Friday, Nov 2, 2018
Richard Moyer ’74 of the U.S. Air Force will deliver keynote address during annual ceremony
One hundred years ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice was signed that ended World War I. This day, originally celebrated as Armistice Day to honor World War I veterans, is now known as Veterans Day to honor veterans of all wars.
ý will celebrate the centennial by honoring the men and women who have served and are currently serving, as well as their loved ones, with a series of events held on and around Veterans Day.
"Many of our students may not realize how many heroes we have walking our hallways," says Thomas Reddington of ý's Veterans and Military Affairs Office. “We are pleased to offer this range of activities and events for our students and community that highlights the service of our ý veterans."
Richard Moyer ’74, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a member of ý's Alumni Board of Directors, will be the keynote speaker for the annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 8. The event will be live streamed on Facebook at facebook.com/ýVeterans.
For the fifth straight year, the University community will participate in planting thousands of flags on the Campus Mall beginning Nov. 3 and continuing through Nov. 7. This year, more than 12,000 estimated flags will decorate the University in tribute to veterans and military members from among the ý community.
Other events include a mobile museum and a discussion of World War I monuments by photographer and historian Erik L. Burro. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 8, the Armed Forces Heritage Museum (AFHM) will be on view in front of Moore Library. The AFHM showcases military members and individuals in the region who served in uniform. Burro, whose series of large-format black-and-white photographs of more than two dozen WWI monuments around New Jersey, "A Legacy of Remembrance," will be on display in Daly Dining Hall through Nov. 10, will discuss the photos on Nov. 8 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Mercer Room.
Through Nov. 11, ý's Veterans and Military Affairs Office is also encouraging those in the ý community to post photos of veterans and military on their social media accounts using #ýVets. Photos can also be emailed to veterans@rider.edu.
"Every family has or knows a veteran," Reddington says, "and this is our opportunity to honor their service by participating in these activities leading up to Veterans Day.”
From its very beginning, ý has been an institution responsive to the needs of those who have proudly served in the United States military. When it first opened its doors in 1865, the institution’s initial class of students was composed primarily of veterans returning home from the Civil War.
Today, ý is an active participant in several veterans programs including the Yellow Ribbon Program, which allows qualified military men and women the opportunity to attend college at a private institution through enhanced tuition benefits and supplemental scholarships and grants provided by participating colleges and universities.
For more information on these and additional events, please visit www.rider.edu/events/veterans-day-events.