Emory & Henry Veterans Day

The Emory & Henry College community paused with the nation today to honor the nearly 3 million military veterans who have served their country.

Dr. Charles Sydnor, the 18th president of the College, spoke to a crowd of approximately 100 students, staff, faculty and community members about what many consider to be the greatest generation; those individuals who lived through the deprivation of the Great Depression, and then went on to fight in World War II.

In his remarks, Dr. Sydnor reminded the crowd to pay added attention to, "the men and women who stepped forward to master the greatest crisis of the 21st century."

The Veterans Day ceremony was held at the newly constructed Alumni Plaza on the campus of Emory & Henry. The plaza pays tribute to distinguished alumni who have made a difference in the world. Two of four individuals honored on its wall, Harley Staggers and Frank Rowlett, played important roles during World War II.

Staggers was a member of the Navy Air Corps from 1942 to 1946, and was later elected to represent West Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1948. While Rowlett served as a central figure in the solving of the Japanese code and cipher communications before and during the war.

Also in attendance at the event was current student Will Schulhof. The sophomore from Berryville, Va. served in the Marine Corp Infantry for two deployments to Iraq in 2005 and 2007. Today's ceremony was his first as a veteran himself.

"It was very moving," Schulhof said. "I don't think I did anything special, I was just doing my job."

The Veterans Day program was sponsored by the E&H Student Government and the Powell Resource Center. In 2009, Emory & Henry College was named one of the top "military friendly" schools in the nation by G.I. Jobs.

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