July 8, 2021
Russell Pliley, standing next to a helicopter at a base in Diyarbakir, Turkey, is an Air Force veteran and Western geographic information science student. He received an $1,000 Operation Hat Trick Military Scholarship in November 2020.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. Western Michigan University’s outstanding efforts in aiding the recovery of wounded U.S. combat service members and veterans has been recognized with a donation from a national nonprofit organization.
Operation Hat Trick (OHT) named Western as a finalist for its 2021 Excellence in Service Award and will make a donation to The Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund on the University’s behalf.
Western was one of seven finalists that included Texas A&M University, University of Arizona, George Mason University, North Dakota State University, Utah State University and Clemson University. These schools were chosen based on their efforts to fully integrate OHT on and off their campuses through a presence in their bookstores an