Event preview: Veteran’s Day memorial ceremony

The Veteran’s Day Memorial service and ceremony will be 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9. This event is to celebrate the veterans from Vietnam and will take place next to the Vietnam Memorial on campus next to Morgan Hall. The coordinator for this event is Chris Bowers, the military transitions coordinator at Washburn. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. with President Jerry Farley speaking at 11:30 a.m.

The ceremony will be outside, and the weather is supposed to be chilly, so it is advised that those attending dress warmly for the weather. The junior ROTC students from various high schools will be performing with flags, marine corps silent routine and a keynote speaker will be attending as well, the first female commander of the VFW. 

There will be a veterans art history project outside of the Memorial Union cornerstore with refreshments available for those attending.

Dillan Hunter, junior computer science major, thinks this is a good event that Washburn is doing.

“My grandfather had friends who fought in the war and lost others. [The fact] that they are honoring those who fought as well as those who fell is an amazing thing,” Hunter said. “My brother and sister are in ROTC in their schools as well, so it isn’t a huge surprise that the ROTC high schools are performing.”

Faydra Knox, freshman human services major, understands the importance of this event.

“Some of my family have known people who fought in the Vietnam War, so this is a subject and event that I can understand,” Knox said. “There were so many who fought and even more who died, so honoring all those involved is something that should be appreciated and admired.”