Veterans to share stories at Vets Town Hall at Camp Meade
June 18, 2021 | By Waterbury Roundabout 
Speaker David Carlson addresses a 2018 Vets Town Hall at Contois Auditorium in Burlington City Hall. Photo courtesy Thomas Shahan, Community College of Vermont.
An annual event to share stories of U.S. service veterans comes to Camp Meade in Middlesex on Sunday, June 27, and Central Vermont veterans and community members are invited to attend.
The Vets Town Hall is scheduled for 1 p.m. and veterans of any era who served in any capacity are invited to speak for up to 10 minutes about what it was like to serve their country. Non-veterans are encouraged to attend and listen. Organizers emphasize that the event is non-political, and all perspectives are valued.
"For many veterans, it may be difficult to speak of their experience out of concern of judgment or misrepresentation," says Jon Turner, event host and an outings leader for the Sierra Club Military Outdoors who served in the U.S. Marine Corps. "Having an opportunity to gather with community members assists with the reintegration process and makes it possible for us to move beyond a narrative of conflict by honoring and sharing our stories. Attending these gatherings is a reminder of the community we wish to embrace after military service."
The event is free to attend although organizers encourage attendees to RSVP at vtvetstownhall.eventbrite.com. Veterans who would like to speak can indicate that when registering. If time permits, veterans are also welcome to sign up to speak during the event itself. The event will proceed in light rain with a tent. In case of severe weather, it will be rescheduled to July 11. Questions may be directed to organizer Kristen Eaton at vtvetstownhall@gmail.com.
Vets Town Halls were originated by author Sebastian Junger (War, Tribe) with the aim of increasing communication and understanding between veterans and civilians in their communities. The first in Vermont was November 2017 in Burlington. They have continued annually in various locations since with a break in 2020 due to the pandemic. This will be the first in Middlesex.
Three other Vets Town Halls are planned: July 18 at Prouty Beach in Newport; Aug. 8 at the Godnick Center in Rutland; Sept. 19 at the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington. All are on Sundays at 1 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
“We often hear about veterans, but we very rarely get to hear from them, to hear their own voices talking about their experience,” said Marty McMahon, host for the Newport town hall. “We can’t have a real dialogue with veterans until we take the time to listen with no judgment.”
More information online at: vtvetstownhall.org