Tag: the Vietnam War

This Day in Bonaventure History

By Joe Pinter, News Editor, @JPinter93

October 31, 1986

The Veterans Memorial was built to take the place of the WWII memorial. This new monument honored veterans from WWII, theKorean War and the Vietnam War.

It was on this day that the memorial was dedicated.

Maj. Gen. John Henderson Mitchell, a 1956 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, was the dedication speaker. He was a commanding general of the United States forces in West Berlin at the time of the dedication.

Bonaventure, the National Alumni Board and graduates of the ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) funded the construction of the memorial. The memorial originally stood between Devereux Hall and the post office.

In 2000, it was moved because of the addition the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Its current location is near the west entrance of the Reilly Center.

pinterjo11@bonaventure.edu

This Day in Bonaventure History

By Joe Pinter, News Editor, @JPinter93

October 10, 1969

The Vietnam War has been referred to as one of the darkest periods in our country’s history.

There were violent protests at schools across the country.

All across the nation, college students that had been drafted were burning their draft cards in protest to the war and the mandatory draft itself. This happened often at St. Bonaventure University although it is unknown exactly how many Bonaventure students participated.

The Oct. 10, 1969 issue of The Bona Venture featured a story about David James Edward Aud. Aud graduated the previous year and had been student president. He believed that war and killing were immoral. Because of this, he did not wish to fulfill his military duty.

Aud was denied an appeal, and he decided to “wait it out” in Boston until he received a draft notice and faced arrest. The BV focused mainly on Aud’s story instead of the students burning draft cards. This was a display of Bonaventure’s emphasis on peace.

pinterjo11@bonaventure.edu