Spring Break
UA ROTC recognizes war veterans
Larry Burge
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: News
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The UA Air Force ROTC Color Guard posted and retired the Colors Monday evening at the annual Veteran's Recognition Banquet at Fayetteville's Butterfield Trail Village Retirement Community. The banquet was held to honor all U.S. war veterans. The veterans in attendance had served during the WWI, WWII, Korean or Vietnam Conflicts.
"We are also honoring some of the employees at Butterfield Trail Village who have recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan wars," said Raki Stamps, the Butterfield Trail Village program director.
The event has grown in number every year for the past 20 years that she has organized and hosted the Veteran's Recognition Program, Stamps said. "We're a non profit facility sponsored by five Fayetteville churches," she said.
Butterfield Trail Village is an active senior community, Stamps said. "We're a 21-year-young facility. And many of our residents are retired area business people and retired from the UA."
Among the war veterans was Fred Vorsanger, UA manager at Bud Walton Arena. "I've been at the university for 40 years," Vorsanger said.
Jim Carpenter was one of about 40,000 soldiers who stormed Utah beach on the French coast on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Carpenter said his unit lost about 750 soldiers on Utah Beach before he moved inland against the German resistance.
Carpenter's WWII paraphernalia, on display in the Butterfield Trail lobby, indicated that he fought his way through Utah beach on D-Day to Leipziz Germany, where as a communications wire officer, he removed a large German flag from a flag pole atop a Mersersmeit factory and brought it home.
Decorated for his bravery under fire, the longtime Springdale resident said he was born and raised in South Dakota and went to Kansas City to join his wife Tina after the war's end.
Tina Carpenter said they had decided to move to a small town because she had been born and raised around Seligman, Mo. She said her dad convinced them to come to Springdale.
"We are also honoring some of the employees at Butterfield Trail Village who have recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan wars," said Raki Stamps, the Butterfield Trail Village program director.
The event has grown in number every year for the past 20 years that she has organized and hosted the Veteran's Recognition Program, Stamps said. "We're a non profit facility sponsored by five Fayetteville churches," she said.
Butterfield Trail Village is an active senior community, Stamps said. "We're a 21-year-young facility. And many of our residents are retired area business people and retired from the UA."
Among the war veterans was Fred Vorsanger, UA manager at Bud Walton Arena. "I've been at the university for 40 years," Vorsanger said.
Jim Carpenter was one of about 40,000 soldiers who stormed Utah beach on the French coast on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Carpenter said his unit lost about 750 soldiers on Utah Beach before he moved inland against the German resistance.
Carpenter's WWII paraphernalia, on display in the Butterfield Trail lobby, indicated that he fought his way through Utah beach on D-Day to Leipziz Germany, where as a communications wire officer, he removed a large German flag from a flag pole atop a Mersersmeit factory and brought it home.
Decorated for his bravery under fire, the longtime Springdale resident said he was born and raised in South Dakota and went to Kansas City to join his wife Tina after the war's end.
Tina Carpenter said they had decided to move to a small town because she had been born and raised around Seligman, Mo. She said her dad convinced them to come to Springdale.
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