Boots on the Sound: Military – Civilian Divide

This first Boots on the Sound forum will focus on the civilian military draft and the all-volunteer force, raising the question of one’s duty to their country.  For this forum, Boots on the Sound welcomes Major General (Ret.) Dennis Laich, a citizen, a soldier, and a patriot. Major General Laich will give a presentation discussing selected chapters in his book, Skin In The Game…Poor Kids And Patriots. His talk will set out to shed light on answering the questions, whose skin? and what is the game? His presentation will be followed by a panel discussion between members of the civilian and veteran communities, moderated by Nick Grimes.

About Major General Dennis Laich

Major General Dennis Laich retired from the United States Army in 2006 after more than thirty-five years service. His last assignment was Commander of the 94th Regional Readiness Command at Fort Devans, Mass. where he commanded all Army Reserve forces in the six New England states. For the last fourteen consecutive years of his career he served in command positions. He has served in Iraq, Kuwait, Germany, the Netherlands, and Honduras. He is a graduate of the Army War College, the Command and General Staff College, and the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at Harvard University. His military awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He is a graduate of Lafayette College and holds two masters degrees. He currently serves as the Director of the Patriots Program at Ohio Dominican University and is the author of Skin in the Game….Poor Kids and Patriots.

About the Artist Residency

Originally launched in 2019 as an artist residency with Ricardo Iamuuri Robinson, the RethinkVets residency has responded to the COVID-19 crisis through new engagement strategies. Robinson redeveloped the engagement phase of the project to include web-based interviews and sound recording workshops. Dubbed Boots on the Sound: COVID-19, the virtual engagement strategy allowed Robinson and local veterans to stay connected and continue to design a final creative project. The three forums will continue this important dialogue while informing Robinson’s creative process, culminating in a public art exhibition to be installed at the 2022 Three Rivers Arts Festival.

Registration

This event is free with advance registration. This event will be held online via Zoom. The registration button below will redirect you to Eventbrite where you complete your registration. After registering, please check your email for confirmation and steps to join the meeting.