UNC honors veterans for service with campus events

Lawrence Wells, a retired major general in the United States Air Force, said veterans and military members play a vital role in protecting domestic and international freedoms.

“To all veterans, we have a very simple message: Thank you, all of you, for your dedicated service,” he said.

Wells was the guest of honor at the first of two Veterans Day events UNC held Wednesday.

The first ceremony, hosted by UNC’s Air Force ROTC, took place at the Carolina Alumni Memorial. The event included a presenting of the colors, a prayer, the national anthem and a speech by a cadet.

Wells said it’s important to recognize the contributions of veterans’ families.

“Please remember that veterans’ families and military families have also paid a price for your freedom,” he said. “We will never be able to adequately thank them.”

The second event, Tar Heel Tribute, was designed to provide networking and discussion opportunities between veterans and attendees.

Chancellor Carol Folt gave a speech at the event about UNC’s legacy of providing aid to the armed forces.

“In 1941, (then-president of UNC) Frank Porter Graham, who was himself a former officer in the Marine Corps during World War I, announced that Carolina would offer all of its resources to the nation for the defense of freedom and democracy that it was founded to serve,” she said.

Carolina’s tradition of giving back to veterans has continued until today, Folt said, and the campus participates in programs that benefit veterans, such as the Carolina Veterans Organization and the Warrior-Scholar Project.

Other speakers at the event included veteran students and employees at UNC. Representatives of Veterinarians to Veterans United, Inc., which trains shelter dogs to assist disabled veterans, demonstrated the organization’s services.

Chan Reagan is a midshipman 4th class in the Navy ROTC program at UNC. He said his parents’ service in the Army inspired him to join the military.

“We find leaders and follow them until we can become leaders ourselves,” he said. “Veterans Day gives us the opportunity to look at these leaders, honor them and really give them the respect that they deserve.”

Everett “Bud” Hampton, a retired major in the Marine Corps, served in World War II and the Korean War. In between, he attended UNC from 1946 to 1950. After his military service, he worked at UNC for about 20 years. He said he appreciated the University’s efforts to honor its veterans on Veterans Day.

“It’s a day that we can think about and remember all our friends — whether living or dead — in particular those that we left behind on the battlefields,” he said. “We’re real pleased to hear any comment from civilians who come up and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ We really appreciate your thoughts.”

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