UND honors generations of military service ahead of Veterans Day
Military History Display reception highlights UND’s longstanding ties to armed forces and experiences of veterans
Artifacts, photographs and personal stories spanning generations of military service were on display at UND’s Memorial Union Gallery on Monday, Nov. 2, as members of the campus community gathered to recognize the University’s military history ahead of Veterans Day.
The reception celebrated UND’s second annual Military History Display, which honors the students, faculty, staff and alumni whose service has helped shape the University and its community.
The exhibit brings together historical artifacts and military memorabilia alongside artwork by local veterans. Among the items on display are the ceremonial dress sword of Marine 2nd Lt. Carleton Elliott “Sim” Simensen, a UND alumnus killed during Pearl Harbor, and military uniforms from World War II and UND’s military training programs.
Angie Carpenter, director of UND Veteran & Military Services, said the exhibition represents only a small portion of UND’s military history, which stretches back to the University’s earliest years.
New this year, the exhibit had a section dedicated to stories of current UND students deployed around the world, which sat alongside historical artifacts and memorabilia from former UND President Tom Clifford, a decorated World War II veteran.
Speaking at the reception, UND President Andrew Armacost traced the University’s military heritage to its second president, Homer Sprague, a Civil War veteran who established military training on campus.
Armacost also pointed to the reminders of military service throughout campus, including the Memorial Union and the former Memorial Stadium, which was originally built to honor those who died in World War I.
Today, UND serves more than 2,000 military-affiliated students, including veterans, active-duty personnel, ROTC cadets and military family members.
Armacost, a retired Air Force brigadier general who served 30 years on active duty, also praised the contributions of Arts for Vets, noting the important role of artistic outlets and exhibitions in the community.
“We’re not robots; we’re human beings, and celebrating art really matters,” he said.
Military memories through art
Alongside the historical displays, artwork by local veterans provided a contemporary perspective on military life through a collaboration with Grand Forks nonprofit Arts for Vets.
Among the featured artists was Leighton Hart, a Crookston resident who served in the Marine Corps from 2021 to 2025.
Her acrylic painting, “Convoy Thru 29,” depicts armored vehicles traveling along a winding desert highway beneath a shining California sun. The scene was inspired by her time stationed at Twentynine Palms, Calif., where she and her husband would occasionally leave early on Saturday mornings to visit the beaches near San Diego.
Along the way, they would encounter convoys from her husband’s battalion, playfully exchanging honks and shouts as they passed by.
Hart, who connected with Arts for Vets after discovering the organization at a Grand Forks art fair, said exhibiting her work gives others an opportunity to see a side of veterans they might not otherwise encounter.
“I think it’s really fun to let people maybe see a side of you that they normally wouldn’t see and to give them a chance to understand you,” she said.
During her remarks at the reception, executive director of Arts for Vets Kimberly Forness Wilson, thanked UND for continuing its partnership with the organization and providing veteran artists opportunities to share their work.
“Having this opportunity to be seen on UND campus makes everybody sparkle in a different way,” Wilson said. “We want to be seen.”
Veterans Day observances continue
UND’s recognition of military service will continue this week with several events leading up to Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
In addition to a Military Student Experience panel on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the University, UND ROTC and the UND Alumni Association & Foundation will host a Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Gransberg Community Room at the Gorecki Alumni Center.
The Veteran Day ceremony is free and open to the public, with refreshments to follow. At 11 a.m., a Disabled American Veterans ceremony will be held at at Memorial Park
UND’s Military History Display will remain open in the Memorial Union Gallery through Friday, Nov. 13.
