Troy University’s Air Force ROTC put together a special program Friday morning to celebrate veterans and those who currently serve in the United States military.
The event took place in Mitchell Hall and Mayor Jason A. Reeves and retired US Air Force Major, Dr. Alan Clark, who is currently a music instructor here at Troy University, spoke during the program.
“For all the veterans who have had such a tremendous influence in my life who did serve, it really changed my life and I'm just so grateful,” Reeves said. “You learn a lot of mental and physical discipline in the military, and I wouldn’t be standing here if it hadn’t been for veterans.”
Reeves spoke about the importance of remembering those who have sacrificed so much for our country and expressed his gratitude for all veterans.
“We live in the greatest country in the world, and I'm proud of the service that so many render,” Reeves said. “We truly owe everything we have to our veterans.
“As long as we have people who are willing to serve their country, we’re going to be ok.”
Danielle Black, an active-duty sergeant first class in Troy’s Army ROTC program from Hawai’i Island, Hawaii., has been in the army for 14 years now and is a critical care flight paramedic.
“My overall experience in the army has been amazing,” Black said. “With any job, you’re going to have extreme highs and extreme lows, but honestly, I can say that I've really enjoyed my time in the service and my time here at ROTC.”
The program also consisted of a flag folding ceremony, the presenting of colors, and a showing of “Beyond a War,” a short docu-film dedicated to the journey of reconciliation between Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., and Dr. Lê Công Cơ: two university leaders who fought on opposite sides of The Vietnam War. “Whether it be Army, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard or Navy, it's a really big sacrifice being in the service,” Black said. “For them to be selfless and volunteer to do this, it takes a lot to commit to that.
“There's going to be times when you’re separated from your loved ones, be in hostile environments, have your life endangered, and I think that’s a really honorable thing to pay our respects to.”
Chase Lunsford is a GMC Liaison in Troy’s Air Force ROTC from Freeport, Florida.
“Everybody got excited, and we had a lot of volunteers jump on board,” Lunsford said. “It's been a lot of blood, sweat and tears going into it and a lot of hours going into it.”
Despite this being a small program, it was still a grand gesture for the Air Force ROTC to show their love for veterans.
“There's not anything close we can do to give back to them what they gave to us, especially those that didn't make it back,” Lunsford said. “Even doing this small event on a Friday morning with a couple of guest speakers is just a little bit of the piece that we can give back to them.”
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