To show respect to those who have served in the United States Military, Vincennes University this week held its annual tribute to veterans.
Held Thursday morning in the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center, VU’s Support Staff Council hosted a program that honored veterans in light of the
upcoming Veterans Day holiday on Nov. 11.
The event included performances by the VU Choir and Pep Band, as well as moments of prayer and silence in remembrance of the soldiers lost in battle.
The late Pvt. Red Skelton was honored with words from his wife, Lothian Skelton, and the Director of Military and Veteran’s Support Services, Alex Sievers, emceed the event.
“Though I am not a veteran myself, my position has allowed me to have the utmost respect for those who are,” said Sievers.
He also introduced the event’s keynote speaker, retired Lt. Col. David Roellgen.
“Veterans Day is a time to reflect on the sacrifices by countless individuals who have entered the call of duty,” Roellgen said.
Veterans from each military branch stood to be honored in song, and afterwards Roellgen said, “you are my kind of people.”
He reflected on his time in the military and how the process of becoming a soldier has evolved, but he noted that “it is more than just wearing a uniform or bearing arms,”
“It’s about a commitment to something greater to oneself,” he said.
The local All Weather Firing Squad also performed a 21-gun salute in the lawn outside the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center, which involved seven long guns being fired in unison three separate times.
The Lincoln High School JROTC completed the retiring of colors, and the event continued in the Student Rec Center where veterans and their guests were invited to enjoy lunch.
Veterans Day, originally known as “Armistice Day,” was established as a federal holiday on May 13, 1938, because of the fighting that ended during World War I on Nov. 11, 1918, when an armistice went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
The holiday was first created to only honor veterans of World War I but in 1954 was amended to change the holiday’s name to Veterans Day, to honor veterans of all wars.
“We as a nation owe a debt of gratitude to these brave men and women, their sacrifices have shaped the world we live in today,” said Roellgen.
