Twenty College of the Ozarks students, accompanied by college faculty members, will leave on Friday, May 29, for a trip of a lifetime. They are part of a travel contingent to France that is the result of a unique partnership between The Greatest Generations Foundation (http://www.tggf.us/) a Denver non-profit organization and College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri. The 20 students will accompany a group of 10 D-Day veterans making their first visit back to the invasion site since each of them stepped foot on the beach in June of 1944. For the students, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience and for the veterans, it’s a chance to revisit the places that helped to define their generation.
The students will travel with the ten veterans and staff from T.G.G.F to London before crossing the English Channel and traveling through northern France. They will go from DC to London to Utah Beach, Omaha Beach and Point-Du-Hoc. They will visit the crucial Pegasus Bridge together. On June 6, the contingent will join in the International Commemoration of D-Day. Throughout the journey, a pair of students will team up with a veteran. Each day they will rotate, escorting a new veteran, and learn his story. At night the students will take turns blogging about their experience to be posted Springfield News-Leader website.
“With the help of the great folks at The College of the Ozarks, we’re fulfilling the two prime missions of our organization,” said Timothy Davis, President and Founder of T.G.G.F. “In addition to our mission to get veterans back to their battlefields, we’re all about educating new generations about the World War II era and the men and women who fought in the War. These students joining us on this trip are going to receive an educational experience unlike anything else.”
The College of the Ozarks, located in Point Lookout, Missouri has a history and philosophy very compatible with that of The Greatest Generations Foundation. ”This partnership between The Greatest Generations Foundation and the College of the Ozarks is one that fits neatly into our five-fold mission statement here at the college. The five goals are: Academic, Vocational, Christian, Patriotic and Cultural. Our patriotic goal is to encourage an understanding of American heritage, civic responsibilities, love of country, and willingness to defend it,” stated Jerry C. Davis, President of the College of the Ozarks. “You will not find a more receptive college or university to the message and work of The Greatest Generations Foundation. We are honored to assist the foundation and to have our students accompany these American heroes to the sacred soil of Normandy where they fought and so many gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.”
Follow the group through the students' blogs and picture gallery at:
http://www.news-leader.com/photos/CofONormandy
http://www.News-Leader.com/blogs/CofONormandy
http://thenormandyexperience.com/
Friday, May 29, 2009
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