Georgian Court marks Veterans Day with prayer, shared reflections and dialog
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
This year Veterans Day unfolded at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, in a series of events honoring those who served in all wars, blessing them for their service and listening attentively as veterans who served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan shared their compelling personal stories.
Commemorations began with a Mass in the Dorothy Marron University Community Chapel celebrated by Voluntas Dei Father Anthony De Palma, university chaplain.
Father De Palma began his homily referring to the Beatitudes from the Scripture reading of the day. He noted that the series of blessings bestowed by Jesus on human beings begins with “blessed are the peacemakers.”
“This is the first gift Jesus gives us in the Beatitudes,” he said adding that in an ideal world, peace would reign and all weapons would be beaten into plowshares.” Sounding a regretful note, he added: That ideal world is not here yet.”
He asked everyone to pray for those who have returned and encouraged everyone to visit the Arts and Sciences Building where a display of a map marked with red pins showed where those connected with the university had served.
Father De Palma, who said he was astonished by the wide geographical scope of their service, encouraged all to lend support to those returning from areas of conflict.
“Reentry is not easy,” he said. “Treat them with respect and remember them with the spirit of thanksgiving. Thank them for their service.”
In gathering the veterans present for the Mass to the front of the sanctuary for a blessing, he spoke of Veterans Day as a time to remember all who answered the call to military service.
“Remember those who have served,” he said. “Remember those who have given their lives. Pray for them,” he said, “greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another.”
The Mass was followed by a panel discussion in the Little Theater of the Arts and Sciences Building sponsored by the university's new Veterans Students Project, an organization formed to meet the needs of students, alumnae and staff who are veterans.
The panel discussion focused on the courage, commitment and loyalty of veterans through the eyewitness accounts of five veterans of the Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan. Among them were two current GCU students, one alum and a long-time Lakewood resident and veterans advocate.
As they shared their witness which covered some of the conflicts Americans fought in over 50 years, the nearly 100 students, staff and members of the community listened intently.
Each of the veterans had remarkable eyewitness accounts to share that gripped and surprised members of the audience, particularly the younger ones. A member of the audience, expressed shock, for instance, when Lakewood local John Brown, who was severely injured in Vietnam, encountered outright hostility from war protestors on his return home.
Brown told how the bus carrying him and other wounded vets to Walter Reade Hospital was hit by a molotov cocktail while they were traveling through Washington. Only quick thinking from authorities accompanying the bus, spared the men inside, Brown said.
Other veterans on the panel were Robert Tanner III, a veteran of Iraq GCU alumnus and author of “Memoirs of an Outlaw: Life in the Sandbox”; Charlie Ryan, a veteran of Iraq, Steven Taylor, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and Michael Gregory, veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan wars. All three are GCU students.
In a prepared release before the presentation, Gregory, an Army veteran and a team member of GCU's Veterans Students Project, shared his insights on the importance of remembering veterans and reflecting on their service not just on Veteran's Day.
“The greatest lesson I learned was that you never know how strong you are until that strength is all that you have to rely on,” he says.
“The humblest lesson I ever learned was the respect of life and to see people as an individuals and not as a whole, which is very hard for a combat infantry soldier to do at times.”
Gregory, an advocate for homeless veterans, underscored the need for more veteran services.
“As a nation,we need to take care of our veterans,” he says. “There are 22 veteran suicides daily; that’s too much. We need more awareness. That is how we should honor our veterans—give them homes, jobs, and whatever else they need to reintegrate into society.”
About the GCU Veteran Students Project
The GCU Veteran Students Project offers a variety of academic, social, support, and logistical resources to aid in the success of GCU veteran students, service members, and their beneficiaries. The project ensures GCU veteran students and service members have the skills and support they need to achieve their goals at Georgian Court and beyond.
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Events
By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
This year Veterans Day unfolded at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, in a series of events honoring those who served in all wars, blessing them for their service and listening attentively as veterans who served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan shared their compelling personal stories.
Commemorations began with a Mass in the Dorothy Marron University Community Chapel celebrated by Voluntas Dei Father Anthony De Palma, university chaplain.
Father De Palma began his homily referring to the Beatitudes from the Scripture reading of the day. He noted that the series of blessings bestowed by Jesus on human beings begins with “blessed are the peacemakers.”
“This is the first gift Jesus gives us in the Beatitudes,” he said adding that in an ideal world, peace would reign and all weapons would be beaten into plowshares.” Sounding a regretful note, he added: That ideal world is not here yet.”
He asked everyone to pray for those who have returned and encouraged everyone to visit the Arts and Sciences Building where a display of a map marked with red pins showed where those connected with the university had served.
Father De Palma, who said he was astonished by the wide geographical scope of their service, encouraged all to lend support to those returning from areas of conflict.
“Reentry is not easy,” he said. “Treat them with respect and remember them with the spirit of thanksgiving. Thank them for their service.”
In gathering the veterans present for the Mass to the front of the sanctuary for a blessing, he spoke of Veterans Day as a time to remember all who answered the call to military service.
“Remember those who have served,” he said. “Remember those who have given their lives. Pray for them,” he said, “greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another.”
The Mass was followed by a panel discussion in the Little Theater of the Arts and Sciences Building sponsored by the university's new Veterans Students Project, an organization formed to meet the needs of students, alumnae and staff who are veterans.
The panel discussion focused on the courage, commitment and loyalty of veterans through the eyewitness accounts of five veterans of the Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan. Among them were two current GCU students, one alum and a long-time Lakewood resident and veterans advocate.
As they shared their witness which covered some of the conflicts Americans fought in over 50 years, the nearly 100 students, staff and members of the community listened intently.
Each of the veterans had remarkable eyewitness accounts to share that gripped and surprised members of the audience, particularly the younger ones. A member of the audience, expressed shock, for instance, when Lakewood local John Brown, who was severely injured in Vietnam, encountered outright hostility from war protestors on his return home.
Brown told how the bus carrying him and other wounded vets to Walter Reade Hospital was hit by a molotov cocktail while they were traveling through Washington. Only quick thinking from authorities accompanying the bus, spared the men inside, Brown said.
Other veterans on the panel were Robert Tanner III, a veteran of Iraq GCU alumnus and author of “Memoirs of an Outlaw: Life in the Sandbox”; Charlie Ryan, a veteran of Iraq, Steven Taylor, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and Michael Gregory, veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan wars. All three are GCU students.
In a prepared release before the presentation, Gregory, an Army veteran and a team member of GCU's Veterans Students Project, shared his insights on the importance of remembering veterans and reflecting on their service not just on Veteran's Day.
“The greatest lesson I learned was that you never know how strong you are until that strength is all that you have to rely on,” he says.
“The humblest lesson I ever learned was the respect of life and to see people as an individuals and not as a whole, which is very hard for a combat infantry soldier to do at times.”
Gregory, an advocate for homeless veterans, underscored the need for more veteran services.
“As a nation,we need to take care of our veterans,” he says. “There are 22 veteran suicides daily; that’s too much. We need more awareness. That is how we should honor our veterans—give them homes, jobs, and whatever else they need to reintegrate into society.”
About the GCU Veteran Students Project
The GCU Veteran Students Project offers a variety of academic, social, support, and logistical resources to aid in the success of GCU veteran students, service members, and their beneficiaries. The project ensures GCU veteran students and service members have the skills and support they need to achieve their goals at Georgian Court and beyond.
More to come
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