Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold, a 1981 University of Arkansas graduate and vice commander, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command in Washington, D.C., will be the keynote speaker for the RazorVets: Celebrating Veterans banquet at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 in the Arkansas Union Verizon Ballroom.
The event, in its second year, is hosted by the Arkansas Alumni Association and the U of A Veterans Resource and Information Center. It is sponsored by Woodmen of the World and Curt Munson ’74 and Bruce Munson ’71 in honor of Oliver ‘Ollie’ Campbell ’69. All three gentlemen are Vietnam veterans.
“It’s our way of thanking our faculty, staff, students and alumni for their military service and their commitment to the University of Arkansas,” said Erika Gamboa, director of the Veterans Resource and Information Center. “We started this new tradition last year and received great feedback from those who attended. This year, the event will be held in the Verizon Ballroom, which will accommodate more people. It will be a great way for our past and current service members to meet one another and share their story.”
Heithold will talk about his own military experiences and his responsibilities of planning, coordinating and executing actions with the office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the services and other government agencies in the national capital on behalf of the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Heithold enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1974 and spent three years at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico as an F-4D avionics technician. He was commissioned in 1981 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the University of Arkansas. He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and agency levels, including the 451st Air Expeditionary Group in Southwest Asia. His staff assignments include positions on the Air Staff and a unified command staff. Prior to his current assignment, he was commander, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Heithold is a master navigator with more than 3,400 flight hours in the C-130, AC-130H and MC-130P.
To register for the banquet, go to arkansasalumni.org/RazorVets2013. The RSVP deadline is Nov. 12. For more information, please contact Erika Gamboa at egamboa@uark.edu or 479-575-8742.