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TWU professor
Belfiglio retiring from military service
5/13/05
DENTON —
Dr. Valentine Belfiglio holds many titles — professor
of government at Texas Woman’s University in Denton;
Knight of the Order to the Merit of the Italian Republic;
and colonel, civil affairs liaisons officer and command historian
in the Texas National Guard, among others.
Belfiglio will add the word “retired” to the latter
title during a ceremony Saturday, May 21 at the Texas Military
Forces Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin. Belfiglio’s retirement
will come after 12 years of recording the history of the Texas
State Guard.
Belfiglio’s Guard service followed 10 years of active
duty — first as a pharmacy specialist in the United
States Army and the Army Reserve, then as a biomedical lab
officer in the U.S. Air Force. He joined the Texas State Guard
at the urging of a friend who was serving as command historian.
“He wanted to retire, but (the Guard) wanted him to
stay long enough to bring someone in,” Belfiglio said.
His friend asked him to take over the job, so Belfiglio became
his deputy and eventually took on the role of command historian.
The professor’s affinity for history served him well
in the position.
“History helps us to better understand how we got where
we are,” Belfiglio said. History serves not only as
a learning experience, but also as a record for future generations,
he said.
The history Belfiglio helped compile is viewed not only by
families seeking information on loved ones who have served,
but by the government as well. The Pentagon reviews the records
in its evaluation of the Guard, he said.
Belfiglio received two waivers that kept him in his post beyond
his allotted time of service. As did his predecessor, Belfiglio
recruited his deputy and groomed him for the position.
The professor says he has no mixed emotions about leaving
military service.
“It’s time,” he said. “When it’s
time to leave, you don’t have as many regrets as if
you leave before you’re ready.”
Belfiglio will continue to teach at TWU, where he has been
a professor for 35 years. He also plans to devote more time
to writing and research.
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Information Contact:
Karen Treat
Senior Copywriter
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: ktreat@twu.edu |
