OLEAN, N.Y. — SUNY Jamestown Community College is hosting military panel discussions titled “My Service Experience: A Sharing from Three Local Veterans in Honor of Veteran’s Day” on Nov. 10.
Sponsored by Olean’s African American Center for Cultural Development, the events are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in Cutco Theater on JCC’s Cattaraugus County Campus. They are free and open to the public.
Moderated by Della Moore, founder and executive director of the African American Center for Cultural Development, the panel discussions will feature three military veterans who reside in the region: Brigadier General Arthur Austin, retired United States Army; Sergeant First Class Martin McCall, retired United States Army; and Matt Milliner of the United States Marine Corps.
“Each serviceman will talk about his service,” Moore said. “How he got into service, what drew him to the service, what he did in the service, and what the service has done for him.”
“These are wonderful people who we know and who live here,” she added. “They have this great experience and are willing to share it.”
Moore with Paula Snyder, executive director of JCC’s Cattaraugus County Campus, organized the panel to honor veterans and inform the public of their experiences in the U.S. military.
“The three panelists have fascinating accounts from their time in the military to share,” Snyder said. “We’re honored to be hosting this event with Della and the African American Center. We’re expecting a great turnout, just as we had for the Juneteenth Colored Musicians Club presentation with their president Mr. Danny Williams on campus.”
Moore said the event will include a question and answer opportunity for the audience and refreshments to follow. The afternoon session will be geared toward students on campus and the evening to the general public, Moore added.
Austin, a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army, served from 1977 to 2014. The native of Detroit held various positions in operations and intel at the battalion and brigade levels.
Austin mobilized during the 1980 Cuban Refugee Crisis, in December 1990 for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, in 2003 to Guantanamo Bay Cuba for Operation Enduring Freedom, in 2005 for Operation Katrina/Rita, and in 2008 for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He holds a bachelor’s in Social Science from Michigan State University, a master’s in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the Army War College. Austin is also a graduate of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government National Preparedness Leadership course and is an inductee in the Michigan State University ROTC Spartan Battalion Hall of Fame.
Austin lived in Southfield, Michigan for more than 25 years before moving to Cuba with his wife Karen.
McCall is also retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of active duty. A sergeant first class, he served the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea, and the 3rd Armored Division in Germany. His final stop was as a station commander and U.S. Army recruiter in Olean.
After retiring from the service in 1997, McCall worked for Time Warner Cable/Spectrum in sales and marketing until 2019.
McCall, a native of Spotsylvania, Virginia, is a drummer for the “The Basement Blues Band” in his spare time.
Milliner served in aviation for the U.S. Marine Corps. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and Quantico, Virginia, where he was part of Marine Helicopter Squadron One, HMX-1.
Milliner was born in Hornell and returned there for high school after moving with his family to Cincinnati and Atlanta. He attended Alfred State for college.
Milliner now owns and operates a barber shop in Bradford.
