By AMEARA DITSCHE
Editor-in-Chief
Saint Rose held a ceremony honoring veterans Thursday Nov. 10, in light of classes being canceled on the actual observation day, Nov. 11.
“We did this to show them we care. Our core mission is we care about people. We want to make them successful and help them,” said Martin Dinan, Director of Veteran Enrollment.
The ceremony consisted of three parts. First was a raising of the flag by two student service men.
“I love this country and everybody who fought for it,” said Anthony Dawson, a graduate student who is currently an Infantry Officer with the Army. Dawson said several of his family members have also served, so he participated in honor of them. He was accompanied by fellow student and veteran Oleksiy Isaev.
Following the flag raising were two student performances. Girls Next Door, the all-women acapella club, sang the National Anthem. The ceremony was closed out by student trumpeter Jada Wessenberg as she played “Taps,” a traditional bugle call signaling the end of a military day.
Girls Next Door was offered the opportunity to sing the anthem on shorter than usual notice; however, they were still eager to agree, said president Sophie Collura.
“A lot of us have grandparents who are Vets, so it really resonates with me. Whenever I have a chance to sing the National Anthem I’m like, ‘Let’s do it,’” said Collura.
“It’s the least we can do to honor the service they do,” she added.
Saint Rose has two buildings dedicated to veterans. One is the Veteran’s Center, where a reception was held after the ceremony. The other being a veteran-specific residence located next door. The Veteran’s Center offers several resources to student vets, like counseling, tutoring, or even financial help, said Dinan.
“I’m a Strose grad myself, I help them understand what challenges there might be,” said Dinan.
“I like to give them that heads up,” he added.
Veteran’s Day has also been recognized as Armistices Day. The holiday originated in post World War I celebrations and has changed over the years to honor any and all veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Shawn Sutton is an alumni who returned to campus for the event. He explained that Nov. 10 actually happens to be the Marine Corps’ birthday. According to Sutton, The Marine Corps was founded in a tavern, so each year on its birthday he and some fellow USMC friends from college meet at their favorite local spot for a drink.
“Well, because it’s tradition,” said Sutton.
