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Delgado Honors Our Veterans on Veterans Day, and Every Day
November 11, 2019
Today, November 11, is Veterans Day, the day set aside in our nation to honor and celebrate those who served this country through military service.
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 as Armistice Day to commemorate the first anniversary of the end of World War I, which ended on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. In 1926, Congress passed a resolution officially making the day an annual observance. In 1938 the day became a national holiday. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in order to honor veterans in all wars.
Although Veterans Day is an important reminder to honor those who have served and engaged in conflict, we should look at it as an extension of the ways we honor and serve our veterans every day of the year.
There are more than 290,000 veterans living in Louisiana. Some of them are our co-workers at Delgado Community College. These veterans have served in peacetime and in war. Veterans living in this state have served in World War II and every conflict since.
The best way to honor our veterans is to appreciate them at all times, not just Veterans Day. We honor our veterans by ensuring that we meet their needs and the needs of their families.
Staff members of the Delgado Community College Veterans Affairs Office work to connect veterans with services and benefits that they may not know they have. They do their best to explain every option available and connect veterans with available benefits.
Special thanks to Calvin Nguyen and Melvin Thigpen, LaVetsCorps Navigators in the Veterans Affairs Office, for their tremendous contributions organizing the programs last Thursday at the City Park Campus and today at the West Bank Campus in honor of our veterans. Our Student Government Association, Veterans Upward Bound, the Delgado Jazz Ensemble, Delgado Facilities Management, and Delgado Communications and Marketing all played a role in these observances.
In addition to serving the nation’s veterans, Delgado is a provider of higher education for active duty military personnel, civilian employees, and their families. The U.S. Department of Defense under the Voluntary Education Partnership has recognized all Delgado locations. Delgado programs available to the military community advance their personal education and career aspirations. This helps strengthen the nation by producing a well-educated citizenry and it enhances recruitment and retention efforts in the all-volunteer military.
On Veterans Day, and every day, let us honor, respect, and serve our neighbors and friends whose military service means so much to our nation.
Sincerely,
Larissa Littleton-Steib, Ph.D.
Chancellor
