by Taylor Bryant
The University of West Georgia has joined a nationwide grass-roots effort to honor American service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade. On Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, 2013, campus and community volunteers at more than 80 colleges and universities across the nation will read the names of military men and women who died during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, called Operation New Dawn.
At UWG, the pre-ceremony will begin at 9:00 a.m. with the reading of the names beginning at approximately 9:30 a.m. in front of the University Campus Center at the fountain. A table will be set up for students, faculty and staff to write letters of encouragement to military personnel currently serving.
In addition to the Remembrance Day National Roll Call, the UWG Athletics Department invites all veterans to attend this week’s football game to be recognized as special guests. The Wolves will take on Delta State Statesmen Thursday, November 14, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. Veterans are asked to arrive at 6:30 p.m. at the University Stadium flagpole. Complimentary admissions and parking passes will be provided for attending veterans.
The Remembrance Day National Roll Call is sponsored nationally by the Veterans Knowledge Community of NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. NASPA is a 12,000-member association for the advancement, health and sustainability of the student affairs professionals. The Veterans Knowledge Community mission is to advocate for best practices to help student veterans’ transition to college and succeed. The National Roll Call began in 2011 to mark the 10th anniversary of the post September 11, 2001, conflicts.
“We want to rally campus communities across the nation to send a message to the troops currently serving - that we, as a national body of students, have not forgotten their sacrifices or those of their fallen brethren,” says Dr. Brett Morris, a retired Army officer and the National Roll Call coordinator.
This year at the UWG event, the reading of names will take four hours and will be narrowed to the southern region and include the states of Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia. An additional 30 minutes of the event will be dedicated to individuals on campus honoring any military veterans, whether living or deceased, by including his or her name on the list and reading the name.
This year’s Remembrance Day National Roll Call is being coordinated on the UWG campus collaboratively by the Student Veterans Association and the Counseling & Career Development Center. View the flyer here.
For information about the University of West Georgia’s Roll Call events, contact SVA Advisor, Dr. Michael Keim, at mkeim@westga.edu or CCDC Assistant Director of Outreach, Dr. Donjanea Williams, at dfletche@westga.edu.
All veterans interested in attending the upcoming football game must RSVP by replying to eduffey@westga.edu or by calling 678-839-6533.
