SRU hosting annual Veterans Day ceremony and lunch on Nov. 11

Nov. 6, 2024

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - As an institution with a proud history of supporting military-affiliated students and veterans, Slippery Rock University is hosting its annual Veterans Day ceremony, 11 a.m., Nov. 11, at the Russell Wright Alumni House. The event is free and open to the public and kicks off the University's Military Appreciation Week activities. Military veterans are also invited to attend a lunch immediately following the ceremony at the Alumni House.

The Veterans Day ceremony will begin inside the Alumni House and conclude outside at the Alumni Veterans Memorial adjacent to the building.

The alumni speaker is Chris Thrasher, '23, who served in the U.S. Army for 12 years, rising to the rank of Sergeant, with two deployments to Afghanistan. He first enrolled at SRU in 2006 before enlisting in the Army and returning to the University in the spring of 2021 complete his degree in criminology and criminal justice.

During his time at SRU, Thrasher was a senator in the Student Government Association and president of the Student Veterans of America, among many other activities and groups. Outside of campus, he's been active in his community with the American Legion and VFW, a volunteer firefighter and girl scout troop leader, a certified PIAA sports referee and official, and worked part-time for the YMCA and as an Inspector of Elections for the Mercer County Board of Elections. A resident of Hermitage, Chris is a shift supervisor at a corrections center in Ohio managed by CoreCivic.

As part of the ceremony, members of the SRU Army ROTC will raise the colors, lay a wreath and fire a 21-gun salute. Lt. Col. Brett Boyle, professor of military science, will recognize enlisted cadets.

Micah Henry, a sophomore computing major from Pittsburgh, will provide remarks on behalf of student veterans. Emma Hicks, a senior music performance major from Homestead, will sing the national anthem and "God Bless America." D.J. Lucidore, senior park and resource management major from Bethel Park, will perform "Taps."

The Veterans Day ceremony and lunch is organized by SRU's Office of Alumni Engagement and the Office for Inclusive Excellence.

In addition to the Veterans Day events, the OIE is coordinating four more events at SRU to celebrate Military Appreciation Week:

• Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. in the Smith Student Center, Room 322, Mary Chitwood will be the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Speaker. Chitwood, is an Army veteran and the executive director of Robin's Home, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Butler, dedicated to serving veterans and their families. Chitwood's appearance is part of the SRU DEIB Office's The Power of Stories Series.
• Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. in the Smith Student Center Lobby, there will be a table where clothing donations will be accepted for veteran and sexual violence resources.
• Nov. 14, at noon in The Quad, there will be a Coffee with Vets event where people on campus can meet with veterans from the SRU campus community.
• Nov. 15 is RED Day when everyone in the SRU community is encouraged to wear red to Remember Everyone Deployed and share an image of themselves on Instagram by tagging @sruoie.

For more information about the Veterans Day events, contact Alumni Engagement at 724.738.2018 or [email protected].

MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zackal | 724.738.4854  | [email protected]