Brothers and Veterans Inspire Others to Serve
Nov 11, 2009
by Jen Golding
StateCollege.com
Somewhere in the mosh pit of trailers and RVs at Saturday’s pre-game tailgate, surrounded by cheering fans and loud music, the people gathered at the “Biz-Hub” RV hung their heads in silence.
The veteran brothers, who grew up in Central Pennsylvania, agree that there is a short distance between the cutting edge of American foreign policy and small town Pennsylvania.
“The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the largest contingents serving overseas, therefore a huge amount of diplomatic effort is done by people from small town Pennsylvania,” said Dan Bisbee.
Dan majored in history at The University of Pennsylvania, where he enrolled in the Army ROTC program. Upon graduation in 1994, he was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Army. He served at Fort Hood, Texas, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. When he completed his active duty service, Dan received his master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for transatlantic security and intelligence policy.
In 2005, Dan returned to active duty when he was called to serve in Iraq to work with city officials in Baghdad on reconstruction. He returned home in 2006, but was asked by the State Department to come back in a similar capacity in 2007-2008. He returned to Central Pennsylvania in the summer of 2008. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh and working on a dissertation that connects the long-term history of Baghdad to the current efforts of the U.S. government of counterinsurgency and foreign policy.
Steve said his experience in the military changed him as well.
“I was overseas for every single holiday. I didn’t have a family at the time, but I witnessed how hard it was for people who did to be apart from their families, yet they were committed to serving their country,” he said. “I realized it’s important to make societies less stable than ours more stable.”
After graduating in 1997, Steve was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Army. He spent four years in active duty service, where he was based in Fort Hood, Texas, but served in overseas missions in Bosnia and Kosovo.
Fort Hood is the site of the mass shooting that occurred last Thursday in which 13 people were killed and 28 wounded by an Army psychiatrist facing deployment to Afghanistan.“I spent four of my best years stationed in Fort Hood,” Steve reflected. “We need to take a moment to honor those victims and all civil servants.”
In 2001, Steve left military service to work on civilian assignments with the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. Three years later, he moved back to Central Pennsylvania and received a master’s degree in business administration from Penn State University. He is now vice president of S&A Homes Inc., a residential home-building company based in State College.
In 2006, Steve paired up with Dan to start the Bisbee Project, a nonprofit organization which seeks to recognize young leaders in high school who could make good government servants. Scholarships for Service is an important aspect of the project, which awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are enrolling in Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, or a service academy after graduation.
So far, 19 scholarships through 11 high schools have been awarded to exceptional students who plan to pursue a military or government service career. Dan and Steve disagree with the belief that our current generation of Americans isn’t up to our current generation of problems.
“We need to forge a path to the future,” said Steve. “To do that, we need to underscore the importance of service at any capacity.”
Steve and Dan were inspired by their experiences as officers in the U.S. Army at the forefront of American foreign policy. Because their service is such a big part of who they are, the idea behind the Bisbee Project is how to serve the community without being in uniform.
“We want our experiences as veterans to always be present with us,” said Dan. “However long you spend in a service career, it will always have an impact on you. It will greatly help you become a better citizen regardless of where you end up. That’s what our society needs right now.”
Dan believes smart citizenship means awareness of issues and the world around us and a commitment to making positive actions. That’s why the Bisbee Project awards scholarships to not only aspiring military personnel, but to motivated students who demonstrate an interest in government and community service.
“The call to service and volunteer is an important rallying cry,” said Dan. “The government should encourage more service no matter what level it’s on. It all makes a positive impact.”
Dan and Steve awarded the first scholarship to a student from their own alma mater. Since then, they have branched out to other high schools through relationships with rotary clubs and colleagues.
The scholarship money comes from private donations from like-minded individuals interested in encouraging the next generation of young leaders in Pennsylvania. Dan and Steve hold fundraising campaigns every year.
“But it’s not about the money,” said Steve. “It’s about the recognition. It’s special for them and for us.”
One of those veterans was Dan and Steve’s father, Fred Bisbee, a retired U.S. Army ranger.
“He is an example of someone whose career in the military provided a model to take inspiration from,” said Steve.
Fred believes his sons are doing a “tremendous job” with the Bisbee Project.
“The Bisbee Project is a good opportunity for kids to learn about the military,” said Spiller after being presented with the football. Spiller plans to enter the Army Nurse Corps upon graduation.
The most recent scholarship recipients were also recognized at the tailgate. Brothers Michael and Zachary Sunday graduated from Bellefonte High School last year and are currently freshmen at Penn State. Michael and Zachary are both majoring in Crime, Law, and Justice.
Dan and Steve’s future plan for the Bisbee Project is to spread through all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, recognizing and honoring students from every county with scholarship money. They are dedicated to communicating stories of people dedicated to service and using those stories to inspire young people to continue servicing our country.
“The ultimate objective is to give former veterans the opportunity to mentor future veterans,” said Steve. “I’m sure many kids have questioned their involvement in military or government service, so we need to create a supportive network and encourage kids to give service a shot.”
Photos by Victoria Magliaro.
