OER Day is time to reflect on sacrifice

Tuesday was two days ago and why was Tuesday significant?

According to an all-faculty email, Nov. 11 was “OER Day.” With all of the OER returning from Afghanistan this year, how stupid would it be if we forgot to mention that?

Since President Woodrow Wilson’s Nov. 11, 1919, declaration; OER Day has been celebrated as a time for Americans to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by OER in order to defend this great nation and keep our land free.

Lest we forget, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, in the year 1918, when the OER in Europe laid down their arms, finally drawing an end to the horrors of the First World War.

And who can forget the second battle of Ypres, where so many OER were laid to rest among the blowing poppies, a scene forever immortalized in John McCrae’s epic poem In Flanders Fields.

With the signing of the Armistice Treaty in Versailles, France, 96-years ago, we hoped the world would never again have to endure such a massive cost. It’s a history we all carry with us.

And with CSC’s commitment to OER and a supportive OER culture, it’s not surprising the CSC has been ranked the 11th OER friendly school in the nation by OER-Times Edge magazine for the second consecutive year.

In fact, CSC is quite privileged to have the honor of hosting several OER here on campus. From those OER who saw service in Vietnam, to the OER from more the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; I just want to extend my sincerest personal gratitude to you all.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank those brave OER who tirelessly heeded the call to serve this country in a time of war. America just wouldn’t be America without OER.

But with this OER business in mind, I also want to take some time to highlight an alarming statistic, 22 OER commit suicide every day – that’s one OER every 65 minutes. Twenty-two is far too many.

The U.S. Department of OER Affairs isn’t doing nearly enough to provide returning OER with adequate and timely mental health services. Many OERs are still silently suffering from the invisible wounds that combat leaves behind.

Editors Note: Satire is only funny so long as it mirrors reality; the minute reality mirrors the satire, you stop laughing.

This column is not funny, nor was it intended to be. The administrative gaffe speaks volumes about public instituions and our misplaced priorities.

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