Veterans at Black Hawk College

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month

On Nov. 11, 1918, the armistice that ended World War I was signed. The United States officially recognized this cessation of war as a federal holiday in 1938 as Armistice Day. Eventually after World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day officially became Veterans Day in 1954.

Now, every year on Nov. 11 we proudly honor and celebrate the brave men and women who served our nation with unwavering courage. We especially commemorate those who selflessly gave the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of our life, liberty and happiness. They served as a guiding light and inspired a handful of us to enlist in our nation’s armed forces. Unbeknownst, we walk among some of these brave men and women every day here at Black Hawk College. I wanted to shed light on some of these individuals by interviewing them in celebration of Veterans Day and showcasing some of the activities they are a part of here at Black Hawk College.

Black Hawk College Coordinator of Veterans Services Thomas G. Reagan was a U.S. Marine and served from October 1986 to May 1991. His military occupational specialty (or MOS, the Marine Corps’ term for jobs) was light armored reconnaissance, and he was stationed in Camp Pendleton in California and Okinawa, Japan. Reagan had 10 different deployments during his time in the Marine Corps, including the Middle East. Reagan said his favorite memory was helping liberate Kuwait from Iraq and Saddam Hussein.

Private First Class (PFC) For Give is studying liberal arts. Give enlisted in the Illinois National Guard in 2023 and is a Motor T operator. Give plans on going active duty when he finishes college and said his favorite memory in the Army was graduating Basic Combat Training (BCT, also known as “boot camp”) in May 2024.

Private First Class (PFC) Nay Gay is pursuing his Associate in Arts. Gay enlisted in the Illinois National Guard in 2023 and is an allied tradesman. He plans to graduate from Black Hawk College in 2026 and work at the Rock Island Arsenal. Nay’s contract ends in January 2029, and his favorite memory was graduating Advanced Individual Training (AIT) and arriving at his first unit.

Former Sailor Elijah Reyes is pursuing his Associate in Arts. He plans on transferring to a four-year university after Black Hawk to pursue a major in law. Reyes enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 2019 and finished his contract in late 2022. He was a deck seaman stationed aboard the USS Tortuga (LSD-46) out of Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia. While on board the USS Tortuga, Reyes’ duties included anchoring and steering the ship. Reyes says his favorite memory was spending his free time at Virginia Beach.

Former Sailor Scott Baker is studying visual communications. He enlisted in 1998 and retired from the Navy in 2018. Baker was an information systems technician and began his enlistment stationed in Guam and retired in San Diego. Baker’s duties included communications and cybersecurity among many other things. His favorite memory was the camaraderie with his fellow sailors while in Afghanistan from November 2008 until December 2009.

The Black Hawk College Student Veterans are part of the Quad Cities Student Veteran Advocacy Group (QC SVAG) consisting of other student veterans from St. Ambrose University, Western Illinois University and the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. Once a month, the schools get together and compete in a predetermined event for the Commanders Cup trophy. These events consist of many different activities, including bowling, axe throwing and karaoke to a name a few. This month, the Black Hawk College student veterans won first place and took the trophy home.

The Black Hawk College student veterans also pair up with the QC Optimist Club and put up flags around the Quad Cities for the flag holidays (Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Fourth of July, etc.). On Nov. 8, the students went to the neighborhoods near Two Rivers YMCA in Moline and helped put up 93 flags for Veterans Day. They also enjoyed a Veterans Day BBQ at the Quad-Cities Campus.