Campus Life

UWF commemorates Veterans Day

The University of West Florida celebrated military veterans Nov. 10 by honoring those who have served in the armed forces. Emotions were high as the Pledge of Allegiance was sung, a medley of armed forces tunes were played and guest speakers offered their gratitude to military members in the room and around the world.

“This is a special day,” said Kyle Marrero, vice president of University Advancement. “I’m proud to thank all of our veterans. UWF will always be here to celebrate the service that the military provides.”

After the colors were presented, a POW/MIA ceremony was held in recognition of those missing. A lone chair sat at a set table, commemorating those who could not be in attendance.

Air Force Capt. Lillian Battle spoke on sacrifice and thanking those who have served.

“True appreciation is expressed through deeds, not words,” said Battle. “There are currently about 23 million veterans in this country, and we owe them all a debt we will never be able to fully repay.”

Mark Lowe, a bagpipe player, led the room in “America” and a variety of armed forces branch songs. Various veterans from the community were also present and stood as each of their tunes were played.

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, UWF’s Military & Veterans Resource Center will host a National Roll Call, a national event which takes place on colleges and universities in all 50 states. There will be a synchronized reading of all the names of the Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom casualties. All participating schools will pause at 11 a.m. PST to observe a simultaneous “moment of silence.”