UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen addresses veterans, students, staff and friends. (Photo courtesy Henry Marte)
UMass Lowell honored the service and sacrifices of veterans today during the first of two flag ceremonies this week in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.
The events pay tribute to the more than 1,000 UMass Lowell military-connected students, staff and faculty, specifically those veterans and active service members who have served across the country and the globe, from Iraq and Africa to Japan.
Today’s free event featured the unfurling of an American flag measuring 36 feet by 20 feet. It also included remarks by Alex Yarter, president of the university’s Student Veterans Alliance, and UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. The UMass Lowell Air Force ROTC Detachment No. 345 presented the colors at the Martin T. Meehan Student Center, which hosted the gathering.
The event on Thursday, Nov. 12 will raise the flag at the Yankee Division 26th Infantry Monument behind the Tsongas Center. The monument was erected in 2001.
Established in 1917 from a U.S. Army National Guard division, the 26th Infantry was the first division composed primarily of units from the New England states.
UMass Lowell is ranked as one of the best schools in the nation for veterans by the Military Times and U.S. Veterans Magazine.
The UMass Lowell Office of Military and Veterans Services assists military connected students with accessing state and federal educational programs and provides a variety of student programming. The university also offers a host of specialized career-development programs for veterans in collaboration with federal, state, private-industry and nonprofit partners.
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- Alex Yarter, president of UMass Lowell’s Student Veterans Alliance and a mechanical engineering major from Worcester, Mass., addresses the crowd. Event speakers included, from left, Ted Serozynsky, UMass Lowell’s director of military and veterans’ services and Chancellor Julie Chen. (Photo courtesy Henry Marte)
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- UMass Lowell student Michael Mitchell of Hollis, N.H., performed the national anthem as stars from a giant, nearby American flag reflected on his attire. (Photo courtesy Henry Marte)
Today’s ceremony featured the unfurling of a giant American flag from the third-floor balcony at the Martin T. Meehan Student Center (Photo courtesy Henry Marte)
