Retired general, alum: Veteran appreciation is year-round

Veterans deserve recognition that goes beyond a single day of the year. Not only do they protect their country - often laying their life on the line in the process - their deployments mean missed anniversaries, missed child births, graduations, birthdays and more.

"Without complaint, they've done what their nation has asked them to do. So we thank them not only for their service, but their sacrifice."

That was just part of the message delivered by retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General and Distinguished Alumnus Kevin Vereen during a Veterans Day ceremony held in the Hobson Performance Center at Campbell University on Wednesday. Vereen, a 1988 Campbell graduate and decorated Army veteran with over 34 years of service, was the guest speaker in a ceremony that featured Campbell President Dr. William M. Downs and a performance from a brass ensemble led by Campbell Assistant Professor of Music Dr. William Beach.

During his speech, Vereen - whose son is also a Campbell graduate and recently commissioned Army officer - reflected on his time in Buies Creek and referred to the University's ROTC program as the "West Point of the South."

"It's a prestigious program … one with a reputation of producing some of the finest officers the Army has ever seen," he said.

Vereen called on the considerable crowd - many of them current enlisted servicemembers or veterans - to consider the challenges plaguing many in the veteran population, such as mental health issues like PTSD and homelessness, and do their part to help.

"Our sphere of influence begins right here at home," he said, adding that more schools like Campbell need to open up their education opportunities to military veterans.

Downs touted Campbell University's history and its relationship with the military, one that goes back nearly 60 years with the launch of the now nationally renowned ROTC program in the late 1960s. He called Campbell a place where many have answered the "call of duty, the call of service to our nation," and commended those men and women for "standing between us and those who would do us harm."

"Throughout our history, these men and women have protected our homeland, protected our skies, our waters, and secured our borders," he said. "They've been posted in far away lands in the deserts of the Middle East, the jungles of Southeast Asia, on bases throughout the countries of Europe and on every sea. It is in no small part due to our veterans that the rest of us are able to lead lives of peace and prosperity, and far, far too often, we fail to say thank you."

Downs said Campbell, an official Military Friendly university for several years, is the proud home of roughly 520 current students who have served or are currently serving. Many of those students were featured during a slide show that played throughout the ceremony. Student volunteers presented the veterans in attendance with small gifts and "thank you" cards that read: "Campbell University is deeply grateful for your strength and the sacrifices you've made to keep us safe and free."