Tusculum College to host Veterans Day Ceremony

The Tusculum College Office of Veterans Services will host a Veterans Day Service at the Thomas J. Garland Library on Friday, Nov. 10, at 3:45 p.m. on Tusculum College’s Greeneville campus.

The event will include a brief history of Veterans Day, why Veterans Day is celebrated and a special guest speaker, retired U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Jim Secrist, who has been awarded the Purple Heart twice for injuries received in combat.

Lt. Col. Secrist is an estate planning attorney and vice president for development at The Holston Home for Children in Greeneville. He has held similar positions in the past 15 years in various places around the country.

He is a retired U.S. Marine with 22 years of service as an infantry officer, a Marine Corps pilot and a Marine Corps attorney. He is a Vietnam War veteran, having served two combat tours as an infantry platoon commander and then as a Marine Corps pilot.

According to Dale Laney, director of Tusculum College’s Office of Veterans Services, “I think it is important to recognize those who served because they don’t ask to be recognized—but should be—and it helps those who did not serve to understand and appreciate what veterans have done for them.”

Retired LtCol Jim Secrist

The purpose of Veterans Day, according to the Veterans Administration, is “a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.”

November 11 marked the end of World War I for the United States. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Veterans Day, like Memorial Day, pays tribute to all American veterans, living and deceased, but also gives thanks to veterans who served their country honorably both during war and times of peace.

Laney added that it is important to “recognize those who raised their hand when they didn’t have to or went when they were called and then served their country with honor and courage.”

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the event, contact Dale Laney, director of Veteran Services at dlaney@tusculum.edu or call 423.6367300. Ext. 5371.

 

By Taylor Rose, junior journalism and professional writing major from Clarksville