By Tricia Pursell
November 10, 2009
— SELINSGROVE — Selinsgrove native and Iraq veteran Dan Bisbee knows how important it is for small-town residents to step out and support their country.
“So much of our foreign policy right now is dependent on people who grow up in small-town America,” he said. “They do matter on the world stage.”
Bisbee is managing director of the Bisbee Project, which seeks to develop effective leadership, responsible government and global awareness.
He began the project in 2006, along with his brother, Steven, also an Army veteran.
“We started looking for ways we could continue our service,” Bisbee said.
Through fundraisers and donations, the project gathers money for scholarships for high school seniors who are pursuing a career in the service by enlisting in the Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, attending one the nation’s service academies or entering service in a local, state or federal government agency after graduation.
Now in its third year, Scholarships for Service is awarding 19 scholarships, each worth a couple of hundred dollars, Bisbee said. In addition to the money, the students are selected and then recognized in front of their peers.
“For us, Veterans Day is about paying tribute to the greatest generations that have come before us, but it’s also a moment for us to inspire and encourage the next generation who are going to carry that torch into the future,” he said.
The Bisbee Project also raises money for Preserving Pennsylvania, aimed at historical preservation and natural conservation.
“I have a soft spot in my heart for the Susquehanna Valley,” Bisbee said. “I’m really fond of the place that made me who I am. When I was overseas, it was definitely a place I thought of getting back to very often.”
Bisbee graduated from Selinsgrove Area High School in 1990. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994, he was commissioned an officer in the Army and served at Fort Hood, Texas, as well as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He later received a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he specialized in transatlantic security and intelligence policy.
In 2005, Bisbee returned to active duty to make his first trip to Iraq as an Army officer. He made his second trip to Iraq in 2007 with the U.S. State Department, serving on the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team. He is working on a doctorate in history at the University of Pittsburgh.
Steven Bisbee, president of the Bisbee Project, is a 1993 Selinsgrove graduate. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and served in Bosnia and Kosovo. He later was employed by the Department of Defense and now serves as vice president of S&A Homes Inc., a residential home-building company headquartered in State College.
