FILE PHOTO: National Guard helmets. Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash
LOGAN – The Utah State University Veterans Resource Office is joining the Cache Valley Veterans Association to invite veterans everywhere to join Veterans Day events at USU.
Veteran’s Day is Friday, Nov. 11.
Andy Allen, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, directs the USU Veterans Resource Office.
“Our job is to help service members, veterans and their families utilize their GI bill education benefits they’ve earned with the VA from their service,” Allen said. “And our job is to help them navigate all of the ins and outs of how to know how much GI Bill benefits they have, how to meet VA requirements to access those benefits and then how to utilize those benefits to attend school here at USU.”
He said USU’s Veterans Day events kick off Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m. (or 1700 hours for military personnel).
“The Air Force ROTC here at Utah State is doing a 24-hour prisoner of war and missing in action vigil,” Allen added. “So for 24 hours here at USU on the Quad, there will be airmen who will be conducting that vigil through the night until 5 p.m. on Veteran’s Day. So that kind of kicks the whole thing off.”
Allen said a Tribute to Veterans will begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday in front of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum followed by a Veterans Day Barbecue from noon to 2 p.m. at Legacy Field south of the Spectrum; the barbecue will be free.
During the barbecue USU’s College of Education and Human Services will conduct a food drive for veterans.
Friday night a Veterans Day Memorial Concert begins at 7:30 at the Chase Fine Arts Center in the Daines Concert Hall. It will feature the American Festival Chorus and USU Symphony Orchestra.
Guest Speaker will be Jennie Taylor, widow of Major Brent R. Taylor, the mayor of North Ogden and Utah Army National Guard officer who died on deploymfr