Tomorrow is Veterans Day, the day our country sets aside to thank and honor all those who have served honorably in the military. Veterans Day provides us with an opportunity to thank veterans for their service, to acknowledge and appreciate their contributions to our national security, and to recognize their sacrifices. Veterans Day began as Armistice Day in 1919, commemorating the end of World War I, and the national holiday was renamed in 1954 to honor the service of all veterans. Veterans Day is always observed on November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls.
The Marist community includes a number of faculty, staff, and students who are veterans. To commemorate Veterans Day, we have organized a number of different activities, and I encourage you to participate. At 11:45 a.m., there will be a flag raising by ROTC cadets at the flagpole in front of Donnelly Hall. At noon, veterans and their guests are invited to a special luncheon in the Murray Student Center’s Hudson Riverview Rooms. The guest speaker will be Marist alumna Mariel Sosa Juarez, who graduated in 2002 with a BS in social work. Mariel served in the U.S. Army in Iraq and went on to obtain her master’s degree in social work from New York University. She currently helps fellow veterans as a readjustment counselor with the Department of Veterans Affairs on Staten Island. Finally, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we invite you to view a display of military memorabilia in the Murray Student Center.
In closing, please join me in thanking America’s veterans for the many sacrifices they have made and for their honorable service to our nation.
