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Veterans Read Poetry At Southeast

Southeast Missouri State University

Nine veterans from five states read their own poetry and essays at a recognition reception at Southeast Missouri State University Wednesday night.

Military personnel and veterans’ family members also read their works. The writings are part of a collection entitled “Proud To Be: Writing By American Warrior, Volume 1,” published by Southeast Missouri State University Press.

Tim Leach is a veteran who served in Vietnam. He has always written poetry, and realized that this project was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to be a part of.

“And I knew from the beginning that there was really a unique energy to it, that a lot of sometimes more academic projects don’t have,” Leach said. “There was an element of outreach to it, and a kind of sincerity about it that really appealed to me. And it’s been very stimulating to me at a time when I needed some stimulation.”

Levi Bollinger fought in Iraq , and he says the veteran community is a great thing to be involved in.

“I think more than anything it has let me meet a lot of veterans, not only from , you know, the Iraq conflict and Afghanistan, but also from Vietnam and also World War II,” Bollinger said. “You get to meet a lot of veterans from a lot of different places.”

Bollinger says that this anthology is a great way to bring veterans together so they can share their stories.

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