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On November 10, Â鶹ÊÓƵ hosted its annual Veterans Day Celebration at the Washington College of Law.Ìý Members of the Military Connected Club (MCC) and Civil-Military Society (Civ-Mil) co-hosted a ceremony and reception honoring Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s veteran students, staff, and their families. In attendance were Â鶹ÊÓƵ veteran students, staff, alumni, and members of the American Legion and the community at large.

The theme of this year’s celebration was "continued service."Ìý Â鶹ÊÓƵWCL’s Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Heather Hughes, welcomed attendees and reiterated Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s commitment to its military-connected population.

The keynote speaker, Lieutenant Colonel Pamela Bracey, recognized the contributions made by veteran Eagles and urged the audience to consider continuing their service to community.Ìý Colonel Bracey acknowledged the challenges that come with transitioning out of the military and celebrated the perseverance our veterans displayed by seeking to pursue their academic and professional development. Ìý

"The Vietnam, Korea, and Gulf War veterans still fighting for compensation at VA; the more than one million veterans that are living at or below the poverty line; the 67,495 homeless veterans across the country; and the 5.2 million veterans battling mental health disorders," she said in her remarks. "These veterans—our brothers and sisters—still need you.Ìý You have the abilities and passions that can help make your community stronger."

"Being able to celebrate Veterans Day as a unified veteran group, was memorable and uplifting," said MCC President Louden Mazen. "It was great to see how many people came to the event to honor and celebrate the veteran population at Â鶹ÊÓƵ and beyond."

President of Â鶹ÊÓƵWCL’s Civ-Mil, Christopher Galarza, stated, "It was incredible to see so many members of our student population, especially those that were here to show support to their classmates, faculty, and staff.Ìý We hope to continue to grow our organization and adhere to Lieutenant Colonel’s Bracey’s call for continued service."

The Military Connected Club serves main campus veterans, families, and friends.Ìý For more information on MCC, contact Louden Mazen (lm2327a@american.edu). For more information on this organization, please reach out to Christopher Galarza (civmil@wcl.american.edu).

~Story by Sophia Vavedo-Quinones.