Standing in front of an American flag, Lt. Col. Jonathan Landis asked the Syracuse University community assembled in Hendricks Chapel one question.

“When we think about how much our veterans have done for our nation, some of you may ask, ‘How can we honor their sacrifice?’” said Landis, commander of the Air Force ROTC. “A heartfelt thank you is a great start but I encourage you to let your words bring forth action.”

At 11 a.m. Tuesday, hundreds of members of the SU community gathered at Hendricks Chapel for Syracuse University’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, which served as the culmination of the multitude of Veterans Day events organized on campus.

United States and SU flags stood side-by-side on the Hendricks Chapel stage Tuesday morning as veterans and non-veterans alike gathered to celebrate Veterans Day.

Students, staff and veterans filled the central rows of the chapel, eager to listen to guest speakers including Maj. Randy Curry of the U.S. Army, Jared Grace of the Army ROTC and John Higgins II, president of Student Veterans of America at SU.

Keynote speaker, retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste, received a large round of applause upon walking to the podium. Batiste is a two-time combat veteran in the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also served as the senior military assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2001–02, retiring just after his promotion to major general, calling it “the toughest decision” of his life.

“To the great Syracuse University veterans community, well done,” Batiste began his speech. “You get it and you take care of one another.”

Batiste explained that Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor those who served and admire the family members who are also an integral part of the fighting force. He honored all these selfless individuals by classifying them as “the heartbeat of America.”

“Veterans Day celebrates the service of all United States armed forces veterans. America for all its faults is the best nation on Earth,” Batiste said. “Veterans put the nation first and by definition, the nation must come first.”

Batiste advised attendees to “find a way to honor a veteran beyond thanking him or her for their service and help us bring the ethos of service to life.”

Additionally, University Singers, which consists of 30–40 SU students, performed renditions of, “America the Beautiful” and “Amazing Grace,” in a performance that Batiste said brought him to tears.

“You make me want to go back and walk the battlefields of Gettysburg or more recent battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “Thank you.”

The SU Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC programs were also present at the ceremony to honor past and current veterans. Higgins, said the university has a long-standing tradition of welcoming and serving veterans. Those student-veterans have added value to the classroom and the community, he said.

At the close of event, the 198th Army Reserve Band performed a variety of bugle calls to honor the United States Army, Marine Corp, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Veterans in the audience stood for their respective bugle call, and received applause for their service. Audience members were then led outside to the Quad for a flag ceremony that caught the attention of many students who were walking to class.

Ultimately, the ceremony reminded those in attendance to take a step back, reflect and be grateful for the heroism and self-sacrifice of those who served or currently serve the country.

“Veterans understand originally how random life can be,” Batiste said. “In return for our service, we get something invaluable, and that is, the sense of how magnificent life can also be.”

Published on November 11, 2014 at 9:58 pm

Contact Elissa: emcandio@syr.edu