude the ceremony. She said, \u201cMay those whose bodies still carry the terror and wounds of war find healing here. May those whose minds still feel haunted by violence and hardship find calm here. May those whose hearts still ache with grief, loss, and woe for a beloved lost in warfare find remembrance here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMay those whose souls have felt heavy with the burden of duty and service find peace here. May this space invoke in all of us an awe for freedom, liberation, and justice, and inspire us to honor all those who have served and strived to amplify these ideals.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Veterans Plaza will be part and parcel of our mission to educate and transform lives,&#8221; said President Clayton Spencer at the virtual  dedication event on Oct. 9.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":136567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[7,224],"tags":[12156],"class_list":["post-136484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-society-culture","tag-veterans-plaza"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136484"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136574,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136484\/revisions\/136574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}