Staff Writer
Every year we, as Americans celebrate Veteran’s Day. This is a day to honor and serve those who spent time of their life to fight for ours. These men and women deserve way more than just one day, so many organizations and communities will hold special occasions to honor those who served our country.
Lindsey Wilson College is just one of many to hold something completely separate to honor members of the community and to honor those who attend or have attended the school. The program is held every year, on a date that is most beneficial to the majority of the members attending. This particular year the event was held on Wednesday, November 8th, 2017.
This year was the 15th-Annual Veterans Appreciation Luncheon. The program started off with guest arriving around 11 A.M. The program continued with a few welcoming words from the Dean of Students, Dr. Chris Schmidt then quickly moving into the invocation. This was done by Colonel Dr. Terry Swan, Dean of the Chapel and a retired member of the U.S. Army. The event went into the presentation of colors and the pledge of allegiance which was present by Joe Hare who is the Commander of Columbia VFW Post 6097. The National Anthem was sung by english education student, Kathryn Brown and then lunch was served. As some of the veterans were still enjoying their lunch provided by the Lindsey Wilson Cralle Dining Center Staff, there was a recognition of the Branches of Service, where the members of the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard were asked to stand individually so they could be honored by the crowd. This was done by Dean Adams, Vice President for Student Service and Enrollment Management, he also introduced the speaker of the event. The speaker was a retired member of the Marine Corps, Major Paul Smith.
The speaker spoke about what a veteran was and the history of veterans day actually is and what it was like for some many to be honored. He spoke about how important it was for each and every veteran to be honored everyday and to feel proud of what they have done and they should never be dishonored. Smith spoke about how thankful he is for all those who take this day seriously.
The program ended with a benediction done by Vasaad Greer. Greer is a sophomore at the school and has a major in recreation, tourism and sports management. Greer is also the recipient of the Dakota Meyer Marine Corps Scholarship.
This program is something very special done by the school and is a program that will hopefully go on for years to come. Many of these members go days without being honored and this event is something that is not only special for the school community and the community of Columbia, but also important to each individual that gets to come out and be supported.