The melodic sounds of St. John’s University’s Mixed Chorus infused the D’Angelo Center Ballroom Monday Nov. 7, recognizing the country’s most courageous people.
The St. John’s community reflected on the lives of the men and women who responded and continue to respond to the needs of the nation.
Speakers at the ceremony, including Lt. Colonel Marci Miller, spoke about the multitude of achievements veterans have made, both during their time in the military and in civilian life.
“Being here today means everything to me, to be able to honor and respect men and women who have sacrificed everything for this country,” sophomore ROTC student Nicolas Van Slyke said. “I’m even more driven after this event because as part of ROTC, I am planning to go to the military but I’ve never been on a deployment. Seeing all these men and women in their camaraderie and how they treat each other is truly moving.”
Organized by the Office of Community Relations, the annual Veterans Day celebration featured a proclamation presentation from the Queens Borough President’s Office, Veterans Affairs liaison Dan Brown.
Speakers at the ceremony spoke about the multitude of achievements veterans have made, both during their time in the military and in civilian life.
The annual Veterans Day celebration has become a well-attended event. Vice President of Community Relations, Joseph Sciame, claimed they witnessed the biggest audience yet this year.
Sisters from Theta Phi Alpha Sorority paid their respects in this year’s ceremony. They said they love to support different organizations, especially their veterans.
“I loved the presentation of the colors,” junior Abby Agresta said. “My brother is actually a Marine and I have past family members who are veterans.”
Student Veterans Association President, Jonathan Delacruz, was especially excited about this year’s ceremony because he saw it as a way to bring student veterans together.
“Bonding events like this where we can all just come together and enjoy the atmosphere with everyone else is great,” Delacruz said. “The more veterans know how veteran friendly this school is, the happier they’ll be to come here and join the veteran community instead of coming to school just for the classes.”
One of the veterans at the ceremony, a WWII veteran, celebrated his 98th birthday with the crowd.
“Moving forward, I hope to get active duty and I hope to serve to the best of my ability,” Van Slyke said.
