Members of the Tufts community recognized Veterans Day yesterday with a special service on the Memorial Steps hosted by Tufts Advocates for ROTC, the Reserve Officers Training Corps.
The ceremony is held annually to provide students, faculty, staff and alumni with the opportunity to honor the services of the nations veterans. Students in Tufts ROTC, hosted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , attended the event.
The service began with a flag passing ceremony. Vice President for University Advancement Eric Johnson accepted the American flag on behalf of distinguished alumna Eleanor Short (J 88), who could not attend the event, according to Dean of Academic Affairs for Arts and Sciences James Glaser.
Glaser said that the flag used in the ceremony will be donated to the Tufts archives for posterity.
The attendees then proceeded to the Coolidge Room in Ballou Hall for the remainder of the service. Senior Hans Ege Wenger, a member of Army ROTCs Paul Revere Battalion, served as master of ceremonies for the event. He invited Gregory McGonigle, the university chaplain, to present the ceremonys invocation.
Gresh Lattimore (F 65 70 72), the chair of Tufts Advocates for ROTC, spoke of his committees efforts in uniting numerous factions of the Tufts community, including members of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts alumni who have served in the military, members of the Alliance Linking Leaders in Education and the Services and current ROTC cadets.
The ROTC committee is building bridges across these groups, Lattimore said.
Glaser introduced the events main speaker, Admiral James Stavridis (F 83, 84), dean of the Fletcher School. Before turning over the ceremony to Stavridis, Glaser read aloud from a vignette written by a relative, which he felt reflected the essential purpose of Veterans Day.
The loss of a loved one is beyond mans healing, and the accompanying medal is of slight value, Glaser read from the letter. But not so of its message.
Stavridis thanked Glaser for his remarks. During his speech, Stavridis saluted former and current military members for their services and applauded the United States efforts in maintaining positive relations with its veteran community.
Today, it is very hard to think of another nation that spends more time and resources ... taking care of its veterans, he said. Thank you to non-veterans for [your support].
As a Greek-American citizen, Stavridis said it was appropriate for him to share a story of an ancient Athenian navy, which confronted an invading fleet from Persia. Outnumbered five to one, the Athenians took courage in the thought of fighting for their wives, children, parents, cities and freedom.
The next day, they destroyed the Persian fleet and saved democracy, Starvridis said.
He explained that the story of these Athenian soldiers volunteers who felt compelled to fight for their freedom embodies a message that remains pertinent to this very day.
University President Anthony Monaco concluded the ceremony by thanking Tufts veterans for their lifelong contributions.
I think military service really does reflect Tufts values ... and one of those is a commitment to active citizenship, he said. Your contributing to peace in times of conflict around the world is really a unique way of giving back to the world and to the Tufts community.
Following the ceremony, several members of the Tufts community recognized the importance of hosting this commemorative event each year.
I think, for me, it reminds me of the far-reaching implications of military service, junior Eddie Lowe, who is a member of the Army ROTC, said.
Member of Tufts Board of Trustees John Bello (LA 68), who participated in ROTC, said he was proud to support the program which made it possible for him to attend Tufts as an undergraduate and which has continued to influence him throughout the years.
I wouldnt have missed this for anything, Bello said. Anything possible I can do to support the program that made it possible for me to go here ... I will go to any lengths to help.
