All During the Month of October - Donations to Troops in Afghanistan and Iraq
“Project from the Heart” is a volunteer nonprofit group in Connecticut dedicated to enhancing the lives of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan through the delivery of care packages. Packages are sent to individual soldiers identified through www.anysoldier.com.
Please consider donating a personal care or snack item in the bins available at all of the One Book, One Community events or the Danbury Library, WCSU Haas Library or the Danbury High School Media Center. Click on Donations to Troops on the left for more details.
Monday, October 4 – Essay Contest Deadline
Write an essay in which you discuss your greatest life challenge or conflict and the literal and spiritual “things” you “carry” to remind you of, and help you cope with, that challenge. How does Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried help you put your own challenge or conflict into perspective? There are three categories: Danbury High School student, WCSU student, and community adult. A $200 cash prize for the winning essay in each category will be awarded. Winners will also join Tim O’Brien for dinner on Oct. 26. Click on Essay Contest on the left for more details and to submit an essay.
Tuesday, October 5, 7:00 p.m. - Panel Discussion: “Coming Home”
WCSU, Midtown campus, Alumni Hall
A panel discussion featuring veterans from various wars. Individuals will share their experiences transitioning from conflict settings to domestic settings, and how, in some cases, they engaged in this transition more than once.
Thursday, October 7, 7:00 p.m. – Platoon (1986)
WCSU, Midtown campus, Student Center Theater
Director/screenwriter Oliver Stone based his harrowing Vietnam epic on his own experiences there. Charlie Sheen is Chris Taylor, who arrives in Vietnam in 1967 after dropping out of college to volunteer. His psychological and moral progress are influenced by two of his sergeants, Barnes (Tom Berenger) and Elias (Willem Dafoe), who are, respectively, a ruthless, animal-like soldier and a “water-walker” who believes that things have gone too far after a merciless attack on a village where Vietcong have been sighted.
Wednesday, October 13, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Where’s the Pho?
WCSU, Midtown campus, Student Center Dining Hall
Grab your chopsticks and enjoy an authentic Vietnamese lunch. On the menu is Pho, the national soup of Vietnam. Add some traditional garnishes, such as basil, lime, bean sprouts or onions and become a Phonatic—one who loves to eat Pho. Lunch includes a selection of Vietnamese soups, salads, entrees and desserts. Free for WCSU students on the meal plan. $6.95 for all guests.
Thursday, October 14, 7:00 p.m. – The Hurt Locker (2008)
Danbury Library, Farioly Program Room
Based on the personal wartime experiences of journalist Mark Boal, director Kathryn Bigelow's Best Picture Oscar-winning Iraq War thriller presents the conflict from the perspective of soldiers. The members of an elite Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team face the constant threat of death from incoming bombs and sharp-shooting snipers in Baghdad, as well as the danger of dismantling improvised explosive devices. Jeremy Renner, Guy Pearce, and Ralph Fiennes star.
Saturday, October 23, 10:00 a.m. – A Soldier’s Sweetheart (1998)
Bethel Cinema, Greenwood Ave., Bethel, CT
Thomas Michael Donnelly directed this Vietnam drama, adapted from Tim O'Brien's short story, "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," about a group of Vietnam army medics. Rat (Kiefer Sutherland) narrates the tale, seen in flashbacks, of his buddy Fossie (Skeet Ulrich), who manipulates the black-market to import his hometown girlfriend, innocent teen Marianne (Georgina Cates). But Marianne finds the war carnage fascinating, and she becomes involved with a group of Green Berets.
Tuesday, October 26, 7:30 p.m. – Author Talk: Tim O’Brien
WCSU, Midtown campus, Ives Concert Hall
Tim O’Brien will discuss his book, The Things They Carried, and a Q & A with the audience will immediately follow his presentation. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
WCSU will offer CEU credit for this program. Pre-registration is required to earn CEUs. For information call (203) 837-8486.
Thursday, November 11, 12 noon – Community Veteran’s Day Event
WCSU, Midtown campus, Ives Concert Hall
A Celebration of Veteran’s Day. Join a community celebration honoring our veterans with patriotic music performed by WCSU students, remarks commemorating Veteran’s Day and a wreath laying ceremony.
