The NDSU Veterans Alliance Organization, known as VALOR, is scheduled to host a short ceremony in honor of Veterans Day on Friday, Nov. 9, at 8:30 a.m. at the flag plaza near the south entrance of the Memorial Union.
The ceremony is open to the public and NDSU faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend.
NDSU President Dean L. Bresciani is scheduled to give opening and closing remarks. Keynote remarks will be provided by Thomas Webb, veteran service officer with the North Dakota Department of Veteran Affairs,who also serves on VALOR’s advisory board.
Webb’s service in the U.S. Marine Corps included two tours in Iraq. After his service, he earned his bachelor’s degree in emergency management and his master’s degree in public health from NDSU. In his time at NDSU, Webb was actively engaged with the military and veteran student community, and he was among the veteran student cadre that conceptualized and helped create NDSU VALOR.
NDSU Air Force and Army ROTC cadets will be in formation during the ceremony. The flag raising will be led by Air Force ROTC Honor Guard Commander Jacob Spanier, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering from Shakopee, Minnesota, and Army ROTC Color Guard Sergeant Preston Miller, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering from Minot, North Dakota.
Isaac Hicks, a music major from Minot, North Dakota, will play taps. “I am excited to play for this event as I come from a military family, and this is the least I can do to show my support of their sacrifice,” Hicks said.
“We are honored to be able to work with campus and community partners to host a Veterans Day ceremony on NDSU’s campus,” said VALOR faculty liaison Carol Cwiak, associate professor of emergency management. “The selfless commitment of the brave men and women who have served, and who continue to serve, stands as testament to the ideals of our nation. We owe veterans our respect and gratitude every day, but particularly on the occasion of Veterans Day. As we know well, the freedoms we enjoy in this country come at a cost that only a select few are willing to shoulder.”
VALOR was created to improve the campus climate for military and veteran students.
As a student-focused, land grant, research university, we serve our citizens.