Portland State veterans perform for Obama

Two Portland State student veterans got the chance yesterday to tell President Barack Obama stories from their time serving in the military as part of The Telling Project.

Jeremiah Washburn and Brian Friend were invited to Washington, D.C., with The Telling Project, a veteran-civilian collaboration using the medium of theater to open up communication between veterans and their communities, according to its Web site.

The 22-minute performance was the finale of a daylong event called “Mission Serve: Forging a Continuum of Service,” an event recognizing civilian and military partnerships in national service. Also in attendance were First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, according to a university press release.

Since February 2008, The Telling Project has produced 10 performances throughout the Pacific Northwest.  More than 50 veterans and their family members were interviewed for the project, 21 one of whom have so far been chosen to tell their stories on stage, according to the press release.

Friend is studying business administration full time at Portland State and was deployed to Iraq twice. During his second tour, he elected to extend his deployment time voluntarily.

Washburn, a full time student at Portland State, has served in Iraq and is a single father of two. He still serves in the Oregon Army National Guard.