Veterans Celebrated with Events on Campus and in NWA Community

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The University of Arkansas.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Veterans who attend the University of Arkansas and those living in Northwest Arkansas will be honored with a week of events leading up to this year’s Veterans Day commemoration. The events have been organized by the university, working with the Northwest Arkansas Veterans Day Association. 

Among the commemorative events is a slideshow of the Arkansas service members who died while serving during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom that is being televised this week on the Razorback Information Board TV in the Arkansas Union, channel 21 in the Cox Cable line-up on campus.

The Veterans Resource and Information Center and the Arkansas Alumni Association will hold the first “RazorVets: Celebrating Veterans Banquet” on Friday, Nov. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. The event will honor U of A faculty, staff, students and alumni who are veterans.

Also on Friday, Razorback Athletics is offering free admission to U of A student veterans to the Razorback basketball game against Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. in Bud Walton Arena. Students will need to show proof of service and will also be given one free guest ticket.  A special area in the student seating section will be reserved for student veterans and guests. The veterans will be recognized for their service during the game.

Several events are scheduled for Veterans Day itself, Sunday, Nov. 11, organized by the Northwest Arkansas Veterans Day Association.  

"The Fight for Freedom”, an educational exhibit of memorabilia from several wars, provided by area museums and historical organizations, will be on display at the Arkansas-Missouri Railroad Station in Springdale, beginning at 1:30 p.m. The display is presented by the Northwest Arkansas Community College chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success. There will also be a display of military vehicles provided by the 142^nd Field Artillery regiment of the Arkansas Army National Guard.

A Veterans Day parade will begin at 2:30 p.m., starting at the Jones Center Community Clinic, 614 E. Emma in Springdale and proceeding to North Main Street. The parade will feature local marching bands, vintage cars, motorcycles, the Ozark Highlander Pipe Band, local youth and civic groups, and local area veterans and military units.

The free “Bellows, Brass, and Bells Veterans Day Concert” will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church on West Johnson Avenue in Springdale. Performers include organists Jonathan Story and Kerry Johnston, the handbell ensembles Ozark Bronze and Jubellation!, and the Brass Choir.

Veterans Day observances will continue on Monday, Nov. 12, at the University of Arkansas with a noon ceremony to rededicate the Memorial Flag Pole on the east lawn of Old Main. The flag pole has been erected in honor of the five University of Arkansas alumni who received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Americans who died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and all U.S. Veterans who have served their country in war and in peace. 

The University of Arkansas currently has more than 500 students who are veterans, dependents or spouses of veterans. The U of A was recently named as a University Partner with the Pat Tillman Foundation, and recognized for its “innovative veteran-specific support services and proven culture of community for military families.”

In September, Victory Media named the university to its list of Military Friendly Schools, placing the University of Arkansas among the top 15 percent of top-tier colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.