HPU to honor U.S. military heroes on Veterans Day
Pictured above is veteran Michael Verardo with the brothers of Kappa Alpha Order who raised the money for his track chair in honor of the upcoming Veterans Day celebration. Photo by: highpoint.edu
By Edward Lennon// Staff Writer
High Point University will hosts its annual Veterans Day Celebration on Nov. 11 in the Millis Athletic and Convocation Center.
North Carolina has the eighth highest population of veterans in the United States. With such a high number of veterans, there are dozens of services and ceremonies for these heroes on this day all across North Carolina.
The event at HPU will begin at 8 a.m. with a breakfast for the veterans. On behalf of the university, HPU president Dr. Nido Qubein invited all veterans in the Triad area to come to campus to celebrate their commitment to our nation and to recognize all of their service and sacrifices. Qubein will be speaking at the event. The event will conclude with a Patriotic Salute.
A variety of decorated veterans, their family members and students will be speaking and participating in this event on Veterans Day. Major general Kevin G. O’Connell, a former commanding general of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, will be attending and speaking at the event. O’Connell was a member of the High Point College class of 1982, as well as the school’s Army ROTC program.
Additional speakers will include Celia Sandys, granddaughter of Winston Churchill, and Jeff Golden, city of High Point ward 1 councilman and veteran of the Persian Gulf War.
Current HPU students will also share their appreciation for veterans at the event. In addition to the speakers, there will be performances by the North Carolina Brass Band and the HPU Chamber Singers. HPU students and members of the High Point community will be volunteering at the event.
In honor of Veterans Day, the members of Kappa Alpha Order raised $16,000 to buy and install a Track Chair for North Carolina veteran Michael Verardo. This chair will give Verardo more mobility and independence, which will allow him to spend more time with his family and do the things he loves. In addition, these students also raised and donated $10,000 to the Independence Fund which benefits wounded veterans.
“While we are in the library cramming for a midterm or spending time with our friends on a Saturday night, there are men and women around the world – the same age as us – serving this country,” said Michael Esposito, fraternity president. “We want to do a humble service for a wounded veteran who has fought to keep us safe and free.”
The event has grown more and more each year. Originally, it began as a way to honor veterans from a local retirement home but has expanded significantly since then.
“As High Point’s University, it’s fitting that our celebration continues to grow in scale along with our campus and involvement in the community as an anchor institution,” Qubein said. “We are delighted to honor the brave people who have secured for us the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy every day.”