BOONE, N.C. — Under overcast skies, veterans were honored Monday during Appalachian State University’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony held at the Veterans Memorial on Appalachian’s campus. The memorial is located beside the B.B. Dougherty Administration Building.
The ceremony began with the presentation of the colors by cadets in Appalachian’s ROTC program.
Appalachian Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Darrell Kruger welcomed the approximately 150 gatherers at the event and introduced speaker Army Capt. Joseph Callaghan, a training officer and instructor with Appalachian’s Department of Military Science and Leadership (ROTC), who reminded those gathered that World War I ended 100 years ago.
At the event, Callaghan recognized all veterans. He praised Vietnam veterans, whom he said “returned to a country where thanking veterans for their service wasn’t such a widely practiced custom,” and talked about the thousands of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans who “returned home and quietly returned to the business of life, going about their duties as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and striving to be productive members of society.”
He described the relationship between Appalachian and ROTC as working "seamlessly together in mutual pursuit of sculpting leaders and scholars of substance and character.”
“Though I am not an Appalachian alumnus,” Callaghan said, “it has not taken much time for me to recognize and appreciate the rare and unique culture of excellence evident within this university and the ROTC program — each individually strengthened by the mutually supportive relationship they share.”
He encouraged gatherers to remember and thank the veterans in their lives.
A formation of cadets in Appalachian State University’s ROTC program stand at salute as bugler Brent Bingham plays the national anthem during Appalachian’s Nov. 12 Veterans Day Ceremony. The ceremony was held at the Veterans Memorial located beside the B.B. Dougherty Administration Building on Appalachian’s campus. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Cadets in Appalachian State University’s ROTC program perform the presentation of the colors during Appalachian’s Veterans Day Ceremony. Photo by Marie Freeman
Approximately 150 gatherers look on as cadets in Appalachian State University’s ROTC program stand at attention during the presentation of the colors as part of Appalachian’s Veterans Day Ceremony. Photo by Chase Reynolds
As the national anthem plays during Appalachian State University’s Veterans Day Ceremony, cadets in Appalachian’s ROTC program and veterans in attendance stand at salute while gatherers hold their hands over their hearts. Photo by Marie Freeman
At Appalachian State University’s Veterans Day Ceremony, Appalachian Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Darrell Kruger shares the words of retired Air Force Col. Karen Dorman Kimmel: “No factor in America’s growth has been greater than the men and women who have worn her uniform to help keep her strong. In war and in peace, they have circled the Earth and journeyed to the moon, always carrying America’s ideals with them. Their service to her has been a legend of honor.” He then introduced Army Capt. Joseph Callaghan, seated. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Army Capt. Joseph Callaghan, a training officer and instructor in Appalachian’s Department of Military Science and Leadership (ROTC), speaks at Appalachian’s Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday at the Veterans Memorial on Appalachian’s campus. Callaghan thanked bugler Brent Bingham, pictured in background, for his “beautiful rendition of the national anthem,” as well as veterans for answering the nation’s call and the university for its “continued support, as my colleagues and I shape the next generation of Army leaders.” Photo by Marie Freeman
Brian McCullough ’89 ’98, regional director of development (Charlotte) at Appalachian State University, left, and his wife, Erica McCullough, pose for a photo at the luncheon held in Roess Dining Hall Nov. 12 for Appalachian faculty and staff veterans. The luncheon, sponsored by Appalachian’s Food Services and organized by Student Veteran Services, followed the university’s Veterans Day Ceremony. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Veterans at Appalachian
“Appalachian is grateful to our veterans,” Kruger said during the ceremony, adding that the university, designated as a Military Friendly® School since 2010, “has a powerful and long-standing commitment to those who serve and to their families.”
A luncheon for Appalachian faculty and staff veterans — sponsored by Appalachian’s Food Services and organized by the university’s Student Veteran Services — was held in Roess Dining Hall following the ceremony. Coordinator of Student Veteran Services Eric Gormly said Appalachian has approximately 90 veteran faculty and staff members.
Nearly 300 of Appalachian’s currently enrolled students self-identify as veterans — representing active duty, reserve/guard, separated from military and retirees. Appalachian’s ROTC program, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2019, enrolls 127 students. Appalachian alumni include top-ranking officers and personnel at all levels across the military branches.
Kruger highlighted three veterans he said “we are proud to count among Appalachian’s alumni”:
- Maj. Gen. Edward M. Reeder Jr. ’81, Appalachian’s 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient for whom the university’s Student Veteran Resource Center is named;
- Dan Blakeley ’15 ’18, founder and four-year leader of Team Sunergy — Appalachian’s solar vehicle team — who spent six years serving in the 2nd Ranger Battalion of the U.S. Army Special Operations; and
- Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley ’84, Appalachian’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Callaghan, as profiled by Kruger, enlisted in the Army in 2009. He was commissioned as a field artillery officer that year and deployed in 2012 to the Ghazni Province in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Callaghan is a graduate of the Field Artillery Basic Officer Leadership Course, the Field Artillery Captains Career Course, and the University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies Red Team Practitioners Course.
He has received several awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Combat Action Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Polish Land Forces Parachutist Badge.
As the national anthem plays during Appalachian State University’s Veterans Day Ceremony, cadets in Appalachian’s ROTC program and veterans in attendance stand at salute while gatherers hold their hands over their hearts. Photo by Marie Freeman
Open one year, Student Veteran Resource Center provides key services and important connections
A Military Friendly® School since 2010
Since 2010, Victory Media, the premier media entity for military personnel transitioning into civilian life, has awarded Appalachian the designation of Military Friendly® School. The designation places Appalachian in the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students, and to dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation. In addition to a number of existing services, the university opened the Major General Edward M. Reeder Jr. Student Veteran Resource Center in November 2016.
About the Department of Military Science and Leadership
One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, Appalachian’s Department of Military Science and Leadership is home to the Mountaineer Battalion. Established in 1969, the program provides students with training to develop self-discipline, physical stamina and poise, as well as the organizational and motivational skills that contribute to success in any career. Students who complete the ROTC program earn credits for a minor in military science and leadership and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves or Army National Guard upon graduation. Learn more at https://rotc.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
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