The sounds of “Folsom Prison Blues” echoed through the Student Union on April Fools’ Day. While live music during activity hour is not unusual, even if it’s from popular Irish musician Finbar Fagan, what may be unusual to some is that he played for free. Fagan offered up his blend of acoustic sounds to the NEIU Student Veteran’s Club at no cost. He said, “Anyone who fights for their country, it stands to reason you have sympathy for them. Especially these vets from Iraq and Vietnam. It’s a worthy cause.”
Fagan, a longtime musician who has played in many Irish music venues, was invited to play for the Veteran’s Club’s first event of the semester by NEIU administrator and Vietnam veteran, Nick Skyba. “When I told him it was for veterans, he refused payment,” said Skyba. “I was blown away by that.” Skyba was the driving force behind the creation of the club, but has taken a more low key role since returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have taken up leadership roles. “I’m here to help them however I can, but I’ve stepped back so the Iraq guys could step up. We have a great group of them that are very active.”
The Veteran’s Club wanted something special for their first event. The music set coincided with a display set up by the club in the Building D, near the counseling office. “It’s basically service memorabilia, deployment pictures, and unit coins,” said Joshua Cruz, a former Marine with two tours in Iraq and current president of the Veteran’s Club.
The club, barely a year old, has ambitious plans to reach out to returning veterans who are attending NEIU. “We have around 900 veterans going to this school and we know how it is when you’re trying to adjust into civilian life, and it’s not easy. Support always helps. We [also] have so many benefits people don’t know about. It’s a shame some of these guys come here for four years and they miss out on some of this stuff,” Cruz said.
Jennifer Bourne, an Air Force veteran and the club’s secretary, agrees about the sense of support the club can bring. Bourne states, “So many coming back still feel camaraderie and a wanting to be in, but their priority is on being a student, so [the club] provides some of that.” She is also enthusiastic about expanding the scope of the club. “Students come up to me and say ‘Oh, I want to participate but I’m not a veteran.'” She continues, “Some of what we want to do is to spread word and get new members, students and faculty as well. You don’t need to be a vet to be in the club.”
The club’s overall goal for special events is to promote support for veterans, inform veterans of the many benefits they have available to them and to commemorate Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day on campus, as well as maintaining the Peace Garden. Skyba said, “The Peace Garden started as a memorial for Iraq and Afghanistan vets and has become neglected. It’s just as important as that flower bed out there for the President.” The club has already received a bench from the Bohemian National Cemetery that they plan to include among the renovations for the garden.
The Veteran’s Club will host another musical performance and information session on April 17. Justin Faifer, NEIU student, veteran and singer/songwriter will perform with his band, Standard Audio Density. More information on the Veteran’s Club can be found on their NEIUport group page and more information on Finbar Fagan can be found on his website, www.paddygoez.com.