Cameron University will honor active duty and retired members of the U.S. Armed Forces during a series of events on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11.
Active duty military and veterans are invited to enjoy a complimentary meal from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Shepler Cafeteria, located on the south side of campus along Elsie Hamm Drive.
At 1 p.m., the Comanche Battalion, Cameron’s award-winning Army ROTC unit, will post the colors to signal the start of the university’s Veterans Day observance. The ceremony will take place in Veterans Grove, which is located on the north side of Howell Hall and is directly south of Gore Boulevard. The ceremony is open to the public, and members of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces are encouraged to attend.
Following a performance of the national anthem by CU student Divina D’Haiti, attendees will observe a minute of silence in honor of our nation’s veterans and active duty service men and women. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Hayes, a faculty member in the CU Department of Business, will host the ceremony.
Ron J. Albert, chair of the Comanche County Veterans Council and commander of VFW 5263, serves as the keynote speaker. Albert served for more than 24 years as an engineer in the U.S. Army. During that time, he was deployed on five combat tours, three Iraq tours and two tours in Afghanistan. His awards include the Air Assault Badge, Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service Medals, 11 Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement medals, six Army Overseas Service Ribbons, Korean Defense Service Ribbon, two National Defense Service Ribbons, Iraq Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze stars, Number 3 NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Albert retired at the rank of Sergeant First Class in 2016.
For his service with the VFW, he has been named an All- American Commander, two time All-State Commander at Post 5263 and D-14 Commander, in addition to being twice name All Star Grand Commander of Oklahoma. He has served as chair for the Comanche County Veterans Council for four years.
Cameron junior music major Owen Ellis will play “Taps” to close the ceremony.
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PR# 25-133
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