Eastern Oregon University commemorates Veterans Day

LA GRANDE — A quiet crowd gathered around the flagpole on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Eastern Oregon University for an early commemoration of Veterans Day. Assistant professor of history Paul Nauert opened the ceremony. He began his address from the perspective of a professor before taking off his “professorial hat” to speak to everyone from the heart. “You do not need a historian to tell you that the world wars did not end all wars,” Nauert said. “War remains a central aspect of world politics. War has been a central fact for human history.” But is war intrinsic to humans? Nauert dedicates an entire class to this question — and others philosopher Thomas Hobbes raised — every other year. As a professor, Nauert said, his job is to help students develop skills in reading, thinking and research. While in the classroom, he keeps his own views to himself, so students can form their own conclusions and come to their own answers on the questions.

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