 Greetings. On this Veterans Day, it's my privilege to recognize you, our UVM veterans. You who have served our country with courage and commitment, and many among you who continue to serve as Vermont National Guard members. Whether engaged on foreign soil or responding to need stateside, military service is a profound expression of public commitment, and it is something that resonates with the land grant mission and engagement that is central to our UVM community. We honor you for your service to our nation, and we thank you for the many sacrifices you and your families have made during your deployment and after your return. We thank you too for the service many of you provide to your neighbors and to our state as Vermont National Guard members. Many of us watched in awe this spring as you worked with our medical personnel to quickly convert Patrick Jim into a standby COVID-care facility for our community. You greeted us with smiles in the Waterman parking lot as you conducted on-site pop-up testing for residents all around the state early in the pandemic. In fact, I personally received my first COVID-19 test from our National Guard team right here in the Waterman parking lot, as did my family. In these times of community need, your mobilization and your readiness to serve make us grateful and proud. We also thank you for choosing to be a part of the UVM community. By doing so, you add a diversity of experience and perspective that enriches our learning environment and benefits us all. We have built a strong infrastructure for veteran support here at UVM, and I sincerely hope that you experience it and take advantage of it. As you access your VA benefits, our Student Veterans Service team is here to help you with questions and issues. David Carlson heads up our office, and if you have not yet met David, please be sure to reach out to him. David has been instrumental in developing an effective network for student veterans here at UVM. Of particular note, I want to congratulate Steve Luna, our most recent Staff Council President, for his work with veterans and families. I remember the date of September 17th, when Steve shared with me that veteran homelessness was a thing of the past in Chittenden County, thanks to his work and that of many in the community. That was the proudest I have ever seen him. I also want to recognize Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Pittanyello, Professor of Military Science and Commander of our Green Mountain Battalion, for his excellent leadership of UVM's ROTC program. Our program has more than a 100-year track record of building military preparedness and leadership. We thank Colonel Pittanyello and honor his leadership of this formidable program at our university. So we have a veterans-grade tradition of recognizing those veterans who are new to the UVM community with a pin that acknowledges their status as veterans and creates a visible emblem of network building. While I cannot personally pin you on this day, as I did last year, you will soon be receiving a message from our office to arrange for you to collect this pin. Thank you again for your selfless service and for all that you bring to and do for our community at UVM and beyond.