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This year’s observation of Veterans Day at Boston College on Nov. 11 will include an evening panel discussion with BC Vietnam War veterans, in addition to the traditional Mass and remembrance ceremony earlier in the day.
The Mass will take place at 9:30 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church, with Paul McNellis, SJ, PhD ’93, a part-time Philosophy Department faculty member, as celebrant. The ceremony honoring BC graduates who died during the nation’s military conflicts and alumni who have served, or are currently serving, in the armed forces, will begin at 11 a.m. on the Burns Library lawn, featuring an address by Larry Rawson ’63, an Emmy Award-winning track and field commentator for ESPN.
Rawson was among 13 Boston College graduates the Marine Corps commissioned in 1963 and served for three years as an intelligence officer and an artillery forward observer, including six months as a forward observer in combat, rising to the rank of captain. At BC, he set the school record of 4:07 in the mile and was later inducted into the BC Athletic Hall of Fame. Rawson has been a prominent sports reporter and commentator for more than three decades and ESPN’s track and field and marathon commentator since the network’s inception in 1980. He has won national and regional Emmy awards for track and field and sports journalism commentary with ESPN and the Madison Square Garden networks.
Rawson and Fr. McNellis – a decorated infantry officer in the Vietnam War and later a journalist – also will take part in the panel discussion, “Experiencing Vietnam,” at 7 p.m. in Gasson 100. They will be joined by Paul Daley ’63, a naval officer who flew 212 combat missions and received the Distinguished Flying Cross, and James Huse Jr. ’65, who earned a Bronze Star and other honors during two tours in Vietnam. The four will talk about the Vietnam War and its impact on their lives.
Professor of History Seth Jacobs, author of three books about the American experience in Southeast Asia, will moderate the discussion, which will be followed by a Q&A session and reception.
Admission is free, but registration is required to assure seating; go to http://bit.ly/1nqQ7u8. The event is sponsored by Boston College Magazine, the Boston College Veterans Alumni Network and the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.