Southern Miss to Present the 2023 Lt. Col. John H. Dale Sr. Distinguished Lecture in International Security and Global Policy
Mon, 02/27/2023 - 08:47am | By: Dr. Heather M. Stur
鈥淭he General and the Journalist: A Look Back at Iraq 2003 with General Buford 鈥楤uff鈥� Blount and Ted Koppel.鈥�
The Dale Center for the Study of War & Society at SWAG视频 is pleased to announce that legendary 鈥淣ightline鈥� anchor and war correspondent Ted Koppel will join General Buford 鈥淏uff鈥� Blount for a conversation looking back on the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the invasion and capture of Baghdad resulting in the collapse of Saddam Hussein鈥檚 regime.
The event will take place on Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 6 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium on the Southern Miss Hattiesburg campus. It is free and open to the public.
Koppel was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Iraq and advance to Baghdad. During that time, Koppel got to know Blount and observe his leadership as he commanded 鈥渢he tip of the spear鈥� as the 3rd Infantry Division was known. Koppel and Blount will reflect on the division鈥檚 drive to Baghdad, the famous 鈥渢hunder runs鈥� into the heart of the city, and the division鈥檚 role in the postwar occupation of Iraq. Dr. Heather Stur, Dale Center co-director, will moderate the conversation. Stur is the author of 21 Days to Baghdad: General Buford Blount and the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division in the Iraq War, which will be out this spring with Osprey Publishing.
The Lt. Col. John H. Dale Sr. Distinguished Lecture Series in International Security and Global Policy honors the late Lt. Col. John H. Dale, Sr., a career U.S. Army Officer who served in World War II and the Korean War and earned the Bronze Star. Lt. Col. Dale held a graduate degree from Southern Miss and later served as professor of military studies for the University鈥檚 Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program.
The lecture series is made possible through a generous donation by Southern Miss alumna Dr. Beverly Dale, in honor of her late father.
Previous speakers in the series include:
- Dan Rather, CBS news anchor and war correspondent (2019)
- General David H. Petraeus, U.S. Army, Retired (2017)
- Dr. Robert M. Gates, Former Secretary of Defense, CIA Director (2014)
- Madeleine Albright, Former Secretary of State (2010)
- Wyche Fowler, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (2008)
During more than 50 years that he has worked as a professional journalist, Koppel has embodied the term 鈥渆ye-witness to history.鈥� As war correspondent, Koppel covered the conflicts in Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, and he reported on the collapse of the Soviet Union as the only reporter inside the Kremlin with Mikhail Gorbachev. In 2003, Koppel was an embedded correspondent and 鈥淣ightline鈥� anchor during the invasion of Iraq.
Over the course of 26 years as anchor and managing editor of 鈥淣ightline,鈥� Koppel became the longest serving news anchor in U.S. broadcast history. In 2012, New York University named Koppel one of the 鈥�100 outstanding journalists in the United States in the last 100 years.鈥� When he left ABC News after 42 years, he was the most honored reporter in that
network鈥檚 history, having received more 鈥淥verseas Press Club鈥� awards than the previous record holder, Edward R. Murrow, and eight 鈥淕eorge Foster Peabody鈥� awards. Koppel also has won 12 Columbia-DuPont awards, television鈥檚 equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize. He has received 43 Emmys, including one for lifetime achievement.
General Buford 鈥淏uff鈥� Blount (U.S. Army-retired) served a distinguished 33-year career in the U.S. Army, receiving numerous honors including the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Saint George Award, and the Order of Saint Barbara award. Blount graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi鈥檚 Army ROTC program in 1971 and held various commands including battalion commander, 3rd Battalion, 64th Armor; brigade commander, 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry division; and division commander, 3rd Infantry Division. Blount also held the position of program manager for the Saudi Arabian National Guard modernization program. When Blount commanded the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, the division completed the fastest, longest offensive attack in U.S. Army history. Blount is a seventh-generation serviceman with family roots in Bassfield, Mississippi.