Bunker Hill Community College Celebrates Veterans Day with Author Sebastian Junger
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker and best-selling author Sebastian Junger, who saw combat while embedded with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, visited Bunker Hill Community College on November 12 in honor of Veterans Day. Junger shared his experiences as a war reporter and filmmaker. He has covered major international news stories for Vanity Fair and ABC News and directed the documentaries Restrepo and Korengal, based on his experiences in Afghanistan.
“We need great storytellers like Sebastian Junger to tell our stories,” said BHCC Student Veterans Organization President John Doyle, who introduced the author of WAR, The Perfect Storm, A Death in Belmont and Fire.
In addition to his auditorium lecture, Junger visited writing and video production classes and enjoyed a luncheon with students prepared by Culinary Arts majors. He also stopped in at the College’s Veterans Center, which provides assistance and support for the College’s approximately 450 military veterans. For more information on BHCC’s Veterans Center, visit bhcc.mass.edu/veterans.
Junger, who grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts, told the audience about finding his calling after a string of jobs that included waiting tables in Harvard Square and trimming trees. He decided to pursue journalism seriously when sidelined by a chainsaw injury at age 30. “If you are excited about what you’re doing, you’ll get good grades,” Junger told the students.
He described writing his best-selling book, The Perfect Storm, between war-reporting journeys to Bosnia and Afghanistan and talked about his forthcoming book Tribe, which portrays the difficulties returning U.S. service members face, including PTSD.
Marc Silvestri, a North Shore Community College student veteran who served in Afghanistan, brought his daughter with him to the talk. “I used Restrepo to prepare for service in Afghanistan,” he told Junger during the question and answer period. “Thank you.”
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About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).