As veterans, their families, students and staff walked into Hendricks Chapel, members of the 198th Army Band softly played “America the Beautiful.” 

Those in the chapel fell silent at about 11 a.m. on Monday — the same time and day that an armistice to end World War I went into effect in 1918. With that, Syracuse University’s annual Veterans Day ceremony began. 

“We know that their service transcends their time in uniform and transforms into the cultivation of our future leaders of America,” said Katy Quartaro, a student veteran and 2019 Tillman Scholar who led the event. “With the strength and skills acquired during their time in service, they are destined to contribute to our society through their leadership in a community and mentorship to those who still serve.” 

The ceremony featured multiple speakers, including Charlie Poag, a public relations major at SU and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He spoke about all of the individuals who had trained at SU and were in service by the end of World War II. Nearly 18,000 faculty, students and alumni were in uniform during the war. 

“Because of (former) Chancellor Tolley’s vision, a generation of veterans was able to get a Syracuse University education that would help them pursue their dreams,” he said. 

Chancellor Kent Syverud’s current vision for the university’s involvement with veteran affairs demonstrates similar goals and potential, Poag said. 

The university provides benefits for veterans that include early registration, accessible parking, events to help veterans with job placement and an available support staff. These benefits help nontraditional students and veteran students like himself achieve academic success, as has the anticipated opening of the National Veterans Resource Center, Poag said. 

Syracuse University has also recently been ranked as the No. 1 private school for veterans on the Military Times’ 2020 Best for Vets list.

SU currently employs more than 200 veteran- and military-connected employees, said Jim Hopkins, the director of information technology services at the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and a U.S. Army veteran. 

“Veterans have made this a better university in every way that matters,” said Chancellor Syverud. “They’ve brought us better students, a better culture, a stronger set of values, improved programming for all students and support for this university from a broad community around the country that cares about veterans.” 

Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, the event’s keynote speaker, said SU had shown a clear commitment to individual veterans and their families through its veterans’ programs. He reflected on his deployment in Fallujah, Iraq. The stories of the military men and women he encountered often went untold, even on Veterans Day, he said. 

The university’s programs allowed veterans’ conversations and stories to continue in a respectful and supportive way past the day and throughout the year, Kent said. 

“(Members of the U.S. military) are some of the best that America has to offer. These young men and women join an all-volunteer force that less than one percent of Americans ever served in,” he said. “That’s the commitment that every military service member takes, and they live up to it each and every day so we can enjoy the freedom that we have here today.” 

Published on November 11, 2019 at 11:33 pm

Contact Marnie: ammunozc@syr.edu