Campus Community to Honor UK's Veterans on Friday

By Keith Hautala

parade 2011The University of Kentucky will honor those who have served in the military with a Veterans Day Observance outside the Main Building from noon-3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11.


All UK veterans, including faculty, staff and students, will be provided lunch and a lapel pin. Speakers will include Tony Dotson, director of UK's Veterans Resource Center, and Josh Hoke, president of the UK Military Veterans of America student organization. There will also be prize drawings for UK veterans.
 

The observance is open to the entire campus community, to celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions of UK's veterans.

"On Veterans Day, we want to honor the veterans who are living, working and learning with us here on campus every day," Dotson said. "We pay tribute to the fallen each year on Memorial Day. But Veterans Day is our opportunity to show our gratitude to the living."                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                    

This year, UK was recognized as one of the top 10 "Best for Vets" colleges by Military Times' Edge magazine. UK was ranked No. 7 nationwide in a survey that places emphasis on academic accreditation, central veterans' offices and staff knowledgeable on veterans' issues.

"This recognition is important, because we want veterans to know that the University of Kentucky values their service and welcomes them to our campus," Dotson said.

“The College of Arts & Sciences is extremely proud to support our veterans,” said Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “We have students in both the Air Force and Army ROTC in A&S and they represent some of the best and brightest in the College. We are pleased to honor them and all of the men and women who have bravely served our country.”

There will also be a community-based Veterans Day observance sponsored by the Bluegrass Military Affairs Coalition Thursday, Nov. 10, at Lexington's NorthEast Christian Church located at 990 Star Shoot Parkway. The BMAC event will include a dinner and patriotic concert, as well as a performance of the stage production "civilian,"  a documentary drama based on oral history interviews of UK student veterans who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More information is available at www.bmaconline.org/index.cfm/vaw.html.



Photo: Tony Dotson, Josh Hoke and Rebecca Stinsky represented UK in the Lexington Veterans Day Parade Saturday, Nov. 5.