For 20 years the city of Emporia has annually played host to military service personnel from across the world with the latest visit taking place Wednesday.
Members of the 2024 Fort Leavenworth Command and General Staff College, representing 94 countries, stopped in Emporia to visit both the All Veterans Memorial and American Legion Post 5. The purpose of the annual visit to Emporia is to educate college participants on the history of Veterans Day, the definition of a veteran and the agencies and organizations that serve and honor veterans across the country such as the American Legion.
For Leftenant Colonel Aldene Whyte of Jamaica, the amount of service required in the US for an individual to be considered a veteran- at least one day with an honorable discharge- stood out to her immediately.
Major Semi Baravilala (Bar-uh-vih-lala) of Fiji says they have associations like the American Legion back in Fiji, however, he believes their work can always be improved. He says he plans to take what he has learned in Emporia back home to help do just that.
The CGSC is a graduate school for the United States Army, interagency representatives, sister service officers, and international military. After completing the program, graduates receive a Master of Military Art and Science Degree.
In addition to being a great learning opportunity for participants, German Armed Forces Leftenant Colonel Steffen Rohwedder says the CGSC is a “one-of-a-kind opportunity” that illustrates how there is always a “middle ground” to be found with international relations.
Among the better than 90 countries that are taking part in this year’s CGSC program, two are making a return after a multi-decade absence while one was participating for the very first time. Among the returning nations was Peru which has not attended the program since 2001.
Representing Peru was Peruvian Army Lieutenant Colonel John Gavidia (Guh-Vee-Dee-Uh). Gavidia was impressed by the amount of love and support shown for veterans both nationally and especially locally in Emporia.
Wednesday’s visit in Emporia was a timely one for Gavidia as his country is in the process of trying to improve the recognition shown to their veterans.
Also making a return to the program was the country of Switzerland which has not participated since the 1990s. Representing Switzerland was Lieutenant Colonel Gulian Grand who tells KVOE News being in America has provided an opportunity to learn and explore new ideas and approaches to common problems that exist around the globe.
Participating in the program for the first time is the country of Angola represented by Lieutenant Colonel Arão (Aaron) Daniel. Daniel says he is honored to be the first Angolan to attend the program and sees it as an opportunity to bring firsthand knowledge of the American culture back to his country, which he believes is necessary to strengthen understanding and cooperation between cultures.
Click here for a YouTube short of Wednesday’s visit
Photos by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE News
