Indiana Wesleyan University is honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the US armed forces with a special Veterans Day event that will take place on Friday, Nov. 9 on the IWU residential campus in Marion. Sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the day of recognition includes several events.
Breakfast will take place from 7:30-9:00 a.m. in the Banquet Rooms of the Student Center. The speaker this year is a curator from the Museum of the Soldier in Portland, Indiana, speaking on “Preserving Veterans’ History.” Reservations are needed for breakfast and may be made by calling (765) 677-2420 or by visiting www.indwes.edu/events/veterans-day-celebration/.
Activities from noon – 4 p.m. in the Barnes Student Center Commons include:
- Footlocker Stories: This new interactive exhibit of GI mementos, compiled by Andrew Thieme (a Ball State student), enables participants to handle mementos from Hoosier veterans and personally connect with veterans’ stories.
- IWU Veterans Wall: Stop by to write the names of those you know who have served or are serving in the military.
- Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of WWI ending (Nov. 11, 1918): This new exhibit features artifacts and mementos from the Museum of the Soldier in Portland, Indiana.
- Notes of Support: Brighten a deployed military member’s day by writing a personal note of support at this station. Your note could be the only mail they receive!
- Donation Box: New to this year’s activities is a station that allows you to donate items frequently requested by deployed military members, such as drink mixes to flavor bottles of water, cup-a-soup or ramen noodle packs, almonds or pecans, and beef jerky. These items will be sent to deployed service members along with the notes of support.
- Pray-for-a-Vet Prayer Station: Drop off your veteran-related and general prayer requests at this station. It will be our honor to lift those requests in prayer!
- Military Experience Simulation: Managed by IWU ROTC, this station provides an opportunity for attendees to sample an MRE meal or lift and carry a fully loaded rucksack.
- "Missing Man" Table: Visit this station to learn more about a military tradition remembering those who were killed or are missing in action.
“This is a day for all of us to remember that freedom is not free,” said Dot Clark-Ott, Air Force veteran and faculty development director for School of Nursing. “Veterans have sacrificed, and some have paid the ultimate price for the rights that we, as Americans, enjoy. Veterans Day is our chance to honor them and to say, ‘Thank you.’”
All events are open to the public.