By Nate Jackson
TCC will commemorate veterans with various events on every campus.
NE Campus will celebrate Nov. 10 with a flag-raising ceremony at 8:30 a.m. and the unveiling of a veterans display. A 12:30 p.m. luncheon in the Larry Darlage Center Corner (NSTU 1615A) will conclude the day’s events.
NW Campus is holding a weekly book discussion on Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried each Tuesday through Nov. 22.
Iraq War veterans Andrew Guadagno, Andrew Duffield and Robert McMahon will speak in the Walsh Library Nov. 7. They will discuss their experiences in the military and relate them to O’Brien’s The Things They Carried.
NW will also hold Celebration of Life and Freedom Nov. 7, where all students, faculty and staff can enjoy music, activities and cake while expressing appreciation for this country and the freedoms they have because of those who served.
“Students will be able to show their appreciation in a variety of ways. We have flags that students will be able to write their names or names of veterans they may know that have served the country,” student development associate Alicia Coleman said.
She said this event is new for NW.
“We were really inspired by our Student Veterans Association, who is affiliated with a national chapter,” Coleman said.
On SE Campus, students will present war stories based on interviews of military veterans Nov. 7. All students are from Frances Suarez’s American Literature Since 1865: Perspective of the Peacekeepers course.
A Veterans Day celebration on South Campus Nov. 9 will feature Don Graves, a survivor of Iwo Jima. In addition, 25 Vietnam veterans will be honored with a commemorative letter pin.
Among TR’s several events to honor our veterans is Operation EDU: Campus and Community Vets and Voices Nov. 7. The event includes a multigenerational community breakfast and VetSuccess fair. The guest speaker will be Lt. Col. Kevin Sweeney, who is now a corporate executive, author, university instructor and inspirational speaker.
The American Grit: Trinity River Challenge Nov. 8 will celebrate the fortitude and competitive drive of the American military. It is a team challenge that calls on individuals and small groups to push themselves to their limits 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in the TR fitness center.
“We have dramatically increased veterans programming because we want to show that we’re veteran friendly and that we support their educational efforts,” student activities coordinator Eddie Brassart said.
