TWC hosted a special Veterans Day Presentation featuring Command Sergeant Major (CSM) James Bartell, a veteran in the US Army Reserve, who spoke to the Political Leadership, Cordova, and Advocacy, Service and Arts (ASA) programs at the Blinken Auditorium.
During his heartfelt presentation, CSM Bartell showcased a slideshow of family and professional photos in addition to discussing his tours of duty abroad and how they affected his family life. With over 30 years of service to the U.S., he explained his definition of a true veteran, saying it is: "someone who has earned the respect of the country he or she has fought for and I think we need to do more in honoring them." He also noted the care of returning veterans needs to be improved as well.
After his presentation, CSM Bartell took questions from fall interns interested in his personal experience. Victoria Wood, ASA fall intern and student at UMass Dartmouth [1], asked about what is being done to address issues like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among women in the military. CSM Bartell informed Victoria that women are just as equipped as men to be wonderful public servants in the military. The main thing to note is the "clear difference between how females and males think," both emotionally and psychologically.
Derek Cantu, Political Leadership fall intern and student at Bradley University [2], asked about a possible U.S. Intervention in Syria. While CSM Bartell personally believes that there should be an intervention, especially with the genocide issue, his opinion may not necessarily reflect those held by the top military leadership.
Steven Mailloux, Political Leadership intern and student at Westfield State University [3], was intrigued by the fact that CSM Bartell worked within military intelligence. Steven asked about the type of intelligence that he had worked with. It ranged everywhere "from human to electronic intelligence. Intelligence is actually not the most exciting field to be in because every commander on the ground has their need to know items," highlighting the challenges in the field.
A career in the military has been a goal of CSM Bartell since the age of 10. In the end though, his duty has been both fulfilling and meaningful, despite the difficulties it's brought to both he and his family. TWC would like to thank him for sharing his inspirational story with our fall interns!
