Manhattanville College's 'My Soldier' Bracelet Program Flashes Back to Vietnam War Er

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Manhattanville College's 'My Soldier' Bracelet Program Flashes Back to Vietnam War Era


PURCHASE, N.Y., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Manhattanville College President Richard A. Berman and active U.S. Army Sargeant Juan Salas - who also is a Manhattanville student - will announce a new program, called My Soldier, at a November 10th press conference at 11:30am. The conference that will take place on the eve of Veteran's Day in Reid Castle's West Room on the Manhattanville campus will feature the distribution of the first set of bracelets.

The program, a student initiative lead by Juan Salas puts politics aside and lets soldiers know that someone back home cares. Salas served for almost two years in Iraq, where he saw active combat duty and was commended for his part in saving the life of a child. Though the experience changed his life, today Salas is back home on campus, playing soccer and going to class. For Salas, the My Soldier program is a way to give something to his fellow soldiers.

"Juan thinks about the basic needs of the members of his platoon every day," said Berman, who was determined to find a way for Manhattanville to help. Together, and with the help of other students and Manhattanville staff, Berman and Salas devised the new initiative.

When students enroll in the My Soldier program, they agree to adopt a soldier as a pen pal. They receive a "starter kit" containing guidelines for letter writing and care package preparation, a red My Soldier bracelet, and a specially designed My Soldier baseball hat to include with the first letter they send to their deployed United States Armed Serviceperson.

My Soldier is reminiscent of the POW/MIA bracelet program that was launched on Veteran's Day, 1970. That campaign was the brainchild of two college students in Los Angeles, who were looking for ways young people could support soldiers overseas without becoming involved in the controversy surrounding the war. Manhattanville's particular program is born from the college's mission to "educate ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community." It is also a natural outgrowth of the college's commitment to empower students to be passionate and to pursue their dreams to make the world a better place.

"For some young people, the POW bracelets represented a political awakening," said Berman, who was a college student at the University of Michigan during the Vietnam War. "That's what we hope will happen at Manhattanville and across the country. Wearing the bracelet will be a reminder that serviceman are making sacrifices for democracy right now."

Juan simply hopes to get the message out about the dignity and conviction of his comrades, who he witnessed firsthand. "I want to reach out to guys that I know, members of a platoon I served in, to let them know somebody back home is thinking about them. Somebody back home cares."

Manhattanville College is located at 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, New York.

For program information contact the Community Relations Office at 914-323-5172 or via mysoldier@mville.edu

Manhattanville College is an independent and coeducational liberal arts institution with a diverse body of 1500 undergraduate and 1000 graduate students from 53 nations and 37 states. The 100-acre campus is located 45 minutes from New York City. Manhattanville offers more than 50 undergraduate areas of study. Due to generous financial aid and scholarships, many Manhattanville students are the first in their families to attend college. Visit http://www.mville.edu for more information about the college.

Website: http://www.mville.edu/