Local leaders, students, and faculty attended the event which was held on campus at the student center. Ron Welch, the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs and an Eastern alum, was this year’s keynote speaker.
Welch thanked veterans from all branches of the military and reminded everyone that veterans’ contributions are not just from historic conflicts and wars but how they continue to serve today, most recently assisting people in the South after hurricanes and tornadoes brought significant flooding to that part of the country:
“A lot of our veterans that I’ve served all over the world just grabbed some emergency response gear and headed that way. And then our military responded in a significant way. Savings lives, reducing human suffering and protecting property. And right here in Connecticut our very own Connecticut Army National Guard and some assistance from the Air guard were some of the first to head to the South and they moved a lot of people around that were in harms way to help reduce some of the suffering.”
It was also Karim Ismaili’s first Veterans Day ceremony as the University’s new President and Ismaili thanked Veterans for their service and what they bring to the University and its community.
“Today we acknowledge that out Veterans some of whom are our own students as you’ve seen today. Some of whom are also our faculty and staff have given not only their time and talent but also in many cases of their physical and mental wellbeing to ensure these freedoms endure for future generations. To our student veterans here at Eastern we recognize that your path to higher education has been uniquely challenging. You have taken up the uniform, served with honor and have now returned to continue your growth and learning here on campus.”
According to the Census Bureau, Connecticut has just over 131,000 military veterans living in the state, and around 40,000 of those live in eastern Connecticut, making the region the largest veteran population in the state.
Connecticut has the 35th highest veteran population in the nation and the largest group of veterans in Connecticut served in the Vietnam era.