The University of Tennessee at Martin Office of Veterans Services will host a virtual Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11, to honor the service of all veterans in the Martin community.
The virtual observance will feature pre-recorded videos of the American Legion Post 55 presenting the colors; Dr. John Oelrich, assistant professor of music, and the Skyhawk String Ensemble performing a patriotic melody; a message from UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver; a tribute to service by the UT Martin faculty and staff; a poem presented by James Avant, a sophomore psychology major at the UT Martin Somerville Center; as well as remarks by UT Martin Veteran Services Coordinator Jason Earley and Veteran Benefits Specialist Marcus VanCleave.
Justin Johnson, United States Marine and Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network regional director for Memphis and Shelby County, will serve as the guest speaker. Johnson is an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and a life member of the Department of Tennessee Veterans of Foreign Wars where he serves the Shelby County veteran community as the junior vice commander of the VFW District 10. Johnson earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work at the University of Memphis and currently works to eliminate stigmas surrounding suicide through training programs and networking.
The program will be broadcast at utm.edu/veteransday2020 and will be archived on the UT Martin YouTube account for later viewing.
Other Veterans Day events include:
- 7: Flag placement at East Side Cemetery in Martin, 10 a.m.; Veterans Day Patriotic Ride, 1 p.m., American Legion Post 55.
- 11: Veterans Day Flag Retirement, 5 p.m., American Legion Post 55.
For more information about the UT Martin Veterans Day ceremony, contact Earley at jearley3@utm.edu.
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