 Brian Hawkins/SDN Veterans and active duty soldiers salute as Jenny Merry sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the Veterans’ Day ceremony on the Drill Field. Top, Mississippi National Guard Spc. Ty Davis, left, talks with veteran Wayne Hemphill after speaking at the Veterans’ Day program hosted by the Stoy-Nash Post No. 5573 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Wednesday. Davis is home on leave from active duty in Iraq. By BRIAN HAWKINS
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Wreaths were laid at various war memorials on the Mississippi State campus, and students, faculty, administrators and members of the public gathered under a clear sky Thursday to remember those who have served in America’s armed forces.
In a mid-afternoon Veterans’ Day ceremony on the Drill Field, President Mark Keenum noted MSU’s long tradition of supporting active duty soldiers and countless veterans who have gone before.
MSU currently serves 1,200 student veterans, active duty service members and military dependents and survivors, Keenum said.
“Respect for veterans and military service is a part of our genetic makeup at this university,” said Keenum, who was the keynote speaker for Thursday’s ceremony, which was organized by the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans on campus in conjunction with the Army and Air Force ROTC detachments.
“Our duty as individuals and as an institution is to honor our veterans.”
Noting last week’s tragic shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, Keenum recalled that more than 5,000 soldiers have “given their last measure of themselves” since troops were activated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“This is a day of solemn pride and gratitude for the ordinary Americans who have been called upon time and again to do extraordinary things,” Keenum said. “Mississippians have been at the forefront of answering our nation’s call. ... Today we honor all veterans, both living and dead.”
Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs, said military veterans represent all walks of life.
“Some call them sons or daughters, some call them husbands or wives, brothers or sisters. Some call them friends,” Kibler said. “All of us should call them heroes. We both revere and celebrate these heroes among us.”
Andrew Rendon, director of the Center for America’s Veterans and himself a major in the Army National Guard, said it was fitting that Thursday’s ceremony was held on the Drill Field, where statues of first MSU President Stephen D. Lee, who was a Confederate general, and the late Montgomery, an MSU alumnus and long-time congressman who was profuse in his support for the military, are located.
Both the bust of Lee and the statue of Montgomery face toward the center of the Drill Field.
“You made me realize that President Lee and Sonny Montgomery are watching us today,” Rendon said.
In addition to Thursday’s ceremony, MSU Air Force ROTC cadets were conducting a 24-hour vigil in front of the Drill Field flagpole, where flags of each of the five branches of the U.S. armed forces were stationed behind the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag.
The vigil, cadets said, was to honor those U.S. soldiers who were prisoners of war or were listed as missing in action in various armed conflicts.
Other Veterans’ Day programs around the Starkville area included programs hosted by the Starkville High School JROTC program and by members of the Stoy-Nash Post No. 5573 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
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