Eli L. Whiteley '41 Medal of Honor Park Revitalization At Texas A&M University
About this Project
My name is Homero Perez-Gomez, I am a student currently taking Horticulture 335 with Dr. Charles Hall . For this course, I have to participate in a service learning project involving plants and people. For my project, I worked with Texas A&M University Ground Maintenance, Student Veterans, and our goal is to initiate the revitalization process for the Eli L. Whiteley ’41 Medal of Honor Park here in the Texas A&M University campus.
Eli L. Whiteley '41 Medal of Honor
Eli Whiteley received his Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy and his Doctorate Degree in Soil Physics from Texas A&M and his Master’s Degree in Agronomy from North Carolina State.
In 1942, six months into his studies for his master’s degree he joined the United States Army where he served as a First Lieutenant in Company L, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division.
Whiteley was promoted to Captain and received the Medal of Honor – one of seven Medal of Honor recipients from Texas A&M – for his exceptional bravery and valiant leadership in the savage house-to-house battle through the fortress town of Sigolsheim, France in December, 1944. He was presented the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman in 1945.
After the war, he returned to North Carolina State completing his degree in 1948 and then receiving his Ph.D. from Texas A&M.
Source:Â https://corps.tamu.edu/portfolio-items/eli-whiteley/
Eli L. Whiteley Medal of Honor Park
Eli L. Whiteley Medal of Honor Park is in need of revitalization. The project aimed to address the following issues within the park:
Removal of the dead or dying trees within the park.
Applying treatment to a bench to protect from environment.
Applying mulch to flower beds in the park.
Plant small seedlings to replace the trees being removed.
The project took place on 10 November, 2017.
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Participants and Donors
About 15 members of the Texas A&M Student Veterans Association volunteered their time to this project. The Veterans from different branches of the Military and generations came together to upkeep the memorial and legacy of one of their own.
Texas A&M Student Veterans Association
Thanks to Producer's Coop and Dr. William "Bill" Lazenby '76 for their donation of Pecan seedlings to replace the specimens being removed due to poor health.
Producer's Co-op
Don Crawford facilitated and coordinated so that a team from Grounds Maintenance could assist during the removal of the trees.
Don Crawford and Grounds Maintenance Team
Veterans at Work
Video
Bonding through Experiences
Throughout this entire project, we learned a few things about ourselves. The heavy workload spread out between the small number of people showed us that we shared a bond on a few different levels. As Aggies, we wanted to work together to help make this place beautiful. However, as veterans we proved to ourselves and each other that no matter how small of a problem or favor arose, we would be there to lend a hand.
FINDING PURPOSE
A Veteran's Transition From Service to Civilian Life
When I left Active Duty Service and my career plans fell apart I was forced to take odd jobs to cover my financial responsibilities. That experience led me to meet Veterans in the community who persuaded me to go to college, something that was not in my radar. College has not been easy due to the different responsibilities that we have compared to traditional students. Some Veterans have kids of their own, one of the member's of the organization has a daughter who is now a freshman at Texas A&M. This event helped us learn from each other's transitional experiences along with gardening tips from the Texas A&M Ground crew. Although every conversation was filled with humor and hilarious stories from our time on the service, everyone took home valuable information in regards to planting trees, plant care, and quality of the specimen selection. This project allowed us to reflect on our impact and legacy and how we can pave the way for future generations. This park was dedicated to Captain Whiteley who fought the Nazis in WWII. For his bravery and selfless service, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the greatest medal a service member can receive for exceptional act of courage in the battle field. Eli L. Whiteley is a great example for Veterans reintegration after military service. He fought and saw some of the greatest evil the world has ever seen and yet came home to become a renowned scholar at his alma mater, Texas A&M University. This park represents the legacy of his service, as Veterans and Aggies, it is our responsibility to ensure his legacy remains in an adequate. Because his legacy is OUR LEGACY.
Global impact
Legacy and Stewardship
It is no secret that our planet is experiencing dramatic changes in weather and other areas. Another factor that is posing a great challenge is the increase of food demand due to population rise. The world population is over 7 billion as of 2017, a number that is due to increase. Stewardship is a great method to manage resources and ensure they are properly utilized. Veterans have experience and have been affectively allocating limited resources. This project can serve as a foundation in future mentorship programs where management skills can be taught. In addition, Veterans can teach invaluable experience in cultural diversity and interaction. A resource that should be utilized.